News

Connecting Research Across the Atlantic

Interview with Stephan Isernhagen

Dr. Stephan Isernhagen is Director of the DFG Office North America, representing the German Research Foundation in the United States and Canada. Based across the DFG’s North America presence in Washington, DC, New York, and San Francisco, he supports scientific exchange and cooperation between Germany and North America and serves as a point of contact for researchers and institutions interested in DFG funding and collaboration opportunities. Dr. Isernhagen has been with the DFG for more than eleven years. Before taking on his current role in January 2026, he served as Programme Director for committee support related to Germany’s Excellence Strategy, Programme Director, and Officer in Research Management at the DFG’s headquarters in Bonn. He also has an academic background in the humanities: his doctoral dissertation at Bielefeld University examined Susan Sontag and the New York intellectuals.

Excellence Strategy

Ruhr Innovation Lab Reviewed

From 19 to 21 May, a panel of international scientists was on campus to inspect the “Ruhr Innovation Lab”. Under this title, TU Dortmund University and Ruhr University Bochum have jointly applied in the Excellence Strategy of the federal government and the states. Their shared goal is to create freedom for new research ideas and to foster networks for a future-proof society. The common research areas are united by the mission to secure prosperity, enable trust in the digital age and safeguard the values of our democracy.

University of Cologne: 27 Million Euro from DFG for Excellent Collaborative Cancer and Plant Genetics Research

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has granted a second funding period to two Collaborative Research Centres in medicine and plant genetics at the University of Cologne, awarding approximately 27.1 million euros in total to advance medical and environmental research with national partners.

Partnership Between Heidelberg and Harvard

The strategic partnership between Heidelberg University and Harvard University is now seeing the launch of the first joint projects by researchers from the two institutions. In August 2025, their respective leading representatives had signed a Memorandum of Understanding in order to broaden the existing cooperation. 23 initiatives were chosen for funding in the first selection procedure. In all, around 220 researchers are involved – mainly in early career phases. 

Heidelberg University remains University of Excellence

Heidelberg University has convincingly defended its status as a University of Excellence. This means that the university will receive funding for another seven years in order to continue strengthening its scientific and scholarly performance capability based on a strategic concept for the whole institution.

University of Cologne: Major New Telescope on Chilean Summit Opens Window on Universe

The University of Cologne and the University of Bonn are part of an international collaboration that brought the Fred Young Submillimeter Telescope (FYST) to life.  

Academic Publishing, Science Diplomacy, and the Future of Knowledge

Interview with anca pusca

Anca Pusca, Executive Editor at Palgrave Macmillan, an imprint of Springer Nature, brings together close to 30 years in International Studies and a decade in academic publishing. Passionate about knowledge curation and the role of publishing in connecting academia, policy, and society, she has worked across diverse academic markets to expand the reach of scholarly work and support researchers in building their academic profiles and broader impact. A strong advocate for Early Career Researchers, she is committed to fostering a more transparent, supportive, and inclusive publishing environment. She is also deeply engaged with the impact of new technologies, including generative AI, on how research is discovered, consumed, shared, and trusted. In this interview, she reflects on the forthcoming Palgrave Handbook of Science Diplomacy, the role of publishing in bridging academia and practice, and how academic knowledge can contribute to meaningful societal impact.