Steffen Krach has been State Secretary for Science and Research in the Senate of Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD), who has assumed responsibility for the department, for six years. In recent years, Berlin has developed significantly as a location for cutting-edge research. Nevertheless, Krach wants to give up his office in the summer and move to Hanover as regional president. Since Michael Müller is also leaving office, the management of the department has to be completely reorganized. Krach spoke to the Berliner Morgenpost about the development of science in Berlin and his move to Hanover.
Berliner Morgenpost: Mr. Krach, what does Hanover have that Berlin does not have – apart from Veronica Ferres?
Steffen Krach: I tell you, it is worth taking a look at Hanover. It’s pretty exemplary how the city and the municipalities in the surrounding area can be combined into one region and made one-stop politics for 1.2 million people. That creates really good conditions for a clever transport policy or health care. A model for others too.
You have been State Secretary for Science in Berlin for six years. A lot has happened in that time. Is the development finished?
No certainly not. The development is sensational and of course I am pleased. It will go on and must go on, there is huge potential in it for the whole city. I am absolutely convinced of that. Nevertheless, I have decided to seek another position. The fact that the Governing Mayor Michael Müller decided four years ago to make science and research a top priority was a blessing for the area. Berlin will benefit from this for a long time.
Michael Müller also said that there is still a lot to do before you possibly move to Hanover. What are you planning for this year?
We actually still want to implement a lot, at the top of the to-do list is the new heart center that the Charite and the German Heart Center are forming. It is a central project that has been with us for a long time. Now some details have to be clarified, but it is irreversible.
Will that really happen soon?
Yes, we are on the home stretch. All those involved have been working intensively on it for many months.
What will that look like in concrete terms?
We still need a legislative change, which we are now launching. Then there will be an integration of the German Heart Center into the Charite and Europe’s most modern heart center can emerge.
Where will the heart center then be?
At the Virchow Klinikum site, the new building will cost 386.9 million euros, 286 of which will be paid for by Berlin and 100 by the federal government. It is a one-time thing for the federal government to invest in a clinic. That is a success that we achieved over the past year. The planning for the construction is already underway.
This year alone, around one billion euros have flowed into Berlin research initiatives. What position do you see Berlin meanwhile in an international comparison?
Given this special year, this is really remarkable and shows the strength of the location. The competition for research funding from the EU or the federal government is tough, but our scientists prevail with their ideas. Fifteen years ago we were ridiculed in some areas, but now Berlin is the undisputed number 1 in Germany. This is important for the city, science policy is a smart economic policy.
And internationally?
Now it is a matter of getting to the top internationally as well. We are already so attractive to top scientists that we can bring them here and keep them. This can be seen in the example of the Nobel Prize winner Emmanuelle Charpentier. She could have gone anywhere in the world. But we managed to keep them here. We want to do the same with other top people. To do this, we have to offer the right environment and very good working conditions. If we succeed in doing this in the long term, Berlin will move up into the international top 5. There are currently a few locations that have a head start.
Which are they?
The region around Boston and also on the west coast of the USA has one or two locations that we cannot yet keep up with in all areas. Or in Great Britain, for example, the University of Oxford, with which Berlin is developing a close cooperation. But the general conditions in Berlin are getting better and better. We attract young talent and top people. The Charité’s chief virologist, Christian Drosten, only came to Berlin three years ago.
What part do you personally ascribe to this?
I think the Müller / Krach combination was actually quite good. Michael Müller will probably go down in history as the most successful Senator for Science in Berlin. It’s a very good collaboration that has made the decisive difference in many areas.
For example where?
For example at the Museum of Natural History. The Bundestag has decided to give 330 million euros to Berlin if the state co-finances this mega project. As the ruler, Müller was able to react quickly. Whether the project would have worked otherwise is in the stars. Also the property for Mrs. Charpentier. For months it went back and forth as to whether or not she would get her own research building – Michael Müller then decided. That’s why she stayed here, among other things. Third example: the heart center. Müller mediated at a crucial point between the parties involved and also secured the huge investment measure of 389 million euros. Three examples that show: If you want to make Berlin a leading innovation location, you have to assert yourself and secure appropriate investments. If you let up in that, it becomes difficult.
You have pushed the image of Berlin as a “brain city” quite a bit. Can you briefly explain what exactly that is beyond the slogan?
Especially the quarter of a million people who study and work in science here. And our claim to attract bright minds for Berlin, from studying in the first semester to Nobel Prize winners. Of course, this also applies to top managers like Heyo Kroemer, whom we were able to bring on as the new Charité boss. It’s incredibly important to the location and I hope the city will notice that too. Getting it wasn’t a sure-fire success. We really tried to get Kroemer because we were convinced that he could develop the health location further. This must also work in other areas.
And what does it mean beyond the best of minds?
Brain City also stands for the fact that we are a shared science location. A common spirit grows, we all pull together. When I started here, Berlin did not see itself as a location that competes with other locations. Of course there will always be competition between FU, HU and TU or the universities of applied sciences, but the basic idea is that you can achieve more together than each individual.
The year is very much shaped by the corona pandemic. On the one hand, this has brought science to the fore – a year ago nobody knew what virologists were doing and that there was a Christian Drosten – on the other hand, teaching has changed completely. Is it even possible to study under these conditions?
Corona has given the digitization of universities an incredible boost. When it became clear that we would have to switch to digital teaching formats within a few weeks, I would not have thought it possible that it would ultimately succeed so quickly and so comprehensively. I have absolute respect for the performance of the universities and their employees. Of course we want to go back to campus life, which is important for students and teachers. Coming to Berlin to study, not being able to get to know your university, fellow students and lecturers, and not being able to go to a party, that would have been difficult for me when I was a student. We want to keep our presence universities. Still, I’m sure the way we teach and study will change forever.
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