“This decision is a key distinction for the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar," says university President Prof. Dr. Winfried Speitkamp. “It moves our university into a new league. Our acceptance into the DFG is a major validation of our work so far and comes with an obligation to continue our efforts to strengthen and expand our research profile. I especially want to thank my predecessor, former President (Rector) Prof. Dr. Karl Beucke and the former Prorector of Research and Art, Prof. Dr. Andrea Osburg. Both initiated the application procedure for DFG membership and contributed to its success."
According to the DFG statutes, only universities deemed to be “research institutions of general importance” are eligible for membership. Independent research must therefore be one of the fundamental tasks of the institution and should have a significant weight in relation to other activities. According to the DFG's General Assembly, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar meets these requirements and is thus a “research institution with special status”.
Two internationally recognised and renowned research fields of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar are “Cultural Scientific Media Research” and “Digital Engineering”. In recent years, large externally funded projects have been introduced, such as the Käte Hamburger Kolleg project titled “Internationales Kolleg für Kulturtechnikforschung und Medienphilosophie” (International College for Cultural Technology Research and Media Philosophy, or IKKM) and the research building “Digital Bauhaus Lab” (DBL). In addition, development continues in the research field “Planen.Bauen.Erben.” (Planning.Building.Heritage.), where the DFG research training group "Identity and Heritage" is located. Another area of research at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar that attracts considerable external funding is "Materials and Construction".
In order to systematically improve its research efforts, the university has expanded the infrastructure within the University Directorate in recent years. This has strengthened the Research Operations Office and established the Bauhaus Research School as an umbrella organisation for doctoral students. In the department, research projects and academic careers are comprehensively tracked and promoted. One successful incentives system for research funding is the start-up fund for large, coordinated external funding proposals established nine years ago. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar has managed to significantly increase its external funding in recent years. Funding rose by more than seventy percent from 2008 to 2016.
About the DFG
The German Research Foundation (DFG) supports scientific pursuits in all areas by providing financial support for research and by promoting national and international cooperations between researchers. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is the 96th DFG Member. The DFG includes members from 70 universities, 14 of them in the new federal states (former East Germany). The last new member of the DFG was the Foundation Preußischer Kulturbesitz admitted in 2011.
www.dfg.de
For further information please contact Dr. Kristina Schönherr, head of the Research Operations Office:
Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Research Operations Office
Director Kristina Schönherr
phone: +49 (0) 36 43 / 58 25 31
e-mail: kristina.schoenherr@uni-weimar.de
www.uni-weimar.de/de/universitaet/forschung-und-kunst