Offers
The TRA Sustainable Futures aims to support and promote inter- and transdisciplinary research. To achieve this goal, TRA has developed various offerings: Funding programs such as the Open Call, research awards, and thematic calls for proposals support new and innovative research ideas from researchers at various stages of their careers. The scientific exchange with experts outside the University of Bonn is facilitated through the Lecture Series "Innovation Pathways to Sustainability." Networking events, such as subject-specific workshops or the general assembly, provide TRA members with opportunities to exchange ideas and establish connections.
With its Open Call, the TRA Sustainable Futures offers start-up funding for innovative, transdisciplinary research projects or other measures that have a clear connection to the TRA's objectives and topics. In addition, there are thematic or target group-specific calls, which are advertised here on this page.
Funding is available for example for travel expenses, workshops and personnel costs. If you have any questions about funding opportunities, please contact the TRA Management (tra6@uni-bonn.de).
The TRA Sustainable Futures has supported more than 30 project ideas and projects to date. Some examples of the projects can be found here.
Open Call 2026
Members of the TRA Sustainable Futures can apply for funding for projects which work towards the aims of the TRA and which focus on topics covered by the TRA. Applications must be made by consortia including representatives of at least two faculties at the University of Bonn or one faculty and a strategic non-university partner.
Application deadline is March 6, 2026.
The funding decisions are expected to be announced at the end of April 2026.
Approved funds must be spent in the 2026 financial year.
Lecture Series
PILS - Public Interdisciplinary Lecture Series
The Public Interdisciplinary Lecture Series (PILS) is a joint Lecture Series of the Cluster of Excellence PhenoRob and the TRA Sustainable Futures. It has an explicit focus on teaching. It is a series of lectures of up to 30 minutes explaining key concepts to people from other fields.
Past lectures:
- 25.10.2024, 10 a.m.: Prof. Ina Danquah "Establishing cohort studies in the Global South: Experiences from Ghana"
- 13.12.2024, 10 a.m.: Prof. Ute Nöthlings "The Concept of Sustainable Diets in Nutrition Studies"
- 31.01.2025, 10 a.m.: Dr. Melanie Braun "Plastics in soil: analytical methods and data availability"
- 21.03.2025, 10 a.m.: Dr. Timo Falkenberg "Therapeutic Landscapes a concept for Planetary Health"
- 06.06.2025, 10 a.m.: Prof. Dr. Aimee van Wynsberghe “Sustainable AI and the next wave of AI ethics”
Upcoming PILS-Lectures:
- 27.03.2026, 10 a.m.: Prof. Dr. Anna Cord “Why the landscape matters: Opportunities and challenges for agroecosystem research”
- 19.06.2026, 10 a.m.: Prof. Dr. Nico Mutters - The topic will be announced soon.
- 05.12.2025, 10 a.m.: Prof. Dr. Thomas Hartinger “Harnessing Microbial Enzymes for Sustainable Food Production from Grassland” - failed due to technical reasons - A new date will be announced.
Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series "Innovation Pathways to Sustainability"
With the lecture series, the TRA Sustainable Futures aims to initiate an exchange with high-calibre and internationally visible scientists working in academia or at the interface between science and politics.
Networking Event : Sustainability for Life, Health and Planet
The Transdisciplinary Research Areas “Sustainable Futures” and “Life and Health” hosted the joint networking event "Sustainability for Life, Health and Planet" on October 7, 2025.
Following a joint visit to the exhibition "What the health?" at the Museum Koenig in Bonn, the two TRAs invited participants to continue networking at the IMPULSE venue.
In addition to short keynote talks by Prof. Ina Danquah and Prof. Nicolas Gompel, all participants had the opportunity to introduce themselves in a one-minute flash talk using one slide or an object.
Summer School: "Digital Innovation in Nutritional Epidemiology"
August 25-29, 2025
Hertz-Chair Prof. Ina Danquah, Director at the Center for Development Research (ZEF) and Head of ZEF's Research Division of Nutrition and Planetary Health (HEALTH), and her team hosted a Summer School at the University of Bonn. The Summer School linked up the themes covered in various collaborative HEALTH projects. Around 25 international PhD students participated.
Workshop: Change Agents for Sustainable Transitions
May 5, 2025
The TRAs Individuals and Societies and Sustainable Futures hosted a workshop for (Post)doctoral researchers at the University of Bonn on the question "How can Individuals, Societies, Institutions, Technologies, and Innovations bring knowledge
into action?" Researchers hat the opportunity to expand their network, learn about funding opportunities and receive feedback in order to deepen their transdisciplinary work.
Science Festival 2024
July 7, 2024
TRA Sustainable Futures took part in this year's Science Festival at the University of Bonn. At the event, the university's Transdisciplinary Research Areas were in the spotlight and presented their work with a science rally for all ages. Interested members of the public were able to experience the benefits and results of transdisciplinary research first hand. Together with the COPLANT study and the Klein-Altendorf sustainability campus, TRA Sustainable Futures gave visitors an insight into what it means to conduct research for a sustainable future.
TRAnsDigital: Digitization of research in the Social Sciences and Humanities
April 26, 2024
The workshop adressed the question what potentials and challenges are associated with the digitalization of research in the Humanities and Social Sciences (including Economics).
