Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg
The oldest and largest university in Saxony-Anhalt has its roots
in the Saxonian University that was founded in Wittenberg in 1502 and the
"Fridericiana" of Brandenburg/Prussia, opened in Halle in 1694. The two
universities have been one since 1817. This unusual history is expressed
symbolically in the double seal of the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg.
As a modern institute of teaching and research, the university offers the
full spectrum of subjects (theology, medicine, law, philosophy,
mathematics/natural sciences/technology, agriculture and economics).
The students can choose from among more than one hundred and eighty courses of
study, including newly-introduced subjects such as Food Chemistry, Nutritional
Sciences, Media Communication and Computational Molecular Biology, which are
especially in demand. At present, there are around 17,000 students at the university.
The Martin Luther University is subdivided into faculties and departments.
Research and teaching in the university are concentrated in particular in ten
interdisciplinary academic centres, whose aim is to promote interdisciplinary
work at an inter-departmental level. The themes of these are: European Enlightenment;
Pietism; Environmental Sciences; School Research and Questions of Teacher Education;
Material Sciences; Applied Medical and Human Biology Research; Life Sciences; Oriental
Studies; Computer Sciences; Medicine - Ethics - Law. Most of these centres build on and
continue the long tradition of research in the region.
The university cooperates with extramural research units that have based themselves
in Halle and the surrounding area. Among these are: the Max Planck Institute of
Microstructure Physics, the Fraunhofer Institute of Materials Mechanics - Halle branch;
the Institute of Agricultural Development in Central and Eastern Europe; the Institute
of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Gatersleben; the Institute of Plant Biochemistry,
Halle; and the Halle Institute of Economic Research.
Fachhochschule Merseburg
There were a number of reasons for housing the pilot plant centre in
the newly-erected buildings of the Merseburg Innovation and Technology
Centre (mitz II) in the Dow ValuePark at Schkopau:
- in the immediate vicinity of several polymer producers
- outstanding media and raw material supply thanks to the industrial park concept
- not far from the Martin Luther University of Halle and Merseburg Technical College
- close contact with small and medium-sized plastics-processing businesses via mitz II etc.
Merseburg Innovation and Technology Centre, mitz
The Merseburg Innovation and Technology Centre, mitz, which offers a modern and
extensive central management and services infrastructure, sees its role in helping
to start up technologically orientated businesses in Saxony-Anhalt.
Beside providing modern office and laboratory space at fair prices, the mitz team
is always at hand to assist with all of the problems of starting up a business,
such as finding subsidies, co-operation agreements, training and certification,
crisis management and contacts with scientific institutions.
The newly-built mitz II building in the Dow ValuePark offers high-quality laboratory,
technical and office spaces. Its closeness to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft,
its integration in the Dow industrial park concept and the large number of businesses
present are unique advantages of this location for young businesses.
ValuePark Schkopau
ValuePark® is the industrial park concept of the Dow Olefinverbund GmbH,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. The Dow site in central
Germany lies near to the cities of Leipzig, Halle and Dessau, and has outstanding
transport links.
The objective is to integrate the company's strategic partners and customers on
site and to create and make use of long-term synergies. These arise from:
- the integration of materials supply and logistics
- the joint use of existing infrastructure and services
- the reduction of investment capital and operating capital
Because of their geographical closeness to the countries of central and
eastern Europe, the Dow sites in central Germany offer ideal conditions
for an engagement in these growth markets. Since it opened in 1998, thirteen
national and international companies have invested more than 300 million euros
in the 150-hectare ValuePark, creating over 600 jobs.