• Students of TU Berlin at the Biotech Lab , Brain City Berlin

    TU Berlin © Felix Noak

    17.01.2024

    Next Grand Challenge: apply now!

Interdisciplinary research teams have until 29 April to submit their proposals for the Next Grand Challenge initiative of the Berlin University Alliance. The topic: “Responsible innovation in times of transformation”. 

It is about technological innovations or new philosophical perspectives, about obstacles to information or transformation such as the causes of conflict, about inclusive innovations and transformations or about “acting in times of uncertainty”: Research teams should address at least one of these four aspects in their research projects if they want to apply for funding as part of the Next Grand Challenge of the Berlin University Alliance (BUA). Under the overall topic of “Responsible innovation in times of transformation”, the aim is to conduct accompanying research into social transformation processes and find approaches for communicating this change to society and shaping it sustainably.

The BUA is providing a total of 1.4 million euros for research projects as part of its third Grand Challenge. And transdisciplinary research teams can still apply until 29 April. Provided that professors or postdoctoral researchers from the BUA partner universities Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin are involved in the teams. However, researchers from other institutions that are not affiliated with the BUA, as well as non-scientific partners, can co-operate with BUA teams for the Challenge. Up to three projects will be funded over an initial period of two years.

In general, the Grand Challenges of the BUA Excellence Network deal with current social challenges across institutional and disciplinary boundaries. They combine the expertise of scientists with that of non-university researchers as well as from civil society, politics and administration, business, art and culture in an integrated research environment. By 2030, Brain City Berlin is to become an open knowledge laboratory across disciplines and areas of society. The motto: “Crossing boundaries”.

The two ongoing Grand Challenges focus on the topics of “Social cohesion” and “Global health”. The goal of the next BUA challenge: To develop sustainable and innovative technical and social solutions for societies worldwide in times of multiple interlinked crises such as climate, health, energy and migration. The topic “Responsible innovation in times of transformation” was defined in a  participatory process together with researchers, students and young people as well as representatives from politics, business and civil society.

The Berlin University Alliance is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the State of Berlin as part of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State governments. The research network made up of FU Berlin, HU Berlin, TU Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin officially began its work in 2019. (vdo)

Further information

Information about the Challenge and application

Digital information events 

  • 29 January 2024: 13:00 to 14:00
  • 14 February 2024: 13:30 to 14:30

Registration at: nextgrandchallenge@berlin-university-alliance.de

 

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