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Research at Saarland University
Research with impact: Innovative, European and regionally rooted
Saarland University is synonymous with cutting-edge interdisciplinary research that couples strong social relevance with a proud and distinctive European profile. Situated in the heart of Europe in close proximity to neighbouring France, Saarland University is an ideal location for cross-border cooperation, borderlands research and European studies. The university addresses the central challenges of our time both in its four core research areas BioMed – Life and Materials, Computer Science, Interdisciplinary European Studies, and Sustainability, as well as in other areas of established expertise.
Saarland University provides an innovation-friendly environment to over 1,900 research scientists, scholars and academics from around the world. Our research ecosystem is broad and includes Collaborative Research Centres and Research Training Groups funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), as well as European Research Council projects. In addition to national and international funding, projects financed through the Saarland Transformation Fund are becoming increasingly important. Ranging from sustainability and the circular economy to investments in quantum technologies and innovative collaborative work linking the social sciences with computer science, these projects are strengthening knowledge transfer to the regional economy, driving regional innovation and delivering positive social impact.
News aus der Forschung
AI-based chemistry teaching concept awarded €80,000 in special funding
AI and digital tools are becoming increasingly common and increasingly indispensable in chemical research laboratories and industrial practice. At Saarland University, two researchers from chemistry and computer science are developing a teaching concept that will introduce chemistry students to data-driven methods early in their degree programmes and prepare them for the changing demands of academia and industry. The Fonds der Chemischen Industrie is supporting the project led by Professors Tanja Gulder and Andrea Volkamer with €80,000 from a special funding programme.
Diamonds from dirt? €2 million for chemistry research
Over the coming years, a team led by Dominik Munz, professor of coordination chemistry at Saarland University, will explore ways of turning inexpensive coal into valuable materials such as diamonds, which are used in a wide range of industrial applications. To support this research, Dominik Munz has now been awarded a European Union ERC Consolidator Grant. His research group will receive around €2 million over the next five years.
Space travel changes the body
Scientists on board the International Space Station (ISS) are investigating how prolonged stays in space affect the human body. A team led by bioinformatician Andreas Keller at Saarland University is collaborating with colleagues at Stanford University to examine how spaceflight changes the way in which genetic information is exchanged within cells. The researchers have published their findings in the prestigious journal ‘Nature Communications’.
DFG Emmy Noether Programme funds research on the concept of gender
Gender shapes many aspects of our lives: from the name we are given at birth and the clothes we wear to the educational path we pursue. It is something that is both deeply personal and, at the same time, politically contested. Philosopher Viktoria Knoll, a researcher at Saarland University, now wants to examine these questions at a fundamental level and is being supported in this work with around €1 million from the DFG's Emmy Noether Programme.
Precursor to written language dates back 40,000 years
Over 40,000 years ago, our early ancestors were already carving signs into tools and sculptures. These sequences of signs display the same degree of complexity and information density as the earliest proto-cuneiform script from around 3,000 BCE – tens of thousands of years later. This is the conclusion reached by linguist Christian Bentz of Saarland University and archaeologist Ewa Dutkiewicz of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Using a computational approach, the team analysed over 3,000 signs found on 260 objects to reveal insights into the origins of writing.
Vice-President for Research and Outreach
The Vice-President for Research and Outreach is responsible for promoting research at Saarland University in all its facets. His responsibilities cover all aspects of university research, from research infrastructure to research culture. As chair of the Research Committee, his focus is on securing an environment in which excellent research thrives. He is also responsible for steering the university's third mission, which is implemented as an outreach programme designed to strengthen the university's role in societal dialogue and community engagement. As patron of the 'UdS im Dialog' series, his role is to bring university research into the urban community and the civic sphere, promoting meaningful open dialogue between researchers and the wider public.
Research Management Division
The Research Management Division is Saarland University's central service unit that provides assistance to researchers at any stage of an externally funded research project. It offers researchers access to expertise and support services in the areas of research funding and research culture, contract management, clinical trials and managing external funds. Researchers who want to apply for external funding should first get in touch with the specialists in our funding advisory service. The Research Management Division is also responsible for managing the university's central research infrastructure. It advises the University Board on higher education policy relevant to research and provides support regarding the overall implementation of the university's institution-wide research strategy.