New Campus for Educational Media Research in Lower Saxony

Approximately 100 guests from the fields of politics, academia and industry attended the event, at which Stephan Weil, Lower Saxony’s First Minister, officially inaugurated the Georg Eckert Campus. In his speech Weil said ‘Lower Saxony is an important scientific and academic location. Institutions such as the Leibniz Institute for Educational Media contribute to the high standards and reputation of the area and have great regional and international allure. Education and, in particular, educational media research such as that conducted by the GEI, is of great socio-political relevance. This new campus creates a physical space in Braunschweig through which to shape the digital shift within education, academia and society as a whole. The attractive working and research environment offers great prospects for the future, and all those involved should be heartily congratulated’.
The Villa von Bülow will fulfil an important role in the region as a place where academics and members of the general public can come together. The 310-metre-square exhibition and event space provides a multimedia journey through the history of educational media and the Institute. A media wall, four interactive media islands and an exhibition on textbooks introduce visitors to the research conducted by the GEI.
The glass-covered ground floor of the new library building allows views of the extensive book collection as well as the park beyond. Covering around 1,600 square metres, the new research library contains the world’s most comprehensive collection of international textbooks, which currently comprises around 183,000 print and online media items from 180 countries, complemented by the collection of academic literature comprising approximately 80,000 print and online media items. The building sets a new tone while still blending harmoniously into the site as a whole. The construction of the new research library provides sufficient work space for visitors as well as enabling access to the entire textbook collection.
The connections between the new research library, the Villa and the Margarethe Rothbarth Building are both functional and attractive. The office building provides an additional 2,460 square metres of office and conference space for the staff and researchers working at the GEI.
‘The reason for the construction project was the urgent need for more space, in order to ensure the research library and our research work are fit for the future. There has not been enough space available for many years to enable researchers to effectively access the library’s existing inventory in order to conduct their research, to say nothing of the possibility of expanding the collection. The new office building now provides an optimum space for our more than 120 staff and is certainly an important aspect when attracting top-quality researchers’ stated Prof. Eckhardt Fuchs, director of the Institute. He continued ‘The new Georg Eckert Campus plots a significant course for the future development of the Georg Eckert Institute and will drive innovation in educational media research. The Campus solution provides the ideal environment for the Institute’s success to continue’. Prof. Fuchs has directed the Institute since 1 October 2015.

About the GEI
The GEI was established as a public institution with legal capacity in 1975. The Institute conducts applied, multi-disciplinary research into educational media, informed by history and cultural sciences and with an international focus. Research into the production, content and appropriation of educational media for schools in its socio-cultural, political, economic and historical contexts is at the core of the Institute’s work. The GEI also provides transfer services based on critical research for application in national and international education practice, educational media production and education policy. Another key aspect is the advancement of international understanding through bi-national textbook commissions; currently between Germany, and Poland, Israel and the Czech Republic. The Leibniz Institute for Educational Media provides unique research infrastructure services that are founded in research and available on site and digitally. At the core of the Institute is its research library containing the world’s most comprehensive collection of international textbooks.
The GEI has been a member of the prestigious Leibniz Association since 2011. The Leibniz Association brings together 97 independent research institutions. As the only non-university institution working in the humanities in the special research area centred on Braunschweig, the Institute is well known and respected regionally and internationally. It hosts numerous visiting scholars from around the world and organises a diverse range of international events and conferences.
There are five Leibniz institutions in Lower Saxony with a total budget of 111.2 million euro annually (as of 2020), of which approximately 21.2 million euro comes from third-party funding. Between them these institutes employ more than 1,100 people, including over 400 researchers and around 100 doctoral students. Through their close cooperation with the region’s universities, Leibniz institutions form an important pillar of the regional scientific landscape.
Further information is available at: www.gei.de
Photos of the Georg Eckert Campus are available at:
www.gei.de/wissenstransfer/wissenschaftskommunikation/pressefotos

Public relations officer:
Catrin Schoneville
Academic communication
 Leibniz Institute for Educational Media | Georg Eckert Institute
Tel.: +49 (0)531 / 59099-504
Mobil: +49 (0)151 / 62842664
E-Mail:  presse@leibniz-gei.de
schoneville@leibniz-gei.de

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