idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
The Cluster of Excellence “From the Origin of the Universe to the First Building Blocks of Life”, ORIGINS Cluster for short, will start its second funding period on 1 January 2026. This was de-cided today by the Excellence Commission under the leadership of the German Research Foun-dation (DFG). The interdisciplinary research network investigates the origin and development of the Universe, from the Big Bang to the emergence of life.
Understanding the evolution of the Universe and the question of whether life is a natural part of the cosmos are great mysteries of humanity – and among the most difficult challenges facing science. The ORIGINS cluster has been pursuing precisely these questions since its foundation almost seven years ago. ORIGINS uniquely combines astrophysics, biophysics, and particle physics to explore the origins of the Universe in an interdisciplinary manner: from quantum fluctuations to the formation of galaxies, stars, and planets, all the way to the emergence of life.
In its second funding period, ORIGINS is expanding the scope to include geosciences and astrochemistry. For example, researchers want to investigate how geochemical processes influence the atmospheres of exoplanets – and how they can release the chemical building blocks of life.
"ORIGINS has been an extraordinary project from the beginning: We wanted nothing less than to jointly understand humanity’s big questions about the origin of matter, structures, and life. The fact that we are now entering the second funding period shows how viable and forward-looking our interdisciplinary approach is," explain the two cluster spokespersons, Prof. Andreas Burkert of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and Prof. Stephan Paul of the Technical University of Munich (TUM).
New spokespersons
With the start of the new funding period, Prof. Barbara Ercolano of LMU and Prof. Stefan Schönert of TUM will take over the cluster’s spokespersonship. They replace Prof. Andreas Burkert and Prof. Stephan Paul, who have successfully led ORIGINS since 2019 and previously led the predecessor cluster Universe (2006-2018).
"The second funding period allows us to delve even deeper into the fundamental questions of science: How did our Universe originate – and how could life emerge from it? By integrating new disciplines such as astrochemistry and geosciences, we can establish new interdisciplinary connections that are unique worldwide," say future spokespersons Barbara Ercolano and Stefan Schönert.
Research network of two universities and seven research institutes
ORIGINS brings together the expertise of leading institutes in Munich and Garching. Participants include: LMU Munich and TUM, the Max Planck Institutes for Physics, Astrophysics, Extraterrestrial Physics, Plasma Physics, and Biochemistry, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the Leibniz Supercomputing Center (LRZ), and the Deutsches Museum.
“Connectors” link research areas in an interdisciplinary manner
In the new funding period, the ORIGINS Cluster will continue its five research areas ("Research Units"). These are linked by so-called connectors – a structure that has proven successful since 2019. The connectors enable complex questions to be addressed across disciplines. Their number will increase from nine to ten, some with new thematic focuses.
Infrastructure facilities with extended expertise
Several infrastructure facilities support ORIGINS scientists in their research work in various ways. They were established during the last funding periods of the ORIGINS and Universe Cluster and have developed into vital centers of excellence. Further innovations are planned for the second funding period. For example, the Origins Data Science Lab (ODSL) is being expanded to include customized applications for machine learning and a dedicated data center. A new instrument is also being built at the Wendelstein Observatory to enable follow-up observations of exoplanet missions. With the new Detector Hub (DHub), ORIGINS is driving forward the next generation of experiments in nuclear, particle, and astroparticle physics.
Science for everyone: education and the public
The renewed funding also strengthens science communication. The successful collaboration with schools will be expanded and teacher training will be enhanced. The Center for ORIGINS Research in Education (CORE) will be established to prepare ORIGINS topics for school teaching.
Events – many in cooperation with the Deutsches Museum and the ESO Supernova – bring ORIGINS topics to a broad public. The highlight will be a new permanent exhibition at the Deutsches Museum, opening in 2029. The interactive exhibition, covering everything from the Big Bang to the origin of life is being jointly conceived by ORIGINS, the Deutsches Museum, and the Center for Educational Research (CORE).
Prof. Dr. Barbara Ercolano
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München / Excellence Cluster ORIGINS
email: ercolano@usm.lmu.de
Prof. Dr. Stefan Schönert
Technical University of Munich / Excellence Cluster ORIGINS
email: schoenert@ph.tum.de
The ORIGINS Cluster of Excellence investigates the origin and evolution of the Universe – from the B ...
ORIGINS Cluster
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X-ray data from NASA/CXO/SAO; infrared data from NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI; image processing by NASA/CXC/SAO/L. Frattare
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