Published: | By: Ute Sch?nfelder
The University of Jena will be represented on the map of the German research landscape with two Clusters of Excellence in the future: As announced today (22 May) by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Science and Humanities Council (WR), the "Balance of the Microverse" Cluster, which was established in 2019, and the new "Imaginamics" Cluster proposal will be funded over the next seven years in the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments. The University of Jena has thus prevailed with its two full proposals in the final round of the competition.
"This is a great success for the University, which demonstrates our national and international ability to compete across the board: from the natural and life sciences to the humanities and social sciences," says a delighted University President Andreas Marx. "The millions in funding for the two Clusters will give the whole of Thuringia an additional boost. It makes us even more attractive and visible as a location for international cutting-edge research." The President thanked everyone involved both inside and outside the University. "This success is due to the outstanding commitment of all participating researchers and the science-supporting areas. Excellence can only be achieved together," said Marx, including his predecessors and the state of Thuringia in his thanks.
The Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse"External link focuses on understanding microbial communities – their dynamics, their stability and their controllability. The researchers are investigating how microorganisms interact with each other in complex networks, which factors influence their balance and how such systems can be stabilized in a targeted manner. Microbial networks have a decisive impact on the health of humans, animals and the environment – their resilience to external influences is therefore of central importance.
Kirsten Küsel, Professor of Aquatic Geomicrobiology and spokesperson for "Balance of the Microverse", is full of joy and pride about the Excellence Commission's funding approval – and thanks her team in particular: "We are overjoyed – this decision is an overwhelming vote of confidence in our scientific vision and the work of recent years. The fact that we have reached this next stage together fills me with great gratitude and pride.
It was impressive to see how we grew together as a team over the course of the application phase – from brainstorming and writing to the defence. I would therefore like to thank all the dedicated scientists and the Microverse coordination team. Without their perseverance, creativity and outstanding commitment, this success would not have been possible. We would also like to thank the Executive Board of the University, its administration and the state of Thuringia for their strong and reliable support. The fact that we can now continue to pursue our vision is an enormous motivation for us. It is a strong sign of the importance of our research – for the environment, health and society in a changing world."
In the new funding period, the researchers will continue to expand their interdisciplinary approaches. The focus will be on the resilience of microbial ecosystems and the development of innovative strategies for the sustainable regulation of microbial processes. Potential applications are opening up in environmental research, medicine and biotechnology. The emerging Microverse Center Jena on the Beutenberg research campus will also provide the Cluster with a new home – as a hub for research, exchange and scientific innovation.
Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel is spokesperson for the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" at the University of Jena.
Image: Svea PietschmannThe Cluster of Excellence "Imaginamics. Practices and Dynamics of Social Imagining" focusses on what holds societies together at their core: shared ideas, i.e. narratives, world views and visions of the future – the social staple of every society, so to speak. "How we understand society, how we imagine the future and look to the past is currently undergoing drastic changes," says Johannes Grave, Professor of Modern Art History and spokesperson for the new Cluster of Excellence. As current crises have shown, social imagining can not only bring people together and promote solidarity, but also create conflicts and divisions. "It is therefore particularly important today to understand how these social imaginations come about and how we deal with them," Grave continues. "The fact that we can now pursue these questions in a large research network with many excellent participants is a great stroke of luck and a unique opportunity."
The Cluster's research will not only focus on individual imaginations, but will also concentrate on the process and practices of imagining. The researchers aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of social imagination that combines approaches from the cultural sciences, humanities and social sciences with theoretical groundwork and well-founded empirical studies, thereby opening up cross-epochal and cross-cultural perspectives.
"Imaginamics" is supported by a network of strong regional cooperation partners, some of whom bring unique expertise to the topic. In addition to Friedrich Schiller University, the Bauhaus-Universit?t Weimar, the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology, the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, the Ettersberg Foundation, the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, the Max Weber Kolleg Erfurt, the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ) and researchers from the universities of Halle and Erfurt are also involved. Through publicly visible projects and citizen science, the Cluster will also seek dialogue with society and make it the subject of its research.
Art historian Prof. Dr Johannes Grave from the University of Jena is the spokesperson for "Imaginamics".
Image: Jens Meyer (University of Jena)With two approved Clusters of Excellence, the University of Jena now fulfils the requirements for an application in the Universities of Excellence funding line and can apply for the title of "University of Excellence" in autumn 2025. University President Marx: "The success at this key point of the competition impressively confirms the scientific excellence and strategic strength of our University. With this result, we are heading into the next round with determination and confidence." Friedrich Schiller University Jena is excellently positioned for this as a research-strong, well-connected and internationally visible University. "We are now working hard to achieve the official status of University of Excellence."
The Excellence Strategy, which was adopted by the federal and state governments in 2016, promotes cutting-edge research at German universities. The aim is to sustainably strengthen Germany's position as a centre of science in international competition. The funding initiative is not only intended to enable top scientific results, but also to sharpen the profiles of the participating universities and provide impetus for cooperation in the science system.
