The symbolic ground-breaking ceremony on 21 October 2020 marked the start of construction of the ultra-modern Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP) at Mark 51'7. The building is scheduled for completion in 2027 and will accommodate 350 employees.
On 21 October, many of those involved gathered at the construction site in the pouring rain: among them were representatives from politics and science, the construction company, and employees of the MPI-SP. ‘It is a particularly happy occasion for us as an institute to begin construction of the new institute building today,’ said Prof. Dr. Peter Schwabe, Managing Director of the MPI-SP, in his opening speech.
Bochum as a hotspot for cybersecurity
In her welcoming address, Ina Brandes, North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister for Culture and Science, said: ‘An old industrial site is becoming home to cutting-edge international research. In the future, world-leading scientists will conduct basic research on cybersecurity at the old Opel site – one of the major topics of the future that directly affects everyone's lives.’ District Mayor Gaby Schäfer also addressed the transformation of Mark 51'7 into a centre of innovation and expressed her pride in the development of the area: ‘We also look with pride at the things that happen here.’ Schäfer also pointed out that Bochum is home to over 500 IT companies, making the city a ‘hotspot for cybersecurity’.
The decision taken in 2019 to found the MPI-SP in Bochum was not a random one. An institute with the concept proposed by the now former President of the Max Planck Society, Prof. Dr. Martin Stratmann, ‘Scientific excellence as a nucleus for economic and social transformation processes’ fits perfectly with the Bochum location. ‘The Ruhr region already has an extremely good and dense research infrastructure,’ added Dr Simone Schwanitz, Secretary General of the Max Planck Society.
Close cooperation with the Ruhr University
In his closing remarks, Prof. Dr. Christof Paar, co-founder of the Horst Görtz Institute for IT security, described the process of establishing the MPI-SP in Bochum and emphasised the leading role of the Ruhr University in supporting this endeavour. Since its foundation in 2019, the MPI-SP has been working closely with the Ruhr University. ‘Incidentally, I am delighted that not only the MPI, but also the Faculty of Computer Science will find a home on the former Opel factory site in the future,’ added Prof. Dr. Günter Meschke, RUB Vice-Rector for Research and Transfer.
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