Humans and technology
Department for Research and Transfer
Dr Beate Grünberg
International visibility and awareness
Dr Janna Just
European research funding; Groningen/Netherlands; EU funding programmes, Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) funding programmes
Dr Anne Clausen
Non-European research funding; Nelson Mandela University/South Africa, German Federal Ministries, DAAD, Humboldt Foundation
Humans and technology
Under the Humans and Technology umbrella, the development and implementation of technical innovations as they interact with the “human element” are investigated in detail. Combining the main topics of hearing research, cooperative safety-critical systems, neurosensory science as well as healthcare systems and patient orientation, researchers from different disciplines investigate the opportunities and limits of the interaction of these two components both in relation to the individual and to societal systems as a whole.
Hearing4All.connects (H4A.connects) – The future of hearing (EXC)*
The cluster of excellence Hearing4All.connects – “Innovating Hearing Health Technology from Ear to Brain to Society” with interdisciplinary research in the areas of medicine, engineering, neuroscience and computing science focuses on the development of data-driven solutions for hearing aids, the research of genetic causes of hearing loss with a focus on new therapeutic options and highlighting the social-communicative factors of hearing understanding.
Funding: excellence strategy of the German Federal Government and the States
Contact: contact - Hearing4all
NaviSense – International Cluster of Excellence for the Sensory Basis, Mechanisms and Impacts of Animal Navigation (EXC)*
The NaviSense cluster of excellence researches the sensory basis, mechanisms and impacts of animal navigation. This includes how animals navigate over long distances, the senses they use (e.g. magnetic or celestial compass) as well as the quantum physical processes and neural mechanisms. The goal is not only to gain a deeper understanding of these skills, but also to apply them. This project makes use of conservation strategies for migratory species as well as bio-inspired technical systems such as sensors and autonomous navigation algorithms.
Funding: excellence strategy of the German Federal Government and the States:
Contact: contact Us - NaviSense
BATTwin – Digital twin platform for battery production
The EU-funded BATTwin project is developing a flexible and scalable digital twin platform to revolutionise efficiency and quality in lithium-ion battery cell production. The goal is to reduce the current defect rates of 15–30% through zero-defect manufacturing. The platform will be tested in two industrial pilots producing different battery chemistries and geometries. Its aim is to demonstrate the flexibility and scalability of the platform.
Funding: Horizon Research and Innovation Actions programme HORIZON-CL5-2023-D2-01
Contact: Battwin - Battery 2030+
SPRING: doctoral network for reSilience exPeRts IN future larGe-scale critical infrastructures
The aim of the SPRING doctoral network is to develop an innovative research and training programme that prepares next-generation leaders to make critical facilities more resilient. Within the network, fifteen PhD students work together on topics such as the design of resilient systems, real-time monitoring and control, the detection and isolation of anomalies and effective incident response in geographically distributed, networked systems where physical infrastructure and digital components interact closely.
Funding: EU, Horizon, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
Contact: Professor Martin Fränzle;
Labour-Market-Oriented Education in Waste and Water Management for the Sub-Saharan Region (NEWW)
The network “Labour-Market-Oriented Education in Waste and Water Management for the Sub-Saharan Region” (NEWW) consists of the scientific centre TRUST@UOL, the Future Lab Water (ZLW) of the Centre for Digital Innovations (ZDIN) in Germany, the University of Ghana (UG) in Ghana and the University of Technology and Arts Byumba (UTAB) in Rwanda as well as their respective commercial partners. Together, the network investigates obstacles and potential opportunities that affect the stability of the labour market in the target sectors of water and waste in Ghana and Rwanda. The country-specific findings will be made available to a wider public through practice-oriented education and training activities on the interdisciplinary topic of circular economy in waste and water management.
Funding: DAAD
Contact: NEWW // University of Oldenburg
QuantumBirds – Quantum-based magnetic perception in migratory birds
The QuantumBirds project investigates how migratory birds perceive and use the earth’s magnetic field by means of a quantum mechanical phenomenon. This project collaborates with the University of Oxford, bringing together scientists from different disciplines (quantum physics, spin chemistry, behavioural biology, biochemistry, molecular biology) to clarify whether radical pairs in cryptochrome proteins are key to magnetic perception. The project’s combination of quantum physics, chemistry and biology is one of a kind.
Funding: ERC Synergy Grants of the EU
Contact: https://www.quantumbirds.eu/
Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 1372 on magnetoreception and navigation
The CRC 1372 investigates the mechanisms of magnetoreception and navigation in vertebrates – from biophysics to behaviour. With its unique international network of universities and research institutes from Israel, the U.K. and Germany, the project brings together excellent interdisciplinary expertise. Scientific exchange is also promoted in the integrated Research Training Group with excellent international researchers in the early stages of their careers. This combination of methods from different disciplines is practiced regularly by the team and the findings contribute to the global protection of biodiversity.
Funding: German Research Foundation (DFG)
Contact: https://www.sfb1372.de