Newsroom

News 30 May 2018

Scientific Exchange in Almaty on Research "Between Europe and the Orient"

Junior and senior grantees of the Foundation’s initiative for research in/on Central Asia and the Caucasus met to present and discuss project results

News 25 May 2018

Looking at the brain while it works – Interview with Dr. Laura Ewell

Freigeist-Fellow Dr. Laura Ewell develops a new new technique to identify brain cells within an intact functioning network. We talked to her about her research project, what fuels her curiosity and drives her as a researcher and a Freigeist.

Story 22 May 2018

Give Chance a Chance

For the first time, the lot luck decides in the funding initiative "Experiment!" on the eligibility of project applications. With this procedure, the Volkswagen Foundation enters new territory in the funding landscape.

News 17 May 2018

On the contentious issue of ethnographic objects – 1.2 million euro for provenance research in northern Germany

The history surrounding the ethnographic collections in Hanover, Göttingen, Oldenburg, Hildesheim and Braunschweig will be the focus of a large collaborative project over the next three years.

News 04 May 2018

How to Become a Freigeist Fellow - Interview with the Program Directors of the Initiative (2/2)

Since 2014, the Foundation's Board of Trustees has been electing ten to fifteen Freigeist Fellows each year: These young research talents have an extraordinary research idea and are working at the borders of neighbouring fields or disciplines. In our second part of the interview, Dr. Johanna Brumberg and Dr. Oliver Grewe, program directors of the initiative, answer questions about the way to submitting an application and about the review process.

News 18 April 2018

Sensitive whiskers turn seals into master hunters

The Marine Science Center in Rostock has come up with new findings on the sensory perception of seals - Publication and animated short film

Stories

Satellitenansicht der Innertropischen Konvergenzzone
Story 09 June 2026

Climate Research Using Old Ship’s Logs: the Wind Leaves no Trace on the Sea

Did a volcanic eruption in 1783 shift the tropical rain belt? Old ship’s logs could provide the answer – and also shed light on the future climate for millions of people living around the equator.

Mehrere Personen sitzen zusammen, eine Frau erzählt etwas, ein Mann tippt dabei an einem Laptop. Im Hintergrund sind Bananenpflanzen und ein Dschungel-Wald zu sehen.
Story 27 May 2026

A Pharmacy From the Rainforest: Remedies for the Mind

Fabien Schultz is searching for natural materials that can be used to treat mental health conditions. To this end, he is working with indigenous communities in Uganda and Tanzania – and with monkeys.

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