Newsroom

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.

The Volkswagen Foundation and the Hertie Foundation are each providing 1.25 million euros in support of the newly established Max Planck Centre for Democracy, Security and Human Rights. 

Warum sich viele Menschen echte Kriminalfälle nacherzählen lassen, darüber sprechen Expert:innen am 9. Juli in Hannover. 

The Volkswagen Foundation’s new call focuses on the question of how concepts from the humanities and social sciences are transferred to other contexts and utilised there for political or ideological purposes – for example, to undermine trust in science, the media or the institutions of democratic society. The application deadline is 6 October 2026, online Q&As on 11 August and 8 September

The Volkswagen Foundation has been supporting basic research for decades. Without it, the pipeline for innovation would dry up. Dr Henrike Hartmann, Head of the Funding Division at the Volkswagen Foundation, and microbiologist Professor Dr Tobias Erb discuss why basic research is so important for progress. 

Our magazine IMPULSE 2026 paints a multifaceted picture of basic research: whether at sea, in virtual space or in the laboratory, basic research offers fascinating insights into the unknown. Read the articles on the researchers’ work online, download the magazine as PDF (in German) – or have a printed copy (in German) sent to you free of charge.