University of Cologne: 16 Million Euros Funding for Two Collaborative Research Centres
© Gregor Huebl
The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1310 ‘Predictability in Evolution’ and the CRC/Transregio 228 ‘Future Rural Africa’ will both receive follow-up funding from the German Research Foundation for the next four years.
Two Collaborative Research Centres at the University of Cologne will receive funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a further funding period. Taken together, the approved CRCs will receive funds including an overhead totalling approximately 27.5 million euros, of which approximately 16.1 million euros will remain at the University of Cologne. The remaining funds go to the collaboration partners.
“The extension of these two Collaborative Research Centres means that we are sending a strong signal when it comes to researching solutions for the future – whether in relation to understanding evolutionary processes or shaping sustainable developments in the global context. The extended funding of the two Collaborative Research Centres represents a great success for our university and its partners. My special thanks go to the many scholars and scientists who are working on these joint projects with extraordinary commitment and an outstanding level of professional excellence,” says Professor Dr. Joybrato Mukherjee, Rector of the University of Cologne.
CRC 1310 ‘Predictability in Evolution’
Evolutionary biology traditionally deals with the reconstruction of past processes and with relationships between species over long periods of time. The CRC 1310 ‘Predictability in Evolution’ investigates how future evolutionary processes can be predicted, at least in the short term. It researches systems that evolve very fast: microbes, viruses, immune systems, and cancer cells. The aim is to develop prediction methods for important processes within these systems, including the evolution of drug resistance, the evolution of human influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses, and the response of our immune systems.
CRC/Transregio 228 ‘Future Rural Africa: Future-making and social-ecological transformation
Against the backdrop of rapidly advancing globalization and the increasingly noticeable consequences of global climate change, the CRC/Transregio 228 ‘Future Rural Africa: Future-making and social-ecological transformation’ is examining how future-oriented processes of agricultural intensification, infrastructure development (such as roads, dams, geothermal power plants) and the expansion of nature conservation zones in rural Africa are being negotiated. In the face of rapid socio-ecological change, how do the seemingly opposing but often interwoven processes of increased land use and the expansion of nature reserves affect food security, social systems and commodity chains?
Researchers from geography, ethnology, agricultural sciences and other disciplines (such as history, virology, and botany) are analysing how different conceptions of the future are impacting the transformation of land use. They are also focussing particularly on unpredictable developments such as droughts, violent conflicts, and political crises, which continue to pose critical planning problems for large parts of rural Africa. The key areas under consideration are in eastern and southern Africa.