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With the approval of the new Leibniz ScienceCampus “Multiscale Challenges: from Astrophysics to Climate Models,” the Leibniz Association is launching an ambitious initiative to bring together leading expertise from astrophysics, climate science, and applied mathematics. At the same time, the funding marks a milestone for Brandenburg: emerging from the successful initiative of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), this establishes the first ever Leibniz ScienceCampus in the state.
The Senate of the Leibniz Association approved funding for a new Leibniz ScienceCampus, “Multiscale Challenges: from Astrophysics to Climate Models” on March 24, 2026. The Campus will be jointly funded by the participating Leibniz institutes, the Leibniz Association, the University of Potsdam, and the state of Brandenburg, with a total budget of 4.12 million euros.
Under the leadership of the AIP, the Campus is being established in close collaboration with the University of Potsdam as well as the participating Leibniz institutes — the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics. Additional partners include the Deutsche Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, and the German Center for Astrophysics. The initiative will be coordinated by Prof. Dr. Christoph Pfrommer (AIP), who serves as a spokesman together with Prof. Dr. Tim Dietrich from University of Potsdam.
“Many of the most pressing scientific questions arise from the interplay of processes operating across vastly different spatial and temporal scales. Whether in galaxies or here on Earth, small-scale processes shape large-scale behavior. The ScienceCampus brings together expertise from astrophysics and Earth system science to develop new computational and data-driven approaches that model these interactions more consistently and precisely across all scales, ultimately enabling better predictions,” says Prof. Dr. Christoph Pfrommer.
At its core are next-generation simulation techniques, hybrid modelling strategies, and the use of artificial intelligence, particularly neural networks that learn physical laws. The goal is to significantly improve the representation of subscale processes in both astrophysical and climate models. In climate research, this will enable more precise projections and more robust strategies for the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change. In astrophysics, the Campus will advance our understanding of key phenomena such as galaxy formation, neutron star mergers, and exoplanet atmospheres, thereby bridging the gap to climate physics.
“The new ScienceCampus provides a unique platform to integrate methods and perspectives from different disciplines and to advance truly interdisciplinary research. By combining observational data, theoretical modelling, and state-of-the-art computational techniques, we can generate new insights into complex systems. This collaborative approach will not only strengthen the Potsdam–Berlin research region but also enhance international visibility and contribute to tackling urgent societal issues like climate change,” says Prof. Dr. Tim Dietrich.
Brandenburg's Minister of Science, Dr. Manja Schüle, offers her congratulations: “A milestone for Brandenburg’s scientific community: we are establishing our first Leibniz ScienceCampus. This is a substantive win, as the interdisciplinary research approach integrates state-of-the-art simulation techniques across both small and large scales. This enables researchers to better understand and predict complex phenomena – from galaxy formation to climate change – by bringing together expertise in astrophysics, climate science, and applied mathematics. It’s also a structural win for our state, as the AIP, the University of Potsdam, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research will be able to pool their expertise. Strengthening collaboration will be a central pillar of our forthcoming research strategy – and the Leibniz ScienceCampus ‘Multiscale Challenges: from Astrophysics to Climate Models’ is already anticipating this direction and putting it into practice. This is what a forward-looking research ecosystem ‘made in Brandenburg’ looks like.”
Leibniz ScienceCampuses promote strategic, thematically focused collaboration between Leibniz institutes, universities, and external partners within a regional context. They strengthen interdisciplinarity, pool scientific excellence, and create internationally visible research centers. Through this program, the Leibniz Association deepens long-term cooperation among its member institutions and their partners, enhances regional networking, and further expands its international scientific visibility.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Pfrommer, +49 331 7499 513, cpfrommer@aip.de
Leibniz ScienceCampus SCALES
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