Projects

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

All projects

Leibniz University Hannover

ERC Grant for Prof. Philippe van Basshuysen’s studies on the influence of scientific models on reality

On 1 February 2024, a new ERC Starting Grant was started at Leibniz University Hannover (LUH). Prof. Dr. Philippe van Basshuysen has received the prestigious European Union funding to spend the coming five years researching how scientific models not only reflect the world but can also change it. His project MAPS – Managing Performative Science also develops strategies for dealing with this phenomenon in a better way.

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.

Aquacombine – Using salt-tolerant plants to counter the consequences of climate change

EU project Aquacombine focuses on the potential of halophytes with the participation of Leibniz University Hannover. Gourmets relish the tips of the plants, which taste like the ocean. But until now glasswort – also known as sea asparagus – has eked out more of a niche existence. To date the plant, which grows in salt marshes and mudflats, has not been used for large-scale industrial food production. This is despite the fact that plants like glasswort (Salicornia europaea) have many useful qualities.

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.