The foundation is laid for the new research center Human Cognition and Behavior

A new construction project of the University of Göttingen is taking shape: the new research center Human Cognition and Behavior (HuCaB) is being built in close proximity to the Georg-Elias-Müller Institute for Psychology on Goßlerstraße. Here, researchers from various disciplines will in the future investigate human social cognition. In a ceremonial event, the foundation stone for the research building was laid on September 16, 2024.

Grundsteinlegung — Göttingen's Mayor Petra Broistedt lays the foundation stone in the presence of architect Elmar Nitzbon (2nd from left), Science Minister Falko Mohr (4th from left), HuCaB spokesperson Anne Schacht (5th from left) and University President Metin Tolan (2nd from right) (Photo: Peter Heller, University of Göttingen)

HuCaB-Baustelle — The construction site of the HuCaB in Goßlerstraße 14 (Photo: Peter Heller, University of Göttingen)

The new research center Human Cognition and Behavior (HuCaB) will offer 3,500 square meters for office space for approx. 160 researchers, laboratories, event spaces, as well as waiting and communication areas. Over five floors, researchers will have access to modern infrastructure and individually developed laboratories to investigate social relationships and interactions.

The Lower Saxony Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, says: "The research building Human Cognition and Behavior, which is being started today, puts something everyday and yet highly complex at the center: human behavior. In the near future, researchers at this location will investigate how people communicate with each other and how the fine nuances in facial expressions, gestures, and language influence our coexistence - so that we can all learn to understand each other better. I am pleased that we as a state can contribute to this modern new building with funds from the 'zukunft.niedersachsen' program and look forward to the first results in this interesting field of research."

"With HuCaB, we are creating an internationally visible center for interdisciplinary cognitive research on the Göttingen campus," says University President Prof. Dr. Metin Tolan. The new research infrastructure will enable the investigation of human cognition and behavior in complex social interactions and the exploration of the underlying neural processes using imaging methods. "With the research building Human Cognition and Behavior, a dream will come true," says HuCaB spokesperson Prof. Dr. Anne Schacht. "At the heart of HuCaB, there will be highly modern, tailored to our research questions, and in some cases, specifically developed at the site laboratories, in which we will investigate human social cognition under realistic and yet controlled conditions and thus actively contribute to a paradigm shift in our field of research."

The funding will be provided in part by the federal government and the state through the "Research Buildings" funding line and will also cover the costs for various large-scale equipment such as a magnetoencephalograph for millisecond-accurate recording of brain activity. The total costs are estimated to be around 60 million euros, with completion planned for the end of 2026.

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