The Leibniz Institute for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) e.V. will henceforth operate under the name Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences (IGZ) e.V. The institute’s management unveiled the new name and logo in the presence of Dr André Lottmann from the Brandenburg Ministry of Science, Research and Culture (MWFK), Chair of the IGZ General Assembly, and Esther Winterhoff from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs (BMLEH), deputy chair of the IGZ’s highest governing body, the new name and the new logo.
The IGZ receives core funding jointly from both ministries. With this rebranding, the institute is reflecting its scientific development and its sharpened strategic focus in the field of horticultural sciences.
The renaming marks the logical conclusion of a multi-year institutional development process, which was specifically driven forward following the appointment of the Scientific Director, Prof. Dr Nicole van Dam, in October 2022. It reflects the sharpening of the research profile and underlines the ambition to address the complex plant- and system-related issues of horticulture in their entirety.
Minister for Science Dr Manja Schüle: “Innovative, high-performing and forward-looking: at the IGZ, we seek answers to questions vital to life and survival – such as how we can secure our food supply regionally and globally against the backdrop of climate change. With this name change, the Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences is underlining its scientific ambition to contribute to important innovations in horticulture and to new applications in the agricultural and food sectors.”
“Horticultural sciences are a field of research represented at only a few locations in Germany. Our aim is to strengthen this scientific expertise and take it to a higher level,” says Prof. Dr Nicole van Dam, Scientific Director of the IGZ. “The new name better reflects the actual breadth of our research and underlines our ambition to further develop this field of research scientifically.”
“The name change is not a fresh start, but the logical continuation of a long-term process,” emphasises Markus Randig, Administrative Director of the IGZ. “It makes visible to the outside world what is already a reality in substance: a strong, internationally networked research institute for horticultural sciences.”
As part of the strategic process, the institute’s vision and mission were reformulated and aligned with key future areas. These include, among others, sustainable and resilient production systems, resource efficiency, climate adaptation and innovations in horticulture. An important step in this development was the structural consolidation of the institute, including a focus on vegetable research at the Großbeeren site following an evaluation by the Leibniz Association in 2016. These measures contributed to further raising the institute’s profile and sharpening its focus.
The current evaluation, successfully completed last year, confirmed the Institute’s strategic positioning in the field of horticultural sciences and attested to the IGZ’s very positive scientific development.
The new name was already announced during the celebrations marking the institute’s 100th anniversary in autumn 2025 and is now being celebrated in a small gathering together with the IGZ General Assembly and the institute’s staff. As part of the name change, the Institute’s corporate design is also being further developed. The new logo will be introduced gradually across all communication channels.
Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences (IGZ)
The Leibniz Institute for Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ) e.V., in future the Leibniz Institute for Horticultural Sciences, is a research institute of the Leibniz Association and contributes to solving current global challenges through scientifically sound findings from basic and applied research in horticulture. These include the preservation of biodiversity, the fight against climate change and the continuing widespread problem of malnutrition. The Institute is jointly funded by the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of the State of Brandenburg (MWFK) and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs (BMLEH). The IGZ is based in Großbeeren.