Research Policy

Consequences of US Research Policy

US President Donald Trump announced a series of radical regulatory measures in research, some of which have already been implemented. These cuts not only affect research and teaching in the USA, but also have an impact on the international scientific community. There is great concern that important research data stored in the USA will be blocked. That is why researchers from all over the world are currently trying to secure data. The UFZ is also involved. 

Water Research

UFZ Success in Helmholtz Initiative “Water Security”

Helmholtz is providing up to 9 million euros for the water initiative between 2026 and 2028 in the field of water and health safety for people and the environment. In the first selection round, the UFZ and its partners were chosen as coordinators of two Solution Labs: “Securing terrestrial water cycles: Solution Lab for the Elbe River Basin” and “Urban blue-green-red water systems for Leipzig”. It is also a partner in the Solution Lab “Rur-Erft”. 

Pandemic Prevention

WHO adopts One Health Approach

The member countries of the World Health Organisation (WHO) have adopted a Pandemic agreement in order to be better prepared for pandemics in the future. The agreement is based on One Health - an approach that considers the health of humans, animals and plants in the ecosystem simultaneously and optimizes it holistically. Helmholtz researchers such as UFZ biodiversity expert Prof Josef Settele had campaigned for this. 

Excellence Strategy

“Leipzig Center of Metabolism” successful

Excellent success for Leipzig University and its partners: the Leipzig Center of Metabolism (LeiCeM) has been awarded millions in funding as part of the Excellence Strategy. The UFZ is involved through the environmental immunologist Prof Ana Zenclussen, who heads one of the 25 sub-projects and is investigating the effects of environmental toxins on fetal and placental development. She is also involved in three other sub-projects. 

Cross-Border Cooperation

Climate Change Shifts Wildfire Seasons

Climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires in many regions of the world. One of the main reasons for this is the so-called fire weather. Together with colleagues from Australia, UFZ researchers are writing in the scientific journal Earth's Future that the seasons of this fire weather are increasingly overlapping between eastern Australia and western North America. This makes it difficult for fire brigades in Canada, the USA and Australia to work together when fighting fires. 

PFAS

Influence Cellular Immune Response to COVID-19

In a recent study, researchers from UFZ and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health show that high exposure to the “forever chemical”’ PFAS has a negative effect on the cellular immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. People who are exposed to high levels of PFAS may have a suboptimal immune response to vaccination. In addition, high PFAS exposure affects the immune system differently depending on sex. The study has been published in the journal Environment International. 

Biotechnology

Electroactive Bacteria for Sustainable Production

Electro- bio-refineries – ever heard of them? In the podcast, UFZ scientist Prof Falk Harnisch not only explains this unwieldy term, but also reports on the biochemical processes that take place in electro-biorefineries and the role played by electroactive bacteria. Falk Harnisch and his team “feed” these microorganisms with an electric current and utilize their ability to “eat clean” wastewater or build environmentally friendly plastics. 

Environmental Economics

Climate Change and the Economic Value of Nature

What is the economic value of nature? This question sounds as difficult as it is futile to answer, because nature is not a clearly demarcated space. And why should such a value be of interest at all? Perhaps because nature has an inestimable value for mankind. In this podcast UFZ environmental economist Prof Bernd Hansjürgens explains why he tries to measure the economic value of nature and what options there are for doing so. 

Mobility Research

Leipzig – Model City for AI supported Traffic Control

The Federal Ministry of Transport presented the cities of Leipzig and Landau (Pfalz) as the first pilot regions in the AIAMO research project (Artificial Intelligence and Mobility). The aim is to use mobility data efficiently in order to optimize traffic management and minimize CO₂ emissions. In close cooperation with the city of Leipzig, the UFZ is coordinating the planning and development of a comprehensive measurement network to record urban air quality. 

Plant Ecology

Dark Diversity – the unknown Side of Plant Diversity

Often, plant species are missing from the natural vegetation where they should actually occur due to the ecological conditions in these areas. Dark diversity is particularly high in regions that are heavily influenced by humans. This is shown by an international study published in Nature, in which the UFZ was involved. More than 200 researchers from the DarkDivNet network analyzed plant diversity at nearly 5,500 sites in 119 regions worldwide. 

Prof Dr Katja Bühler

Microbiologist Katja Bühler, who heads the UFZ Department of Microbial Biotechnology, has been appointed as a full member of the Technical Science Class of the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig (SAW). The SAW is a scholarly society rich in tradition, consisting of nationally and internationally recognised scholars whose research has contributed to a significant expansion of knowledge in their field. 

Dr Mariana Madruga de Brito

Mariana M. de Brito, scientist at the UFZ Department Urban and Environmental Sociology, has been honoured by the European Geosciences Union (EGU) with the Arne Richter Award for Outstanding Early Career Scientists. This honours her outstanding contributions to understanding of the socio-economic impacts and risk mitigation of extreme hydrological events, using natural language processing and social science computational methods.