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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
- Both clusters to receive extended funding up to 2032
- This extension allows to apply for the University of Excellence Competition
Double win for Kiel University (CAU). Bonn, Thursday 22 May: the DFG (German Research Foundation) today announced which collaborative research projects will receive funding for the next seven years as Clusters of Excellence within the scope of both the Federal and State Excellence Strategy. These include two applications from Kiel University: one on precision medicine for chronic inflammatory diseases ('Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation', PMI) and one from the field of archaeology ('ROOTS - Connectivity of Society, Environment and Culture in Past Worlds'), each with a grant application amount of around 70 million euros. This makes Schleswig-Holstein's state university one of the 25 top German universities to be awarded funding for two or more clusters which may now apply to become Universities of Excellence in the second funding line of the Excellence Strategy.
"This is a resounding success! We're delighted that both clusters are to receive extended funding. We'd like to congratulate our colleagues from both the PMI and ROOTS clusters on this outstanding result, which they worked so hard to achieve. The continued funding is proof of the excellent research carried out by both clusters in recent years. Our special thanks therefore go out to all those involved in both cluster projects for their extraordinary commitment," says Prof Dr Eckhard Quandt, Vice President for Research, Academic Infrastructure and Transfer. "I'd also like to thank our Minister President Daniel Günther and our former Science Minister Karin Prien for their comprehensive support." Minister President Daniel Günther was also keen to offer his congratulations: "Outstanding achievements in science and research from Schleswig-Holstein will continue to be supported in the future. The fact that the two initiatives have successfully progressed to the next round and remain Clusters of Excellence is great news for our state, with its keen focus on science. I'm delighted for Kiel University and its partners in both projects, who will now be able to continue and further expand their successful research in the coming years. As a state, we've worked really hard to achieve this."
Pillars for the research profile
In the past two decades, Kiel University has succeeded in acquiring at least two Clusters of Excellence in each round of the Excellence Competition. The existing clusters are important pillars of Kiel University's research profile. They make a significant contribution to the competitiveness and future viability of Kiel University. "Our success in the Federal Excellence Programme will allow us to continue conducting cutting-edge research at a high level, focusing in particular on the topics of inflammation medicine and human-environment relationships in the past. It also presents an opportunity for further, long-term development of the CAU as a comprehensive university in Schleswig-Holstein. With funding for both clusters, we've also taken a significant step towards becoming a University of Excellence in this round. That's now our next goal," says Quandt, looking to the future.
Cutting-edge research for innovation in Schleswig-Holstein
The guiding principle of networked scientific cultures forms the basis of the academic culture at Kiel University. "Our research initiatives in the Excellence Competition are a prime example of our interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach that goes beyond faculty boundaries," Quandt continues. This means that the university not only conducts research, but also that the findings and results have a direct impact on society: Knowledge transfer to industry, business and society, as well as translation – the provision of research findings for healthcare – all play an important part in issues such as combating climate change, promoting good health and providing food security. "At the same time, opening up new fields of research helps strengthen Schleswig-Holstein as a centre of science and innovation," emphasises Quandt.
Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation
"The renewed funding for the Cluster of Excellence 'Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation' represents a decisive milestone for Schleswig-Holstein as a research location for medicine and life sciences. It's impressive proof that not only excellent science has been practiced here over the years, but also that sustainable structures for translational medicine have been established. PMI stands for the visionary combination of molecular mechanisms with clinical relevance – for the direct benefit of chronically ill patients," explains Prof Dr Joachim Thiery, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.
"I'm delighted that we are to receive further funding, so that we can continue the DFG Cluster of Excellence PMI, in which the University of Lübeck is involved as a co-applicant. This funding will enable our researchers to identify and treat chronic inflammation more effectively," says Prof. Dr Helge Braun, President of the University of Lübeck. He emphasises: "With its focus on life, the University of Lübeck is keen to make a concrete contribution to new opportunities for curing chronic diseases. To this end, we're researching how we can cater to the individual needs of each person – as not everything works equally well for everyone."
The Cluster of Excellence 'Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation' (PMI) pursues the goal of identifying chronic inflammatory diseases earlier and treating them more precisely on a patient-specific basis – with molecularly sound therapeutic strategies and data-based decision-making aids in clinical care. In what is now the fourth funding phase, work is starting on implementing what has been scientifically prepared for over a decade and a half: the practical application of individualised inflammation medicine based on therapy responses that are recorded clinically and in biomarker profiles and immunophenotyping. Researchers from the fields of medicine, biology, computer science, economics, design research and ethics work together on a highly interdisciplinary basis here. Around 400 members are organised at eight supporting institutions: Kiel University, the University of Lübeck, the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), the Research Center Borstel, the Leibniz Lung Center, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, the Muthesius University of Fine Arts and Design in Kiel, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN). With the fourth successful funding commitment, PMI is setting a unique nationwide standard for long-term translational research. Building on the clusters Inflammation at Interfaces (2007-2018) and PMI (since 2019), an internationally visible focus on inflammation medicine has emerged in Schleswig-Holstein, which exemplifies the strategic interlinking of university research, clinical practice and healthcare innovation.
Information on the ROOTS Cluster of Excellence
"We're delighted by today's decision. It's a great confirmation of our integrative approach to researching human-environment-culture links in the past. Thanks to the close cooperation between the archaeological disciplines and other humanities, as well as natural and life sciences, we were able to gain fascinating new insights into the basic processes of past human societies in the first phase of ROOTS. Among other things, these include the transmission of knowledge, the emergence of social inequalities, the resolution of conflicts and the origins of urban dynamics," says archaeologist Prof Dr Martin Furholt, spokesperson for the second phase of the Cluster of Excellence. "However, the human societies of the past 15,000 years are so diverse that we still have many questions. The confirmation of continued funding will help us answer these questions."
With the Cluster of Excellence 'ROOTS - Connectivity of Society, Environment and Culture in Past Worlds', which has been funded since 2019, Kiel University will be maintaining the only cluster with an archaeological-historical focus in the current funding phase until the end of 2025. In pursuit of the question 'how did we become what we are?', the scientists are engaged in research to gain a better understanding of the dynamic relationships between humans and the environment from the Palaeolithic Age to the pre-industrial era. "We recognise our own mirror images in archaeological and historical legacies. Knowledge of the dynamic environment-society relationships of past eras is a prerequisite for re-evaluating the causes of current challenges and crises under different economic, ecological and social conditions," says prehistorian Prof Dr Johannes Müller, current spokesperson for ROOTS.
Launched in 2019, ROOTS followed on from the graduate school 'Human Development in Landscapes', which also focused on archaeology and history and with which Professor Müller and his team were already successful in the Excellence Initiative application process in 2007 and 2012: "Thanks to the funding we received, we were able to significantly expand research into the human past in Kiel, develop the current, integrative research approach and further advance global networking. This is also reflected in international rankings, in which Kiel archaeology now occupies top global positions," emphasises Professor Müller. In the influential QS World University Ranking, for example, Kiel archaeology is in 20th place worldwide with ROOTS.
The extended funding for both the PMI and ROOTS clusters qualifies Kiel University (CAU) to apply for the University of Excellence program. Detailed information on the Excellence Strategy at Kiel University can be found on the university website.
https://www.uni-kiel.de/en/details/news/086-exc-pmi-roots
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