After several years of intensive planning and construction phases, initiated and actively managed by the Institute of Groundwater Management, the new "Groundwater" teaching and research field at TU Dresden was inaugurated at a ceremony on September 25, 2024.

The facility, which is unique in Germany, has created a state-of-the-art infrastructure that will allow the Institute of Groundwater Management to conduct innovative teaching and pioneering research in the field of hydrogeology and the sustainable management of groundwater resources in the future. In this "real laboratory", it will be possible to demonstrate and develop both established and innovative methods and technologies in order to meet the challenges of groundwater management and develop solutions for them. This important step marks a decisive milestone in the efforts to achieve excellence in research and teaching in one of the most pressing issues in the world today: the protection and sustainable use of groundwater.

The inauguration ceremony was introduced by the Saxon State Minister for Energy, Climate Protection, Environment and Agriculture, Wolfram Günther. In his words of welcome, he once again emphasized the importance of the topic of groundwater in the context of the current climate-related discussion about the challenges regarding a secure future water supply in Saxony.

Other speakers included Prof. Jürgen Stamm, spokesperson for the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at TU Dresden, Prof. Peter Krebs, Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Prof. Rudolf Liedl, former Head of the Institute of Groundwater Management, and Prof. Andreas Hartmann, current Head of the Institute of Groundwater Management. In addition to the importance of the teaching and research field of "groundwater" for teaching and research at TU Dresden, these speeches emphasized the importance of international networking and the exchange of know-how in close cooperation with our international partners and integrated into international degree programs such as Hydro Science and Engineering (HSE) and Groundwater and Global Change - Impacts and Adaptation (GroundwatCh). This can lay the foundation for the development of innovative concepts for the protection and management of the vital resource of groundwater, which can be used worldwide. The importance of the teaching and research field of "groundwater" as a platform for post-graduate further education courses to transfer knowledge and train national and international specialists from science, industry and authorities was also underlined. One example of this is the further education programme for environmental experts from the Global South, which is organized by the Centre for International Postgraduate Studies of Environmental Management (CIPSEM).

At the final inauguration ceremony of the "Groundwater" teaching and research field, a plaque was unveiled in recognition of the material, financial and non-material support provided by the participating institutions and organizations from science and practice.

During a station tour of the site, the invited guests from the authorities, various departments of TU Dresden and hydrogeological practice also had the opportunity to find out about the site and the infrastructure and to experience the infrastructure, including measurement technology, in action.

The tour of the site was used by the guests present later in the evening for a lively professional exchange on a wide range of topics relating to hydrogeological practice.

With the inauguration of the "Groundwater" teaching and research field, TU Dresden is setting new standards for research and teaching in the field of hydrogeology, consolidating its position as a leading international institution in this field and underlining its claim to be a locally anchored and globally oriented University of Excellence with societal responsibility.

More information in the Sächsische Zeitung

Contact person

Dr.-Ing. Thomas Fichtner
Institute for Groundwater Management

Tel.: +49 351 463-40552