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News 19 June 2017

Global Challenges in Focus: European Foundations Generate Incentives for International Research

Climate, migration, global health – the funding initiative "Europe and Global Challenges" supported jointly by Volkswagen Foundation, Wellcome Trust, and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond grants a total amount of 5 million euro for cross-border interdisciplinary projects in the humanities and social sciences.
Graphic representation of a head in front of a wall of ones and zeros.
Event report 31 May 2017

Herrenhausen Conference "Society Through the Lens of the Digital"

Experts discussed how the humanities and social sciences deal with the social challenges of digitization at the Herrenhausen Conference in Hanover which took place from May 31 till June 2, 2017.

Blaumeise auf einem Ast
News 15 May 2017

Study on blue tits: Smell first, and then beg

Nestling blue tits can discriminate between the smell of other nestlings and adapt their begging behaviour accordingly. This is the outcome of the latest study by Freigeist-Fellow Dr. Barbara Caspers and Dr. Peter Korsten from Bielefeld University.

Historical photograph of men standing by a cannon located in a trench.
Event report 08 May 2017

Herrenhausen Symposium "The Long End of the First World War: Ruptures, Continuities and Memories"

The Herrenhausen Symposium "The Long End of the First World War: Ruptures, Continuities and Memories" questioned the idea of a static and clearly defined "end" of the War.

News 21 March 2017

UNLEASH Innovation Lab 2017: Volkswagen Foundation Supports Junior Scientists

Apply now: From August 13 to 21, 2017, the UNLEASH initiative brings together young talents from science, technology and business who are working on topics related to the SDGs of the United Nations. The Volkswagen Foundation is a partner of the initiative and supports young researchers who are funded by the Foundation.

News 01 March 2017

A dwarf crocodile from the Harz mountains: Fossils suggest a new genus

Researchers from the Landesmuseum Hannover and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin have described a new genus and species among the ancestors of modern crocodiles. Knoetschkesuchus lived on an island in the Jurassic sea in the Harz foothills in Germany.

Eine Frau, die aufmerksam zuhört
Story 06 March 2025

So that everyone can have their say: Citizens' assembly on AI research

Rhetoric expert Anika Kaiser researches how people can make themselves heard on the major issues of our time – artificial intelligence (AI) being a case in point. She is the right person to take care that this grassroots democratic process does not remain too detached from reality: in her first life, she trained as a painter.

Frauen mit Kopftüchern sitzen an Tischen und haben Steinblöcke mit Inschriften vor sich liegen, die sie betrachten.
Story 26 February 2025

Archaeology as reconstruction: Ancient Near Eastern Studies in Mosul

He came to Mosul with the task of excavating ancient Nineveh. In the meantime, however, the mission of the ancient orientalist Stefan Maul goes far beyond this: he is rebuilding the study of antiquity in Iraq. And he is teaching the people what the Islamists robbed them of: pride in their cultural heritage.