Newsroom

An authoritarian government can put pressure on universities and research institutions – because the state provides them with funding and regulates their organisation. In a study commissioned by the Volkswagen Foundation, legal scholar Christoph Möllers has examined where the German research system is vulnerable to political influence and how it can be better protected.

When scientific ideas are taken out of their original context, they can have unexpected effects. The Foundation supports research into such 'dual-use' effects in the humanities and social sciences. Deadline: 6 October 2026; online Q&A session on 8 September (in English).

Many non-governmental organisations (NGOs for short), such as associations and foundations, are struggling with limited resources – and with the question of why good ideas often get stuck at the pilot project stage. Change! Fellow Prof. Dr. Orestis Papakyriakopoulos from the Technical University of Munich wants to change that.

Experts discussed the perspectives of postdoctoral researchers and the reforms needed at a public panel discussion in Hanover on August 26.

Design researcher Dr. Judith Dörrenbächer from the University of Siegen aims to explore how ‘smart’ technologies in public spaces can foster not only efficiency but also humanity – namely in the form of patient, impartial mediators between people.

Radioactivity is generally considered harmful to life. Yet in manganese nodules in the deep sea, microorganisms might benefit from it. Or even live off it? This is the intriguing hypothesis that geoscientist Walter Geibert hopes to prove.