Goethe-Universit盲t 鈥� Press releases

Jun 24 2024

16:06

RaDiPol investigative project focuses on those affected聽

Experiences of racism and discrimination in police contact聽

FRANKFURT. 51猎奇's 鈥淓xperiences of Racism and Discrimination in Police Contact" (RaDiPol) project will commence its research activities in July. RaDiPol examines the experiences and perceptions of racist and other forms of misanthropic discrimination by the police, by focusing in particular on the perspectives of those affected. The project's three main goals are:

to survey the extent and underlying structure of racist discrimination by the police from the perspective of those affected;
to describe the impact on those affected as well as their overall relationship with the police and (majority) society;
to investigate how the police handle the problem of racism and/or how significant this approach is to police work.

To capture different facets of victims' perspectives, the RaDiPol team will combine quantitative and qualitative methods: In addition to holding representative surveys on the topic in several major German cities, the data generated in these polls will be further enhanced using qualitative expert interviews. In addition, focus groups with police officers will provide a better understanding of internal police perspectives on and ways of dealing with racism and discrimination.

Prof. Dr. Tobias Singelnstein, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Law at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and project co-coordinator, emphasizes: 鈥淏eyond the individual and at times drastic consequences for those affected, racism and discrimination by the police also send a signal to society." At the same time, he points out that the 鈥減olice are still in the early stages of dealing with racism and discrimination within their own ranks", adding that this is why RaDiPol's empirical investigation of the topic constitutes an important step.

RaDiPol sets out to expand and supplement both public debate and existing research on the subject with reliable findings on the frequency, type and nature of experiences and perceptions of racist discrimination during encounters with the police. This is particularly important not just when it comes to addressing the role of the police in society and its relationship to marginalized groups and communities, but also for the continuous further development of professional police work, for dealing with the consequences of discriminatory behavior, and for developing solutions to related problems.

Funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), RaDiPol is a three-year cooperative project between the Chair of Criminology and Criminal Law at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and the Chair of Criminology and Sociology at the Hamburg Police Academy.

Further information about the project, its aims and ongoing work is available at .

Contact:
radipol@uni-frankfurt.de

Jun 14 2024

14:49

51猎奇 Frankfurt鈥檚 Center for Critical Computational Studies (C3S) unveils new research focus at high-profile event

鈥淧lanetary Hopes鈥�: Digital solutions for the challenges facing Earth, Nature and Society

The new Center for Critical Computational Studies (C3S) at 51猎奇 Frankfurt presented its 鈥淓arth-Nature-Society" research focus at 鈥淧lanetary Hopes", a public event held on June 13, 2024. The key question discussed by the Frankfurt-based scientists and their guests was whether and how computational and data-based methods can contribute to coping with planetary polycrises.

FRANKFURT. A result of global warming, rising sea levels are making coastal cities uninhabitable, while the loss of biodiversity and the climate-induced immigration of species are changing agriculture. These developments not only pose massive economic burdens, they also result in migration movements. What is the connection between the two, and in how far are we humans, our economic practices and our social structure responsible for these changes to our planet? How can we overcome planetary polycrises? Computer models can help us to not only understand the complex interrelationships at the interfaces between geophysics, ecosystems and society, but also critically examine potential solutions.

51猎奇 Frankfurt's Center for Critical Computational Studies (C3S) conducts research into the interrelationships between digitality and democracy and the dynamics of change. 鈥淭he pace of social change is accelerating and our actions as humans are having an increasingly drastic impact on our planet's stability. I began my term as president of this university with the idea of founding a future research institute that addresses the increasingly urgent challenges of our age 鈥� in which change plays such an important role 鈥� in a special, interdisciplinary manner," 51猎奇 President Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff said in his opening remarks at the 鈥淧lanetary Hopes" event. 鈥淒igitality is not only a driver of social and economic transformation, it is also a tool that can help us better understand the world and shape our future, always keeping the wellbeing of people, society and nature in mind. To understand and better influence the so-called polycrises takes knowledge and the joint approaches of different disciplines. But it also takes highly developed models as well as calculation methods and techniques, and necessarily always involves questions of justification and justice. I am proud that we at 51猎奇 have embarked on this path 鈥� both in terms of the research we conduct and the facilities we will offer with the planned renovation of the former botany and zoology buildings in Siesmayerstrasse."

