Overview of research projects

Funding: Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft Niedersachsen, 663.633 EUR

Project Details:
The UMEX-HOPE project aims to explore the intricate relationships between urban microclimates, ecosystem health, and associated human health risks. By adopting a One Health approach, integrating environmental, human, and animal health, the project seeks to better understand how urban climate adaptation measures (e.g., green infrastructure) may have both positive and negative impacts on health and well-being. A key focus is on identifying "risk zones" where extreme microclimatic conditions (e.g., heat, pollution, allergens) or disease vectors may pose significant threats to human well-being. Urban-rural gradients and trade-offs will be taken into account in the analysis. UMEX-HOPE will use the Hannover and Braunschweig regions to address the following key research questions:
-How do urban microclimatic conditions affect human well-being and the spread of diseases?
-How can (microclimatic) risk zones in urban areas be precisely identified and utilized in decision-making processes for urban planning?
-What interactions and trade-offs exist between multiple stressors (e.g., heat, air pollution, vectors) and adaptation measures to climate change (e.g., green infrastructure) with health impacts?
-What effects do climate changes have on the occurrence of vector-borne diseases in urban areas?
-What role do urban-rural gradients play in shaping specific microclimates and ecosystems?

Results:

https://zkfn.de/umex-hope/

Cooperation Partners:

Liebnitz Universität Hannover:

Institute of Meteorology and Climatology

Institute of Earth System Sciences

University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG), Department of General Practice

Technische Universität Braunschweig (TUBS), Institute of Geoecology

Technical University of Berlin (TUB), Institute of Land and Sea Transport, Transport System Planning and Transport Telematics

GEO-NET Umweltconsulting GmbH (GEO-NET)

Funding: Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR), 684.441 EUR

Project Details:
The "pfloeZ" project aims to sustainably improve the environmental performance of agriculture and optimize nutrient cycles in organic farming systems. The project focuses on the targeted use of biochar to enhance long-term carbon storage in soils, reduce nutrient losses, and promote both soil fertility and animal health.
In organic farming, crop production and livestock farming are closely interconnected: nutrients from animal husbandry are returned to the fields as organic fertilizer. PfloeZ develops innovative approaches in which biochar is used either as a feed additive for livestock or directly in organic fertilizers such as manure and slurry. In this way, the biochar can absorb, store, and gradually release nutrients into the soil as needed. This helps reduce uncontrolled nutrient losses into groundwater and surface waters while simultaneously supporting humus formation and healthy soil microbiology.
PfloeZ therefore provides the foundation for a resource-efficient, climate-oriented, and future-proof agricultural system that supports long-term carbon sequestration, closes nutrient cycles, and promotes healthy, fertile soils.

Cooperation Partners:

Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e.V. (DIL)

Funding: BfN, 525.268 EUR

Project Details:
The harbour porpoise is the only native cetacean species in the Baltic Sea, with two distinct populations. The population in the central Baltic Sea now comprises only a few hundred individuals and is critically endangered. To develop effective conservation measures for the highly endangered harbour porpoises of the Baltic Sea, 14 partners from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Estonia, Finland and Lithuania have joined forces.
The international research project CUMBIAH is investigating a wide range of research questions in order to develop necessary, efficient conservation measures to be implemented by the partner countries: in particular, the analysis of the latest surveys and calculations of population density and distribution will provide insights into current population numbers and trends. A newly developed method for the acoustic identification of porpoise calves is intended to help determine calving periods and rearing areas. Environmental DNA (eDNA) samples are analysed to assess habitat quality and the presence of prey fish species. Strandings monitoring, carried out in Germany and partner countries, and post-mortem examinations of dead animals provide important insights into the general condition of porpoises, such as age, nutritional status, sex, reproductive status, diseases and causes of death. Furthermore, individuals are genetically assigned to their population of origin and examined for genetic diversity. The genetic data enable population sizes and trends to be estimated. Information on fishing activity and intensity provides insights into the risk of bycatch. Measurements of underwater noise from construction projects or seismic surveys are included in the analysis to identify areas particularly worthy of protection in comparison with porpoise density and distribution.