In addition to the exchange of knowledge and best-practice experiences in workshop sessions on various cross-disciplinary fields of application, the workshop offered the opportunity to make interesting contacts across disciplines and TRAs.
"The Role of Nutrition in Planetary Health"
March 19, 2024
Food systems play an important role in achieving healthy environments, human health, and the health of all living creatures on our planet. This scientific symposium will launch the research concept of the Hertz-Chair “Innovation for Planetary Health” and will provide a platform for interdisciplinary discourse to strive technology and innovation for sustainable futures at the University of Bonn and beyond.
General Assembly November 2025
On November 25, 2025, the TRA Sustainable Futures general meeting took place at IMPULSE – House for Intellectual Innovation and Creativity.
The spokespersons for TRA Sustainable Futures, Prof. Dr. Jan Börner and Prof. Dr. Ute Nöthlings, gave an overview of TRA's activities since the last meeting and presented an outlook for the coming year. The members voted on both the 2026 budget plan and the postponement of the elections.
An important item on the agenda was the presentation and discussion of the current status of the TRA 2.0 concept by the Vice President for Research and Career Development, Prof. Dr. Ilona Grunwald. This was followed by small group discussions on various aspects of the TRA 2.0 concept and its significance for TRA Sustainable Futures.
General Assembly December 2024
On December 12, the General Assembly of the TRA Sustainable Futures took place digitally via Zoom. The speakers, Prof. Ute Nöthling and Prof. Jan Börner, provided an overview of the TRA's activities since the last assembly and guided the participants through the voting process.
One agenda item was the election of Prof. Nico Mutters as a new member of the Steering Committee. Additionally, the budget for the upcoming year was approved.
The meeting concluded with a presentation by JProf. Wolfram Barfuss titled “Formalizing Proxy Failure Across Disciplines”, which was followed by a lively discussion.
General Assembly June 2024
The TRA Sustainable Futures general assembly took place on 20 June, 2024. TRA spokesperson Prof. Jan Börner hosted the event, which began with a report on TRA's activities since the last general meeting and an outlook on upcoming events.
This was followed by a discussion of the TRA's strategic development. The planned changes are the result of a year-long process, which lead to the goals of achieving a new thematic focus and sharpening the TRA’s research profile. Going forward, the TRA is to be called “Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Futures”. Additionally, the TRA's key topics are to be adapted. Instead of the previous five, the focus will now be on four thematic areas. Two of these, “Agriculture, Climate, and Ecosystems” and “Sustainable Healthy Diets”, are fields of application, while “Transformative Technologies” and “Societal Change and Innovation” are cross-cutting topics. This realignment was unanimously approved by the general assembly along with other amendments to the statute.
Finally, Prof. Julian Klaus was also unanimously elected as a new member of the TRA Steering Committee. He succeeds Prof. Mariele Evers, who ended her membership of the steering committee at the end of the winter semester.
The official part of the meeting was followed by presentations by Prof. Walter Bruchhausen and Dr. Stefan Partelow on the role of transdisciplinarity in various scientific fields, which were discussed afterwards.
General Assembly June 2023
The semi-annual General Assembly of TRA Sustainable Futures took place on 11 July 2023. After the welcome by the spokespersons of TRA Sustainable Futures Prof. Dr. Ute Nöthlings and Prof. Dr. Jan Börner and a short report on the activities of TRA, the recently newly elected Argelander Professor Wolfram Barfuss was introduced.
In the interactive poster session that followed, members were able to gain an insight into some of the research projects funded by TRA Sustainable Futures and also take advantage of the opportunity for exchange and networking.
General Assembly June 2023
The semi-annual General Assembly of TRA Sustainable Futures took place on 11 July 2023. After the welcome by the spokespersons of TRA Sustainable Futures Prof. Dr. Ute Nöthlings and Prof. Dr. Jan Börner and a short report on the activities of TRA, the recently newly elected Argelander Professor Wolfram Barfuss was introduced.
In the interactive poster session that followed, members were able to gain an insight into some of the research projects funded by TRA Sustainable Futures and also take advantage of the opportunity for exchange and networking.
General Assembly December 2022
On December 15th 2022, the members of TRA Sustainable Futures met again to exchange ideas and to decide on important directions for 2023. With broad approval, changes in the administrative structure were voted for. We congratulate the new TRA speaker Prof. Ute Nöthlings and the re-elected TRA speaker Prof. Jan Börner. Our thanks go to the now former speaker Prof. Joachim von Braun and Prof. Gabriel Schaaf, who left the Steering Committee of TRA Sustainable Futures.
In the main plenary, overviews of TRA's development and reports on funded projects were presented. In addition, members were able to actively discuss with each other in three open barcamp groups. The diverse topics were suggested by members themselves. They were about possible applications of infrared sensors in measuring activity of animal live stock, which help to make decisions for more animal welfare. Another group addressed the rights of future generations and the ethical question of the duty not to leave irreversible damage to the environment with current decisions and actions, especially due to climate change and biodiversity loss. The third barcamp addressed the implications of COP27 (Climate Change Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, November 2022) for the TRA Sustainable Futures research agenda, including centrally the question: what interdisciplinary research is currently essential to enable a sustainable future through innovation and technology?
A new edition of the newsletter is currently being planned.
In the meantime, past newsletters can be viewed here.