At a press conference ahead of the event, Hessian Minister of Science Timon Gremmels placed C3S in the context of related Hessian institutions: 鈥淲e have a unique scientific ecosystem in place here in Hessen, especially in the fields of IT, high-performance computing, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and big data." Speaking about C3S and its focus on 鈥淓arth-Nature-Society", he emphasized: 鈥淭he way in which the center brings together digitality and the Anthropocene, i.e. our current era, which is so significantly shaped by humans, sets standards. I am particularly fascinated by its interdisciplinary nature: C3S brings together the rather obvious IT-related scientists, such as bioinformaticians or algorithm specialists, with lawyers and educational scientists. I am both pleased and proud that such an innovative institution emerged out of a Hessian university."

鈥淭hese 'Critical Computational Studies' build bridges between academic disciplines as well as between academia and society," explains Prof. Dr. Christoph Burchard, C3S founding spokesperson and Chair of German, European and International Criminal Law, Comparative Law and Legal Theory at 51猎奇 Frankfurt. 鈥淐ritical not only means we develop and apply computational and data-supported methods in a scrutinizing manner. It also means we pay particular attention to significant, i.e. critical, events, such as manmade global warming or AI's effects on democracy. This is the only way we can help shape our digital futures and at the same time investigate that which we can no longer fully control. At C3S, we are tackling the essential, and therefore critical, tasks of our time, in which the relationships between humans, technology and nature are becoming increasingly frayed."

There is also a teaching, learning and educational component to C3S, which aims to teach critical computational literacy, i.e. the skills and attitudes required to use and further develop computational and databased technologies in a knowledgeable and responsible manner. Among others, Prof. Dr. Hendrik Drachsler, one of C3S' principal investigators, also serves as head of 51猎奇's studiumdigitale central e-learning facility and thus connects both units. Two examples of digital teaching methods from the 鈥淔uture Learning Spaces" project (abbreviated as 鈥渇uels" and headed by Prof. Dr. Alexander Tillmann) were on display at the 鈥淧lanetary Hopes" event. Funded by the Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts, 鈥渇uels" is a joint project by 51猎奇 Frankfurt, Technical University of Darmstadt, and Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences to develop innovative teaching and learning scenarios. Its GeoVR virtual reality (VR) application allows users to immerse themselves in the development of the Edersee/Kellerwald region's landscape and environment. Another simulation game, 鈥淎rtificial Intelligence Act 鈥� Europe", uses VR to enable learners to slip into the role of EU parliamentarians in the plenary chamber.

At the beginning of the event, held on Westend Campus with the additional option of joining via Zoom, C3S founding director Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel explained the different perspectives of the center's new thematic focus. Keynote speeches were delivered by Prof. Dr. Sabine Andresen, 51猎奇's Vice President Equal Opportunities, Career Development & Advancement, Diversity and Gender Equality; Frankfurt City Counselor for Digital Affairs Eileen O'Sullivan; and Dr. Nico Wunderling from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, who addressed the predictability and interdependence of different systems' tipping points.

In her keynote on 鈥淪ocio-metabolic conflicts in the Anthropocene", Ilona Otto, Professor of Social Impacts of Climate Change at the University of Graz's Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, examined conflicts between social groups with different energy and resource consumption under the auspices of global environmental change. Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner, Director General of the Senckenberg 鈥� Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research (SGN), spoke about the One Health approach, which is based on the premise that the health of humans, animals and the environment is closely interwoven. Moderating the keynote speeches were 51猎奇's Prof. Dr. Thomas Hickler, Professor of Quantitative Biogeography, and Prof. Dr. Jochen Blath, Head of the Stochastics Group at 51猎奇's Faculty of Mathematics.