Cooperation Partners:

Projektleitung: Dr. Judith Denkinger, Deutsches Meeresmuseum, Stralsund

Universität Potsdam (Deutschland)

Universität Aarhus (Dänemark)

Universität Lund (Schweden)

Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet (Schweden)

National Marine Fisheries Research Institute (Polen)

Technische Universität Tallinn (Estland)

Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften Turku (Finnland)

Funding: BMLEH, FNR, 587.567 EUR

Project Details:
The project is carried out on DIL e.V., Quakenbrück.
The "pfloeZ" project aims to further improve the environmental performance of agriculture. In organic farming, resource conservation and environmental compatibility are top priorities. Crop production and animal husbandry are closely interlinked. The nutrients required for fertilizing crops come mainly from animal husbandry and can be applied to the fields, which are usually adjacent. The purchase of feed and the use of mineral fertilizers are largely avoided. The problem to date has been that in areas with intensive animal husbandry, nutrients have been washed into surface waters and groundwater, causing pollution. Biochar could limit this problem for all forms of agriculture (organic and conventional). The use of pure biochar in crop production returns carbon to the cycle, but depending on the starting substrate for carbonization, valuable nutrients are bound (too) long-term. To resolve this conflict, biochar produced from C-rich, otherwise nutrient-poor raw materials should be used in a closed nutrient cycle utilizing animal husbandry. Biochar can promote animal health as a component of feed, is then excreted and can thus be applied to the fields for crop production in a nutrient-rich, homogeneous form with no loss - or the biochar can be used directly as an additive to livestock excrement (such as manure), and then spread on the fields loaded with nutrients to reduce the amount of undirected nutrient runoff into the environment. In this way, biochar helps to maintain and promote healthy soil microflora and provides nutrients in controlled doses. The "pfloeZ" project provides the basis for more environmentally friendly agriculture, which is a significant carbon sink and at the same time closes nutrient cycles as tightly as possible with minimal losses.

Funding: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur über die Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, 5.035.385 EUR

Project Details:
agri:change addresses the necessary sustainability transformation of Lower Saxony's agriculture and food sector (AgF) and aims to actively shape and promote a sustainable, resilient system - adapted to the specific characteristics of Lower Saxony. Resilience is understood as protecting the ecosystem while maintaining social responsibility and economic viability.
In agri:change, a targeted transdisciplinary and systemic approach is taken to develop resource-saving solutions, offerings, products and concepts that simultaneously maintain and expand income and value creation.

Goal 1: Understanding and shaping transformation processes, managing sustainability innovations in value creation systems
Goal 2: Using resources in a circular manner, shaping animal husbandry in the context of a circular economy that conserves nature, the environment and resources, and holistic material and by-product management
Goal 3: Improve animal welfare, provide optimal husbandry conditions for farm animals
Goal 4: Develop innovative AgF business areas. Develop and test innovative business areas for new sources of income in the agricultural and food sector (AgF)
Goal 5: Promote acceptance and sustainability skills, advance education and participation.

These goals are addressed in four agri:labs and the associated issues:
agri:lab X1 | Sustainable value creation systems and sustainability transparency
agri:lab X2 | Livestock farming under Nature Restoration Law conditions
agri:lab X3 | Upcycling of plant and animal by-products
agri:lab X4 | Integrated agricultural landscape development
as well as cross-cutting topics across agri:labs:
- Macro connections for markets and the environment
- Acceptance of transformative processes and developments
- Legal framework for the AgF data space.

