Potsdam is a city of knowledge. More than 10,000 of the 182,000 residents of Potsdam work in the scientific institutions of the Brandenburg state capital. Over 25,000 young people have chosen to study in Potsdam.
There are more than 40 scientific institutions based in the region, including Max Planck Institutes, Fraunhofer Institutes, institutions of the Leibniz Association, and two institutions of the Helmholtz Association. The Hasso Plattner Institute for Software Engineering (HPI), founded in 1998, is the first and so far the only completely privately funded university institute in Germany. Since the end of 2009, Potsdam has also been home to the IASS – Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies – a unique center for climate research and sustainability studies.
This dense landscape of science provides fertile ground for proWissen Potsdam e.V. The non-profit association was founded in April 2004. The association's website links all scientific institutions, and it also maintains a science calendar.
Its role is to promote science and research, facilitate science communication to the general public, and expand a network of universities, scientific institutions, business, culture, politics, the city, and citizens in the Potsdam region. This creates a platform that connects science with culture, business, tourism, and education. proWissen is funded by the state capital of Potsdam and more than 90 scientific, science-related, economic, and cultural institutions, as well as private individuals. Schools are also members of the association.