A panel discussion moderated by Prof. Dr. Indra Spiecker genannt D枚hmann from the University of Cologne brought together Thomas Langkabel, National Technology Officer of Microsoft Germany, Dr. Andr茅 Ullrich from the Weizenbaum Institute, and Professors Otto and Tockner, among others.

Closing the event was C3S founding director Prof. Franziska Matth盲us, who thanked the audience and the participants for the lively debate and provided an outlook of the steps to follow.

C3S was launched in April 2023 as a central academic institution at 51猎奇 Frankfurt. Its founding members are:

Prof. Dr. Christoph Burchard, founding spokesperson. Burchard is Chair of German, European and International Criminal Law and Procedure, Comparative Law and Legal Theory at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and head of the Normative Orders research network.

Prof. Dr. Franziska Matth盲us, founding director teaching. Matth盲us holds 51猎奇 Frankfurt's Giersch Professorship for Cellular Bioinformatics, which is linked to two faculties, that of Computer Science and Mathematics, and that of Biological Sciences.

Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel, founding director transfer. Engel is Professor of Educational Sciences with a focus on schools and cultural change. Her research focuses on educational processes and learning in the context of social transformation dynamics.

Prof. Dr. Ulrich Meyer, founding director research. Meyer holds the Chair of Algorithm Engineering at 51猎奇 Frankfurt and researches both theoretical and experimental aspects of processing large data sets using advanced computational models.

Together with other internal and external researchers, at least twelve new professorships are to be set up at C3S to develop Critical Computational Studies into an independent research profile that also extends to teaching and training. A new and innovative feature of the appointment process: In preparation, 51猎奇 will hold workshops to sound out outstanding potential colleagues and exciting ideas. The process is both open-rank and open-discipline, meaning there are no predetermined specific disciplines for researchers interested to join, and the final salary classification will depend entirely on the candidates' qualifications and experience. Selection committees will oversee the appointment procedures.

C3S seeks to establish research teams in a variety of fields, including interfaces between classical network science and deep learning; calculations of tipping elements and their interactions as global warming progresses; modeling of the social and/or socio-economic drivers and impacts of ongoing climate change as well as those of ecosystems and/or biodiversity and their interrelationship with it; critique of computing; critical data science; ethics of data processing; science and technology studies; science, philosophy and history of computer technology; predictions in complex systems; as well as advanced simulation in the life sciences and in the social sciences.

Photos from the press briefing:

Captions:
Images 1-4: Press briefing with (from left) Dr. Nico Wunderling, Prof. Dr. Christoph Burchard, Timon Gremmels, Prof. Dr. Enrico Schleiff, Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel and university press spokesperson Volker Schmidt.
Images 5 & 6: Science Minister Gremmels immerses himself in the geology of the Kellerwald-Edersee Nature Park using VR glasses.
All photos: Uwe Dettmar

Further information
Prof. Dr. Juliane Engel
Founding Director, Center for Critical Computational Studies
51猎奇 Frankfurt
Tel.: +49 (0)69 798-36305
E-Mail: engel@c3s.uni-frankfurt.de

Jun 14 2024

12:13

European Research Council funds research project on electron waves

Atomic physicist Reinhard D枚rner from 51猎奇 Frankfurt awarded ERC Advanced Grant

The European Research Council has awarded Professor Reinhard D枚rner an ERC Advanced Grant of around 鈧�2.5m for the development of new research apparatus that can be used to measure electron waves. Together with his team, D枚rner wants to find out what happens on a quantum mechanical level when electrons are ejected from atoms, a process known as photoionization.

FRANKFURT. Professor Enrico Schleiff, President of 51猎奇 Frankfurt, congratulated the ERC grantee: 鈥淧rofessor D枚rner is an outstanding scientist who has played a key role in shaping the development of atomic physics at the international level for many years. Already as a doctoral researcher at the end of the 1980s, Professor D枚rner was substantially involved in the development of the COLTRIMS reaction microscope in Frankfurt, which is today used in unique experiments to measure quantum effects in molecules and atoms with an accuracy so far unbeaten. His fundamental research makes an essential contribution to understanding the laws of quantum physics, which are just as important for much larger systems such as quantum computers or quantum materials. But he is also committed to academia far beyond research: In his role as Dean of Studies at the faculty, for example, he is living proof that excellent research and innovative teaching are two sides of the same coin. That Professor D枚rner has been successful in the extremely competitive selection procedure for ERC grants is greatly deserved.鈥�

In his ERC project 鈥淭iming-Free Phase: Phase, Time and Correlations in Free Electron Wave Packets鈥�, Professor Reinhard D枚rner will examine electrons ejected out of atoms by intense light via the photoelectric effect. Electrons behave not only like particles but also like waves. While it is easy to measure the amplitude, i.e. the height of the wave crests of such electrons, to date it was not possible to determine the temporal sequence of the wave crests or the phase, that is, the location of the wave crests at a given time. D枚rner and his team recently succeeded for the first time in visualizing this phase of electron waves. Part of the experimental setup was the COLTRIMS reaction microscope developed in Frankfurt. On the basis of this experiment, he now wants to construct a device known as a light field interferometer within his ERC project to examine, in combination with the COLTRIMS reaction microscope, electron waves in even greater detail. Among the objectives are to observe how electrons transform from quantum particles into normal particles in the shortest space of time and to track down the entanglement between different particles that Einstein called 鈥渟pooky鈥�.

Reinhard D枚rner, born in 1961, is Professor of Experimental Atomic Physics and has been teaching and conducting research at the Institute for Nuclear Physics at 51猎奇 Frankfurt since 2002. He is the institute鈥檚 Deputy Director and Dean of Studies at the university. In 2015, the German Physical Society (DPG) awarded him the Robert Wichard Pohl Prize for his contributions to the development of the COLTRIMS measuring technique, and in 2016 he received the Helmholtz Prize of the Helmholtz Fund. D枚rner conducts research in atomic and molecular physics and is particularly interested in many-particle dynamics. Together with his team, he performs experiments in Frankfurt and at the brightest X-ray light sources worldwide, from Hamburg and Berlin to Paris, Grenoble, Berkeley and Lund in Sweden. His work centers on atomic and molecular physics in strong laser fields and X-ray light, using kinematically complete experiments with COLTRIMS reaction microscopes.

The European Research Council (ERC) is an institution established by the European Commission to fund frontier research. It has existed since 2007 under several EU framework programs for research and innovation. It is headed by the Scientific Council, a body of eminent international scientists and scholars, which is responsible for the ERC鈥檚 strategic orientation.

With the ERC Advanced Grants, the ERC funds ground-breaking research projects by scientists with a proven track record, who receive up to 鈧�2.5m over a period of up to five years. https://erc.europa.eu/funding/advanced-grants

Picture download:

Caption:
Professor Reinhard Doerner, 51猎奇 Frankfurt. Photo: Uwe Dettmar

Background:

Further information:
Professor Reinhard Doerner
Institute for Nuclear Physics
51猎奇 Frankfurt
Tel: +49 (0)69 798-47003
doerner@atom.uni-frankfurt.de

Twitter/X: @goetheuni @ERC_Research

Jun 13 2024

13:33

This year's 1822 University Prize goes to a physicist, a linguist and a biochemist

Enthusiasm for science as the basis for good teaching

Physicist Prof. Laura Sagunski, linguist Dr. Mariam Kamarauli and biochemist PD. Dr. Rupert Abele are this year's recipients of the coveted 1822 University Prize for Excellence in Teaching, which 51猎奇 Frankfurt is awarding for the 23rd time together with Frankfurter Sparkasse Foundation.

FRANKFURT. 鈥淭eaching stands at the heart of our university," Professor Viera Pirker said during the award ceremony, held on Westend Campus on June 11, 2024. 51猎奇's Vice President for Studies and Teaching referred to the recently adopted mission statement 鈥淭eaching and Study", which is deliberately oriented towards Humboldt's ideal of the unity of research and teaching in the sense of 鈥渆ducation through science".