Cooperation Partners:

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen

Universität Osnabrück

Universität Vechta | trafo:agrar

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt, gefördert durch gefördert im Rahmen der Europäischen Innovationspartnerschaft "Produktivität und Nachhaltigkeit in der Landwirtschaft" (EIP-Agri), 410.450 EUR

Project Details:
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Cooperation Partners:

Betrieb Scholten, Betrieb Föcke, BHZP GmbH, Förderverein Bioökonomie e.V., Schweinegesundheitsdienst Niedersachsen

Funding: DFG, 350.000 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of this project is to clarify the mechanisms underlying deep brain stimulation (DBS) for dystonia, using suitable animal models of different types of human dystonia. Already short-term, antidystonic effective stimulation leads to dampening of cortico-striatal synaptic communication. Ongoing studies focus on long-term stimulation, now made feasible by implantable stimulators. The project includes examinations on: effects on the severity of dystonia, mechanisms underlying DBS (especially oscillations and activity propagation patterns), biomarkers of therapeutic outcome (focusing on EEG and local field potential markers for feedback control), and on the role of functional plasticity and network connectivity for stimulation effects.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Köhling, Uni Rostock

Funding: BMLEH, 355.080 EUR

Project Details:
In pig breeding, the continuous use of antibiotics in liquid-preserved semen for artificial insemination is increasingly leading to antimicrobial resistance and environmental burden. Worldwide, the pig industry is under pressure to identify and implement effective and sustainable alternatives for microbial control in semen. The goal is to replace antibiotics in the preservation medium with an innovative technology: photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of bacteria. In an interdisciplinary consortium with partners from industry and science, the PDI technique established in a previous project will be translated into a prototype and its antimicrobial efficacy will be enhanced against specific problematic microorganisms. This is intended to bring a biosafe alternative to antiobiotics for liquid-preserved boar semen stored at 17°C to the next technology readiness level.

Cooperation Partners:

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

Minitüb GmbH

Funding: Drittmittelprojekt Daimler-Benz-Stiftung, 150.000 EUR

Project Details:
The mystic water veins are no longer mystic

Biological effects relevant to environment and society can now be addressed

Water veins have received a lot of attention for more than one and a half centuries. From the very beginning numerous reports have confirmed the detection of water wells and arteries, metals and interfering by diviners. A large number of reports has also stated that water veins cause a variety of negative effects on human well being. Scientific evidence for the reliable prediction of water arteries or their potential negative health effects, however, has been considered not convincing. Many sources consider divining or dowsing as "hocus pocus" We have shown in multiple double-blind experiments that (i) independent diviners find the same so-called water veins and that (ii) different groups of soil animals strongly avoid predicted areas of "water veins". Strong and highly significant proof derived from two sets of independent experiments, carried out by independent scientists and diviners at well separated times. While we do not know whether so-called water-veins have anything to do with water, we do know, however, that we now have a completely novel and highly sensitive biological assay to detect water vein related geopathic radiation (WGR). These zones are also called "geopathic stress" zones, since they can induce "stress" to humans (e.g. heart rate increase). The escape reaction of soil animals now allows to test a spectrum of shielding materials ("WGR protective shields").

Cooperation Partners:

Drittmittelprojekt Daimler-Benz-Stiftung

Funding: Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre, 3.167.862 EUR

Project Details:
Due to the expected changes in the TAppV and current standards of the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE), which accredits veterinary education institutions, VETCURR aims to implement adjustments in the curriculum to make veterinary studies fit for the future.

In addition, the project aims to strengthen students' professional skills, resilience, and ability to deal with future-related topics. To meet the challenges that arise during studies and professional life, accompanying measures will be established that focus on practical training, tutorial support, and coaching. Adjustments to the curriculum and the integration of foreward-thinking teaching concepts are intended to strengthen practical education. In the interest of animal welfare, the expansion of compulsory teaching in the Clinical Skills Lab serves to implement the "never-the-first-time-on-a-live-animal" concept. So that students do not perform practical skills on animals the first time, but instead receive preliminary instruction using models, simulations, or digital teaching materials.

Cooperation Partners:

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