Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology

Knappe Ressourcen und anfällige Lieferketten stellen Unternehmen und Politik vor gewaltige Aufgaben. Es gilt, Wertschöpfungsketten regional, europaweit und global neu zu denken. Die Initiative CircularSaar zielt auf den Wandel des traditionellen Wirtschaftssystems hin zu einer werterhaltenden, zukunftsfördernden Kreislaufwirtschaft. Wie diese Transformation gelingen und gar zum Innovationstreiber werden kann, diskutieren Fachleute auf dem Circular Economy-Kongress am 16. September. [...]

Paper could play a key role in the search for materials that offer both high performance and sustainability. Not only is paper recyclable and fully biodegradable, it could in future also be used as a high-tech material in automotive engineering, sensor systems or even robot construction. [...]

As part of the UniGR-ECHO series, Saarland University is hosting an academic symposium, ECHO 2026 – Sustainability and the Circular Future with UniGR-CIRKLA, on 14 and 15 September 2026. The symposium will cover a spectrum of topics ranging from technical and economic topics to the legal and social aspects of a sustainable circular economy. [...]

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Europe (KIST Europe) and Saarland University are working together to develop an environmentally friendly method of detecting and removing heavy metals from water. The interdisciplinary team, which brings together expertise in molecular biology and physics, is based on the university’s Saarbrücken campus. [...]

The research team led by materials scientist Ralf Busch from Saarland University is preparing for its first science-in-space mission. If everything goes to plan, from 31 August the researchers will spend one week remotely studying metallic-glass alloys in experiments carried out on board the International Space Station, ISS. Working with the European Space Agency, ESA, and the German Aerospace Center, DLR, the team will investigate the properties of these alloys using hot, levitating droplets. [...]

Researchers from Saarbrücken and Augsburg have shown how artificial cellular compartments can autonomously form, dissolve and influence biochemical processes. Their findings could provide another piece of the puzzle in the quest to understand the origins of life on Earth and help predict the behaviour of subcellular compartments. The team led by physical chemist Dora Tang from Saarland University has published its findings in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science. [...]

In nature, bacteria rarely live in isolation. They exchange signals, cooperate with neighbouring cells, and compete for nutrients and space. To coordinate these interactions, they produce a wide variety of small molecules and proteins, many of which remain largely unexplored. Luis Linares-Otoya aims to uncover how these microbial “languages” function and how they shape the composition and behaviour of bacterial communities. [...]

Saarland University is one of 20 higher education institutions in Germany that has been tasked with attracting top international talent in the fields of artificial intelligence and quantum technologies, with the goal of retaining these researchers in the country long-term and building Germany as a centre of scientific excellence. [...]