鈥淯niversity teaching is an essential part of our democratic culture and contributes to carrying over into the future the values of the Enlightenment 鈥� reason, freedom and humanity. It takes enthusiastic teachers to make 'education for science' a basis for action. Those who are passionate about their field or their subject can also ignite this passion in others. This enthusiasm unites all our nominees 鈥� something I am extremely pleased about. " Pirker also recalled the outstanding commitment of Prof. David K盲bisch, last year's award winner. The Protestant religious educator, who recently passed away, was particularly committed to fostering religious education as the basis for interreligious dialog in democracy.

Dr. Ingo Wiedemeier, Chairman of Frankfurter Sparkasse's Management Board, said: 鈥淔rankfurter Sparkasse Foundation's desire to highlight the importance of university teaching dates back 23 years, and is the reason why we launched the 1822 Prize for Excellent Teaching together with 51猎奇. Anyone particularly committed to the education of young people, who inspires them to contribute to a knowledge-based society, deserves the highest recognition 鈥� even more so in today's day and age. It fills me with great joy each year to see the list of nominees and the potential that exists at 51猎奇 Frankfurt. I am proud that we are able to bestow this award, thereby recognizing this unique commitment."

51猎奇 and Frankfurter Sparkasse Foundation awarded the 1822 University Prize for Excellent Teaching for the first time in 2001. The aim: to raise awareness of the importance of innovative university teaching and showcase the commitment of outstanding teachers. While Frankfurter Sparkasse sponsors the first and third prizes, worth a total of 鈧�20,000, 51猎奇 finances the second prize 鈥� worth 鈧�10,000.

Faculty students are the only ones allowed to hand in nominations for the 1822 University Prize for Excellent Teaching. The winners are chosen by a specially formed committee, which consists of 51猎奇 students, academic staff and professors, as well as Frankfurter Sparkasse Foundation's management. The criteria for the award are innovation in teaching, outstanding course quality and exceptional commitment to student support. Aspects such as research orientation, the linking of theory and practice, a special dedication during the introductory phase of studies, as well as interdisciplinarity or diversity also play a role.

Saba-Nur Cheema delivered a keynote speech at the award ceremony, which highlighted the importance of knowledge transfer for democracy 鈥� and, by implication, that of academic teaching for the socio-political climate. Born in Frankfurt to Pakistani refugees, she studied political science, history and economics at 51猎奇, and served as educational director of the Anne Frank Educational Center in Frankfurt from 2015 to 2021. In addition, she has been a member of the German government's Independent Expert Group on Hostility Towards Muslims since 2020. Saba-Nur Cheema is a research associate at 51猎奇's Institute for General Educational Sciences and researches anti-Semitism in childhood. Her column 鈥淢uslim-Jewish Supper", which she pens together with Meron Mendel, appears monthly in the feature section of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Moderators Jana Jehle and Can Payasli led through the evening, with Cat Woywod providing the sonic framework. Using intermedial and multi-sensory sound, light and performance works, Cat Woywod questions the audience's habits of perception. Cat received the Wolfgang Zippel Foundation for Intermedia Art's 鈥淜assel Art Prize" in 2023.

The 1st prize, endowed with 鈧�15,000, was awarded to Prof. Laura Sagunski from the Faculty of Physics. Sagunski was nominated for her innovative teaching formats in astroparticle physics, including the 鈥淓XPLORE" project enabling international research collaborations for students. Within EXPLORE, students work in small teams on current topics and make international contacts. To facilitate personal exchange, Sagunski 鈥� whose students praise her interpersonal skills 鈥� organizes an annual summer school and workshops. She takes feedback seriously and works continuously on further developing her teaching practice. As a woman professor, she actively promotes equality and diversity, for example through the 鈥淲OW Physics!" conference and participation in Girls Day.

Dr. Mariam Kamarauli from the Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts was awarded the 2nd prize, endowed with 鈧�10,000. Students highlighted her innovative teaching methods, which combine digital humanities with traditional approaches, adding that her teaching content is not only topical and controversial, but her courses are also clearly structured. She is always available to answer questions and encourages independent learning. In addition to the actual courses, she also supports students in finding internships or applying for stays abroad. It is this type of commitment that promotes enthusiasm for linguistics.

