Lichtgedanken 02

Editorial 8 Research clusters in the excellence competition The FSU is entering three draft projects for research clusters in the current competition organized by the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State governments. The draft proposals were submitted at the be- ginning of April. A decision will be reached by the autumn on which proposals may be developed to form full-blown applications. In the previous phase of the Excellence Initiative, the FSU received funding for its Graduate School for Microbial Communication (JSMC) – as the only project in Thuringia to qualify. The universe of the tiniest One application from the FSU builds on the Jena Excel- lence Graduate School for Microbial Communication whichhasbeen inexistencesince2007, and it addresses scientificbutatthesametimesociallypressingquestions. The tiniest organisms determine the biggest questions facing humanity. Whether it’s a matter of combating dangerous in- fectious diseases, keeping the environment healthy, sustain- able agriculture or a stable climate, microorganisms – bacteria, fungi or viruses – play a crucial role in all areas. The key to answering these questions lies in exact knowledge of the way Petri dishes with fungal cultures. The »Jena School for Microbial Communication« (JSMC) has received funding in the Excel- lence Initiative since 2007. BY UTE SCHÖNFELDER in which microorganisms cohabit and the interaction of micro- bes and their host organisms. These are the subjects being ad- dressed by the consortium for the cluster application »Balance of theMicroverse« inwhich numerous non-university research institutes in Jena are participating under the leadership of the FSU: the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) –, the Fraun- hofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology, the Max Planck Institutes for Chemical Ecology, for Biogeochemistry and for the Science of Human History, the Helmholtz Institute Jena as well as the new DLR Institute for Data Science. »Together with our partners, we are outstandingly well posi- tioned to tackle these subjects comprehensively,« emphasizes the spokesperson for the consortium, Prof. Dr Axel Brakha- ge (photo), pointing out that the FSU has already proved its expertise in these matters by acquiring three Collaborative Research Centres (Sonderforschungsbereich – SFB). »These SFBs have only recently arisen from the Excellence Graduate School which is testament to the incredible pace of research which we have developed here in Jena in the field of microbial communication,« says Brakhage. The holder of the Chair of Microbiology and Molecular Biology and Scientific Director of the HKI sees the application in the Strategy for Excellence programme in itself as a success: »Regardless of any possible funding, we have positioned ourselves clearly for the coming years in scientific terms.« News