Newsroom

Illustration with a person in a swirl of objects and materials that can be recycled
Funding Offer 09 February 2023

New funding offer: Circularity with recycled and biogenic resources

The funding line 'Collaborative projects' of this initiative is primarily targeted at the natural sciences and engineering. 

Two men and a woman hold a sign with the imprint "zukunft.niedersachsen" into the camera
Funding Offer 08 February 2023

Future agenda for science funding in Lower Saxony presented

The title of the new program for the promotion of research and education in Lower Saxony is "zukunft.niedersachsen". Thanks to additional funding of 580 million euros, three future fields are to be massively developed in order to make Lower Saxony visible as a research  location, also internationally.

Illustration mit Mann, der mit der Lupe ein Globus-Modell untersucht
News 19 December 2022

Earth system science as a new leading concept for the geosciences

At a Leopoldina symposium held on December 19, 2022, the Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation Dr. Georg Schütte presented a new funding initiative. Fifty years after publication of the "Limits to Growth" report, the foundation creates a renewed geo-scientific focus on the Earth system as a whole. 

Gruppe von Wissenschaftler:innen im Labor
Video 14 December 2022

Video portrait of Tobias Erb: Artificial photosynthesis

Detail aus einem Labor mit leuchtendem Glaselement
Story 17 November 2022

Artificial Photosynthesis: The decisive step forward

Tobias Erb of the Max Panck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology has reinvented photosynthesis – in the laboratory. His goal is to produce chemical substances with the help of sunlight and carbon dioxide in the air.

News 18 October 2022

Tbilisi: International Doctoral School successfully established

The foundation provided around 800,000 euros for the substantial and sustainable improvement of PhD training in Georgia. Ilia State University and the Rustaveli Foundation also participated in the financing of the pilot program.

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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