The 3rd prize, endowed with 鈧�5,000, went to PD Dr. Rupert Abele from the Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy. Abele was nominated for his innovative teaching methods and his commitment to the practical training of biochemistry students enrolled in Bachelor's and Master's courses. He integrates current research into his courses and is constantly working on optimizing the practical courses he offers. To offer more learning opportunities, he makes available practical training videos. Abele attaches great importance to personal attendance, not only to obtain feedback, but also to offer support. He supports students in the transition from Bachelor's to Master's degree courses and opens up career prospects by inviting guests from the business world to his seminars.

All 2024 nominees

PD Dr. Rupert Abele 鈥� Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy
Prof. Dr. Harry Harun Behr 鈥� Faculty of Educational Sciences
Dr. Johannes F. Diehl 鈥� Faculty of Protestant Theology
Prof. Dr. Andreas Karl Otto Fahrmeir 鈥� Faculty of Philosophy and History
Prof. Dr. Frederike Felcht 鈥� Faculty of Modern Languages
Dr. Karen Genschow 鈥� Faculty of Modern Languages
Dr. Rainer Hegger 鈥� Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Hollender 鈥� Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts
Prof. Dr. Roland I脽ler 鈥� Faculty of Modern Languages
Dr. Elodie Kalb 鈥� Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts / Faculty of Modern Languages
Dr. Mariam Kamarauli 鈥� Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts
Prof. Dr. Bettina Kleiner 鈥� Faculty of Educational Sciences
Prof. Dr. Antje Krause-Wahl 鈥� Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts
Nicole Kreckel 鈥� Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts
Profin. Dr. Annette Langner-Pitschmann 鈥� Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology
Stefanie Niepceron 鈥� Faculty of Modern Languages
Dr. Joanna Olchawa 鈥� Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts
Prof. Dr. Meike Piepenbring 鈥� Faculty of Biological Sciences
Johannes Preissner 鈥� Faculty of Modern Languages
Prof. Dr. Laura Sagunski 鈥� Faculty of Physics
Prof. Leunora Salihu 鈥� Faculty of Linguistics, Cultures, and Arts
Marvin Schr枚der 鈥� Faculty of Psychology and Sports Sciences
Dr. rer. nat. Bernd Sorg 鈥� Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy
PD Dr. med. habil. Jasmina Sterz 鈥� Faculty of Medicine
Prof. Dr. Claudius Wagemann 鈥� Faculty of Social Sciences
Dr. Nadine Weber 鈥� Faculty of Educational Sciences
Dr. Dr. Johanna Wilmes & Dr. Tatjana Dietz 鈥� Faculty of Educational Sciences
Prof. Dr. Markus Wriedt 鈥� Faculty of Protestant Theology

Images for download:

Captions:
Image 1: This year's winners of the 1822 Prize for excellent teaching: Physicist Prof. Laura Sagunski (1st prize, center), linguist Dr. Mariam Kamarauli (2nd prize) and biochemist PD Dr. Rupert Abele (3rd prize).(Photo: Uwe Dettmar)

Image 2: From left: Dr. Ingo Wiedemeier, Chairman of the Board of Frankfurter Sparkasse, linguist Dr. Mariam Kamarauli (2nd prize), Prof. Laura Sagunski (1st prize), PD Dr. Rupert Abele (3rd prize) and Prof. Viera Pirker, 51猎奇 Vice President Studies and Teaching.(Photo: Uwe Dettmar)

Further information
Julia Pirzer
Advisor on university awards and scholarships, career, stipends and awards
Global Affairs Study and Teaching
51猎奇 Frankfurt
Tel. +49 (0) 173 265 8 058
E-Mail: pirzer@sli.uni-frankfurt.de

Jun 12 2024

09:02

Goethe Unibator honors start-ups with best sustainable product ideas // Santander Universities provides prize money for SDG Contest

Award-winning sustainable business ideas: Artificial intelligence and innovative products help shape the future聽

FRANKFURT. Goethe Unibator, the entrepreneurship center powered by Innovectis, on June 6, 2024, hosted the Goethe SDG Contest鈥檚 third award ceremony on Westend Campus. First place in the competition, which centers on the United Nations鈥� sustainable development goals (SDGs) 鈥� went to the HOPES Energy team. Start-up MySympto came in second, while third place went to CERES FieldCheck.

