Urgent accommodation needed – International exchange differently
Welcome! Landlords offer housing to researchers at the Potsdam Science Park. Some stories start with a happy coincidence: Jens Kramer wanted to rent out the vacant commercial space on the first floor of an apartment building in Golm. As the property is only a few minutes away from the Potsdam Science Park, he contacted the Welcome Service there – and received the signal: not tradespeople, but researchers from all over the world who come here to work or study are urgently looking for living space.
Jens Kramer, who lives in Berlin-Wilmersdorf himself, converted the 180 square meter space into four apartments and furnished them: “Not cheap, but not luxury either,” was his motto. And he succeeded impressively. Shortly afterwards, the apartments were gone.
“As the Potsdam Science Park’s location management, we are always on the lookout for landlords who can offer affordable accommodation,” says Tina Stavemann from the Welcome Service. 90 percent of the scientists who ask for help with their search are doctoral students or postdocs who are still at the beginning of their careers. People come to us from all over the world to do important research work here for a few years.
Ulrike and Roland Pohl cannot confirm that the doctoral students and scientists only prefer short distances to the university or the Science Park and do not want to travel halfway across the city. The couple, who moved to North Rhine-Westphalia after studying at the Technical University of Berlin (TU), own five apartments in Charlottenburg. They specifically rent these out to researchers at the Science Park. “They are happy to have Berlin’s culture, shopping facilities and restaurants right on their doorstep.”
As is so often the case, tenants from Golm came into the picture by chance. Fifteen years ago, a post-doctoral student from the Max Planck Institute applied for one of the apartments, explains Roland Pohl. “His professor, who was keen to keep the excellent physicist, accompanied him.” The young, friendly Spaniard lived there for three years.
Renting to international researchers has become a credo for both of them: “We think it’s important for Germany to build up global contacts as a research location, with the prospect that young researchers will feel comfortable here and stay.” To this end, the Pohls also accept the change of residence when their academic work is finished and they have to move to another city. “With one exception, we’ve got on well with everyone over the 15 years, maintained friendly contacts, even had a glass of wine now and then, and we’re on first-name terms,” says the former architect.
Friends and acquaintances of former tenants now also ask them if an apartment is available. “We then sniff each other out via Skype or Zoom and sign the rental agreement without any complications.” The exchange with researchers from all over the world is also very interesting: “They include people from Brazil, South Africa and India,” says Ulrike Pohl. Her conclusion: “We can only recommend it to others.”
Jens Kramer, who accommodates tenants from the USA, Taiwan, Switzerland and Italy, expects demand to increase in the long term: “The growing Science Park and the university are attracting many employees,” he emphasizes: “The city should therefore become more active and offer more living space. Otherwise people won’t go to Potsdam, they’ll go elsewhere.”
Text: Isabel Fannrich | Dieser Artikel ist am 8. September 2023 in der Sonderbeilage “WISSENSCHAFT IM ZETRUM” von proWissen Potsdam e.V. in Potsdamer Neuste Nachrichten/Tagesspiegel erschienen.
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