German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research

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German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
legal form Central institution of the University of Leipzig
founding 2012
Seat Leipzig , Germany
motto Hotspot in biodiversity science
Website www.idiv.de

The German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig is a DFG research center with employees and members at the main locations in Halle , Jena and Leipzig. It is a central institution of the University of Leipzig and is operated together with the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena as well as in cooperation with the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research . In addition, seven other non-university research institutions belong to the iDiv consortium. iDiv was founded in 2012 and is funded as one of the DFG research centers as of 2018 .

history

IDiv headquarters, Bio City Leipzig .

Because of the great need for research in the implementation of the National Strategy on Biological Diversity , the DFG developed the idea of ​​a special research area for the topic of biodiversity . Finally, it was decided to institutionalize it in the form of a DFG research center.

By October 2010, 15 universities had applied to the DFG to set up the research center. The Free University of Berlin , the University of Göttingen , the University Association Halle-Jena-Leipzig and the University of Oldenburg were selected by the DFG Senate in July 2011. The Free University of Berlin and the Univerbund Halle-Jena-Leipzig were shortlisted. The decision was finally made in favor of the consortium from Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.

On April 27, 2012 the decision was made in favor of the University Association Halle-Jena-Leipzig and the establishment of the core center in Leipzig. At its meeting in Bonn, the DFG main committee selected the joint application of the Universities of Halle, Jena and Leipzig on the proposal of the DFG Senate. The DFG explained its decision that the scientific and structural conditions at the three neighboring locations are excellent, as they already had a distinctive profile and numerous, in some cases internationally oriented, research projects in biodiversity sciences at the start of the center. Eight non-university research institutions are also involved in the new center: the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research - UFZ, the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry , the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology , the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology , the Leibniz Institute German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures , the Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry , the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research and the Leibniz Institute Senckenberg Museum für Naturkunde Görlitz (SMNG).

iDiv new building at the old fair in Leipzig

In autumn 2012 the center moved into Bio City Leipzig in the south-east of Leipzig on Deutsches Platz.

The groundbreaking ceremony for a new iDiv building on the site of the old trade fair took place in 2018 .

financing

The DFG is funding iDiv in the current, second funding period (2016–2020) with around 9 million euros annually. This increased the financing by 32 percent compared to the first funding period. In addition, there are contributions from the partners in the iDiv consortium and funding for individual research projects (third-party funding). The DFG funds DFG research centers like iDiv mostly over a period of three times four years.

research

Biodiversity research at iDiv takes place against the background of the current biodiversity crisis . Their extent, the underlying processes and the consequences for humans are often unknown. In order to better understand the complex relationships, iDiv research focuses on synthesis, theory building and transdisciplinarity. IDiv pursues two overarching goals: First: Providing the scientific basis for the sustainable use of the earth's biodiversity. Second: To develop a new field of research: "Integrative Biodiversity Research"

Personnel and structure

The managing director of iDiv is the botanist Christian Wirth (University of Leipzig). Co-directors are the soil ecologist François Buscot (UFZ), the geobotanist Helge Bruelheide (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) and the geoecologist Kirsten Küsel (Friedrich Schiller University Jena). So far, eight W3 professors have been appointed:

There are also several junior research groups ( junior research groups ): Domestication genomics (Martin Mascher), evolution and adaptation (Renske Onstein), forest ecology and modeling (Nadja Rüger), macroecology and society (Carsten Meyer), sustainability and complexity of the habitats of great apes ( Hjalmar Kühl) (as of April 2020).

Central management includes several areas: In the synthesis center sDiv , scientists from all over the world come together in so-called working groups in order to develop new knowledge from existing data and knowledge. The aim of the graduate school yDiv (Young BioDiversity Research Training Group) is to train a new generation of interdisciplinary biodiversity scientists. The scientific coordination promotes the integration between the working groups and the iDiv members, who are spread across Germany. IT support, bioinformatics (BIU) and biodiversity informatics (BDU) ensure the storage, provision and evaluation of data. The team's management takes care of purchasing, finance, human resources and infrastructure. The Media and Communication department promotes dialogue with society and politics.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ iDiv receives additional millions for a new funding period. In: idiv.de. July 6, 2016, accessed March 29, 2019 .
  2. ^ Groundbreaking ceremony for iDiv building. In: idiv.de. April 12, 2018, accessed April 29, 2020 .