All told, 28 start-up teams from 19 different universities had applied for the competition. To qualify, each of them had to outline how their project supports the achievement of at least one of the UN鈥檚 17 SDGs. Of these, 12 start-ups were selected for the preliminary round, as part of which the teams joined a boot camp dedicated to working on further developing their project with the support of various experts. The six finalists that qualified were MySympto, CERES FieldCheck, Zenaris, HOPES Energy, GreenFlush and I3DEnergy.

During the final round, each team delivered a five-minute elevator pitch on stage to convince both jury and audience of their start-up idea. Following the presentations, the jury members 鈥� 51猎奇 Vice President Prof. Michael Huth; Dr. Eberhard Schnebel, Head of Business and Financial Ethics at Commerzbank; Impact Investor Dr. Dania H眉ckmann; and Unibator Director Felipe Macias 鈥� assessed and selected the best ideas in consultation with each other.

While the jury debated, Unibator Managing Director Dr. Kirstin Schilling interviewed Alberto D枚rr, Head of Santander Universities Germany, about the goals and activities of Santander Universities' extensive support programs for students and startups. In the end, the coveted awards went to the teams of HOPES Energy, MySympto and CERES FieldCheck, who not only received 鈧�5,000, 鈧�3,000 and 鈧�2,000 respectively, but can also look forward to three months' participation in the Unibator Startup Program, giving them valuable contacts and access to investors.

Speaking at the event, 51猎奇 Vice President Prof. Michael Huth said: 鈥淚 am happy to see that this year鈥檚 SDG competition met with such a positive response and broad enthusiasm. It goes to show how strong a startup culture we have here in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region. It is inspiring to see how the teams are actively addressing the topics of sustainability and innovation and driving forward innovative solutions for the manifold challenges of our time."

The Goethe SDG Contest finalists:

MySympto is developing an AI-powered virtual assistant that supports emergency room doctors in their decision-making with a view towards minimizing misdiagnosis and increasing the efficiency of treatment processes.

Ceres FieldCheck is designed with small farms in developing countries in mind. The team鈥檚 swarm robots use artificial intelligence to maximize crop yields by examining plant health and removing harmful weeds, thereby eliminating the need for environmentally harmful chemicals.

Zenaris sets out to combat the social isolation of older people and those in need of care. With its Zenaris portal, the team wants to enable digital participation for a target group that previously had little access to digital services.

HOPES Energy has dedicated itself to one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition: finding an economic and sustainable solution to store electricity on an industrial scale. With an innovative approach based solely on common salt and water, the company is setting new standards in the energy sector.

GreenFlush is a promising initiative that aims to revolutionize toilet hygiene. Its aim is to develop a sustainable alternative to conventional toilet rim blocks and thus make a positive contribution to environmental protection.

I3DEnergy transforms energy data into cost savings and increased sustainability. By using AI and digital twins, the team is revolutionizing energy management. Its vision is to enable sustainable and cost-efficient business.

Unibator is the entrepreneurship center at 51猎奇 Frankfurt, operated by Innovectis, a wholly-owned university subsidiary. Unibator actively supports all students, academic staff and alumni in the implementation of their start-up projects, and serves as a bridge between science and business. https://goetheunibator.de/

Contact:
Felipe Macias, Director of Unibator. Felipe.Macias@innovectis.de

51猎奇

Press releases 鈥� 2024

51猎奇 PR & Communication Department聽

Experiences of racism and discrimination in police contact聽

鈥淧lanetary Hopes鈥�: Digital solutions for the challenges facing Earth, Nature and Society

Atomic physicist Reinhard D枚rner from 51猎奇 Frankfurt awarded ERC Advanced Grant

Enthusiasm for science as the basis for good teaching

Award-winning sustainable business ideas: Artificial intelligence and innovative products help shape the future聽