Newsroom

Blick in den unterirdischen Tagungssaal von Schloss Herrenhausen
In Brief 13 November 2024

Call for papers: Conference "Universities and the Public Good"

From September 10 to 12, 2025, the conference "Universities and the Public Good: Research, Education, and Democracy since 1945" will take place at Herrenhausen Palace, Hanover. The call for papers is aimed at established academics (general workshop) and young academics (Young Scholars Forum). Deadline: January 19, 2025

Foto mit zwei Frauen, darüber der Text "Falling Walls Science Summit, 7-9 Nov 2024, Berlin
In Brief 07 November 2024

Falling Walls Science Summit - Livestream

The Falling Walls Science Summit will take place from November 7 to 9 in Berlin. The Volkswagen Foundation is organising events on topics including artificial intelligence and the US election 2024, which are accessable via livestream.

Eine Frau schaut in die Kamera
In Brief 06 November 2024

Women's Impact Award: Watch the award ceremony live

At this year's Falling Walls Science Summit, the Volkswagen Foundation and other partner organisations are sponsoring the "Women's Impact Award" from "Female Science Talents". The three winners will be honoured at the live award ceremony on 7 November at 5:30 PM.

Vor dem Hintergrund von Bananenstauden sitzt eine Gruppe von Menschen im Gespräch, darunter ein Mann mit einem Laptop auf dem Schoß
News 29 October 2024

Seeking new active ingredients from natural remedies

Fabien Schultz heads the new junior research group Ethnopharmacology and Zoopharmacognosy at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM). He collects natural remedies in African countries - and investigates the neuroactive self-medication of chimpanzees, mountain gorillas and elephants.

Zwei Personen blicken auf einen Bildschirm, auf dem eine Weltkarte mit verschiedenen markierten LÄndern abgebildet ist.
News 24 October 2024

Insights into threatened academic freedom

Academic freedom is coming under increasing pressure worldwide. Yet it is essential for scientific knowledge and good teaching. To draw attention to the importance of academic freedom and how it has changed over the decades, researchers have developed the interactive "Globe of Academic Freedom", which was made accessible to the public for the first time this year on the MS Wissenschaft.

Portrait eines Mannes, dahinter Illustration mit Mikrofon
Interview 23 October 2024

Room for development: Momentum funding for first-time professors

The 'Momentum - funding for recently tenured professors' initiative offers researchers the opportunity to further develop their professorship in terms of content and strategy at an early stage after taking up their first tenured full professorship. In our interview, Selahattin Danisman, program director at the Volkswagen Foundation, explains the key aspects of 'Momentum'. Next deadline: 28 April 2025

Stories

Portrait eines Mannes
Story 09 July 2025

How does working with AI impact on research?

As a tool of science, artificial intelligence entails numerous risks, opportunities, and ambivalences. These need to be identified and classified. However, there is no revolution in sight, according to Jens Schröter.

Eine Illustration einer Person mit Handy, die schlangenhaft von Social media Beiträgen angegriffen wird. Eine Person, die einen protesteanten interviewt. Die Karte von Deutschland, aus der schwarz-rot-goldene Tropfen heraustropfen.
Story 22 May 2025

What fascinates young people about the far right?

Hostility towards democracy is on the rise in Germany. Yet politicians and academics pay little attention to the attitudes of a particularly important group: young voters. An interdisciplinary project in eastern Germany is determined to change that.