Projects

Browse through our collection of selected research projects and discover the diversity of European cooperation in Lower Saxony!

All projects

Horizon Europe

Combating climate change with SpongeScapes

Too hot, too dry, too wet: Europe’s landscapes have already been visibly affected by climate change. In recent years, floods and droughts have caused damage amounting to billions of Euros. The SpongeScapes project was launched in October 2023 and aims to counteract the consequences of climate change by establishing sponge landscapes. The European Commission is funding the research project with a total of 2.6 million euros under the Horizon Europe programme.

From the lab to the market: enabling bone repair

When bones fail to heal – for example after an accident or cancer treatment – bone defects remain, placing a burden on patients as well as society and the economy. “Worldwide, more than four million operations per year require bone grafts or substitutes. At the same time, current treatment options are limited.

More impact against cancer

Natural killer cells (NK cells) are part of the first line of defense of our immune system. They eliminate virus-infested cells and tumor cells. This makes NK cells interesting helpers in cancer therapy. Professor Dr. Dr. Axel Schambach, head of the Institute of Experimental Haematology at the Hannover Medical School (MHH), wants to genetically modify the immune cells in such a way that they detect and destroy the tumor cells even more reliably.

More safety for medicines

Medicines that are injected must be continuously tested for impurities as part of their production and release, as these can cause fever or even blood poisoning. Until now, this has mostly been done using animal tests, animal products or the so-called monocyte activation test (MAT).

With exercise against liver cancer

About three million people in the European Union are affected by cancer. For 1.34 million of them, the disease is fatal. However, around 40 percent of cancer cases could be prevented through effective prevention strategies such as a healthier lifestyle and early detection.