12.6 million euros for inventors: Lusatia launches its largest learning lab in Cottbus

A twelve-year-old is holding a soldering iron for the first time. Next to him, his mother is building a circuit; at the neighbouring table, a schoolgirl is tinkering with her own invention. All free of charge, right in the heart of Cottbus. This is the idea behind LausitzLabs, which will officially launch on Saturday 10 October 2026 at Startblock B2, Siemens-Halske-Ring 2, in Cottbus. The date is no coincidence, as on the same evening the Cottbus Night of Creative Minds will open at 19 venues across the city. LausitzLabs is one of the stops.

Science has been involved from the very start

Research has been involved from the very start. The chair of Sociology of Technology and the Environment at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, headed by Prof. Dr Melanie Jaeger-Erben, is investigating whether and how such learning spaces can strengthen a region undergoing change. The questions being addressed are:

• How are pathways to the MINKT educational ecosystem created?
• How do schools, youth centres, universities and businesses network with one another?
• How can the LausitzLabs influence participation and innovative capacity amidst structural change?

The researchers are using interviews, network and case studies, and on-site workshops. They are examining how regional institutions and their collaboration are changing in order to determine the contribution of the LausitzLabs to structural change. The University of Potsdam is measuring how young people’s skills develop. In doing so, it is investigating how the programmes on offer affect their interests, attitudes and skills. The findings are continuously incorporated into the further development of the educational programmes. They are intended to support their long-term establishment in the region. The insights are also intended to help other regions.

A network rather than an isolated solution

The Makerspace in Cottbus serves as the headquarters. In addition, there are four smaller labs in rural areas and two mobile labs that also reach remote locations. In this way, the LausitzLabs complement and connect existing educational spaces in the region. Schools, libraries, youth centres, social institutions and businesses can share and build upon the programmes together.

Free of charge and open to all: children, teenagers, young adults and families can try out future technologies and carry out their own projects. The programmes are easily accessible and are aimed, amongst others, at schools, youth and social work organisations, as well as people who face barriers to accessing educational opportunities. This also includes people who would otherwise find it difficult to access education. The project aims in particular to encourage girls and young women to take an interest in technology and the natural sciences.

Learning with badges

A Moodle-based learning platform links the in-person and digital activities. It makes progress visible, enables personalised learning and supports the awarding of Open Educational Badges – that is, digital badges. Educational professionals can undertake further training to ensure these methods are permanently integrated into schools and youth centres.

The programme combines several learning formats:

• workshops and hands-on learning activities
• open maker activities and workshops
• Learning journeys and project work
• digital self-study phases
• digital learning pathways and a modular curriculum

The principle is called ‘making’: you learn by building something yourself. Learning takes place not only through books or screens, but through trial and error, design and collaborative development. Participants work with digital technologies, technical systems and creative tools, and discover how an idea is turned into a tangible product or solution. The LausitzLabs combine this with media literacy and democratic participation.

Figures and partners

The project has a budget of 12.6 million euros, funded under the Coal Regions Investment Act. It runs from 1 May 2026 until the end of 2030. The collaborative project is supported by the Brandenburg State Association for Media Education, mediale pfade, Junge Tüftler, matrix, the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and the University of Potsdam.
The guiding principle: education should take place where people live. The LausitzLabs aim to demonstrate how educational programmes can be organised in regions undergoing change: regionally rooted, openly accessible, digitally supported, scientifically guided and transferable to other locations.

From 6 pm, the LausitzLabs will open their doors for the Night of Creative Minds and to the public 

The Night of Creative Minds will take place for the 18th time on 10 October 2026, from 6 pm to midnight. This year, 19 companies and organisations in Cottbus are taking part. The theme is ‘Energy & Change’. Visitors can look forward to behind-the-scenes insights that are usually off-limits in everyday life, such as a hybrid operating theatre, a VR flight into space or a power cut simulation by the fire service. The event is organised by the Cottbus-based agency pool production. The ticket is valid for all venues, as well as for the night-time shuttles and local public transport in Cottbus. Tickets are available in advance from, amongst other places, CottbusService in the Stadthalle, the Lausitzer Rundschau media centre and the Dieselkraftwerk. Concessionary tickets cost 10 euros in advance and 12 euros at the box office. The box office in Start Block B2 opens on 10 October at 5.45 pm. Further information: www.ndkk.de

Press contact

Vivian Hagedorn, Media Education
Unit, Landesfachverband Medienbildung Brandenburg e. V.
Dennis-Gabor-Str. 2, 
14469 Potsdam

T +49 1514 3337952
E hagedorn(at)medienbildung-brandenburg.de
www.medienbildung-brandenburg.de