Structural change in Lusatia as a social challenge

It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research with 18.2 million euros under the Structural Reinforcement Act for Coal-Mining Regions. Around 40 researchers will be studying structural change in Lusatia there until mid-2030.

The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) will celebrate the official launch of the new research centre on Thursday, 10 September 2026, in Startblock B2 on the main campus in Cottbus. The ceremony will be opened by BTU President Prof. Gesine Grande, the Lusatia Commissioner Dr.-Ing. Klaus Freytag, State Chancellery of the State of Brandenburg, and a representative of the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The spokespersons for ZESTUR are Prof. Dr oec. Jan Schnellenbach and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Silke Weidner. Around 60 guests are attending the launch of the research project.

BTU President Prof. Gesine Grande said: “For the BTU, ZESTUR is a real asset because it complements our technical and engineering research into structural change with a social science perspective. For Lusatia, this means that, for the first time, the transformation is being scientifically monitored more closely than any other structural transformation before it – not from outside the region, but in collaboration with the local people. And beyond Lusatia, our work provides insights relevant to any region facing profound change – from the Rust Belt to Wales. Lusatia thus becomes not only the subject of research, but also a place from which others can learn.”

The Lusatia Commissioner, Dr.-Ing. Klaus Freytag, adds: “The future of Lusatia cannot be planned on the drawing board. It takes shape where science, politics, business and, above all, the local people work together to find solutions. This is precisely where ZESTUR’s unique opportunity lies: It is not intended to conduct research on Lusatia, but with it. ZESTUR can combine scientific findings with the region’s experiences and needs, and develop concrete impetus for structural change from this. In doing so, the centre makes an important contribution to providing scientific support for the transformation process in Lusatia whilst also further developing it in a practical manner.”

Minister for Science Dr Manja Schüle: “Structural change is more than just a shift from coal to batteries. It is about what people experience in their everyday lives: whether their work matters, whether their children can stay, and whether they can still recognise their surroundings. This is precisely where ZESTUR comes in. Social science research is not a luxury, but the foundation for ensuring that change is not planned without taking people into account. Only if we understand and take into account the impact of the transformation on people’s lives, neighbourhoods and trust will we gain the acceptance and legitimacy that such a far-reaching change requires. Since 1990, Lusatia has learnt what a rupture means. Today, the challenge is to shape this upheaval in such a way that it is sustainable – not only economically, but also in human terms. ZESTUR turns the region into a laboratory for precisely this question: how can change succeed when we think it through together? I wish the centre the courage to ask uncomfortable questions, and the strength to find answers that will stand the test of time in Lusatia and far beyond.”

Structural change as a social task

At the heart of the new Centre for Structural Change and Regional Development (ZESTUR) lies the conviction that transformation is, above all, a social task: it changes not only jobs, but also people’s life stories, places and sense of belonging. Particularly in Lusatia, where the effects of the structural upheaval following 1990 are still being felt today, the dawn of the energy transition is met with scepticism about transformation. This scepticism can also be understood as a reminder that people know what change can cost.”

Five thematic areas, a shared perspective on the region

The researchers are investigating how people, regions and institutions cope with far-reaching changes and how structural change can be shaped collaboratively. To this end, seven chairs specialising in social sciences, planning and Economic Sciences at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg are pooling their expertise into five thematic clusters: regional innovation systems, the labour market, social cohesion and participation, shaped living environments, and conflicts surrounding democracy and migration. An interdisciplinary project on regional futures and collective identities brings these perspectives together. Lusatia is at the heart of this research, but is systematically compared with other regions undergoing transformation in Germany, Europe and worldwide – such as the Ruhr region or the Rust Belt.

Central to the centre’s approach is its transdisciplinary ethos: research should not be conducted in isolation from, but rather in collaboration with, the region’s stakeholders. To this end, ZESTUR is establishing a co-creative transfer platform that permanently links academia, politics, business and civil society with research. With new opportunities for participation, such as the “Lusatian Transformation Council” – an advisory and exchange forum for local stakeholders – and the “Lusatian Future Forge” as an open platform for civil society, structural change in Lusatia is receiving academic support of a kind that has not existed in this form before.

The new ZESTUR website will be officially launched during the event. Following the ceremony, the “Lausitz Transformation Council” will hold its first meeting.

ZESTUR spokesperson Prof. Dr Jan Schnellenbach emphasises that the centre does not aim to predict the future of Lusatia, but rather to support the region’s people in actively shaping that future. A regional challenge should give rise to scientifically sound insights from which other regions undergoing transformation could also benefit.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Silke Weidner, spokesperson for ZESTUR: “Structural change does not happen on the drawing board, but where people live, work and want to shape their future. With ZESTUR, we are establishing a dedicated scientific hub for Lusatia – not as an external research body studying the region, but as a partner that generates knowledge in collaboration with local stakeholders.”

Prof. Dr Jan Schnellenbach, spokesperson for ZESTUR: “The close integration of basic research and practice is central to our work. This not only helps the Lusatia region, but also enables us to understand, in general terms, how regions undergoing transformation can succeed economically, socially and in terms of planning – and how more general scientific insights can be derived from local experiential knowledge.”

The Centre for Structural Change and Regional Development (ZESTUR) is an interdisciplinary research centre at the BTU. It is funded with around 18.2 million euros by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) under the Coal Regions Structural Strengthening Act and ties in with the BTU’s research priorities ‘Global Change and Transformation’ and ‘Energy Transition and Decarbonisation’.