Cutting-Edge Research on Sustainability
© Volker Lannert/ Uni Bonn

TRA Sustainable Futures: Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Futures

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© Uni Bonn

Sustainability means using resources in a way that the needs of today are met without neglecting or even disregarding the needs of future generations. This raises questions in a wide range of areas: poverty, hunger, food security, demographic change, health, protection of the environment, climate change and the responsible use of resources pose a global challenge for us all. To achieve progress with regards to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, our researchers apply an interdisciplinary approach focused on solutions combined with basic research, actively engage in global networks and collaborate with Bonn-based UN organizations.

Research

Research profile, topics and projects from our members 

About us

Organisation of the TRA, network, team

Offers

TRA calls and grants as well as events

Transfer & Outreach

Innovative applications, science communication and the press review

News from the TRA

Notifications

© Image: Bernd Uebbing/University of Bonn
How Much Are the World’s Oceans Warming?
The world’s oceans behave like a thermometer: As the water warms, it expands and sea levels rise. Geodesy researchers at the University of Bonn are able to measure this and determine how much the oceans are warming. For individual ocean basins, their method has revealed significant deviations from model calculations—in some cases in the double-digit percentage range.
Oct 02, 2026
© Photo: Dr. Gustavo Magalhães de Oliveira
How Bolsonaro’s statements destroyed the rainforest
The former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro contributed to deforestation with statements opposing forest conservation. This is shown by an international study led by the University of Bonn. According to this, the destruction of the Amazon rainforest accelerated considerably when Bolsonaro and his ministers posted anti-forest-conservation messages on Twitter. Brazil’s environmental authorities were greatly weakened during Bolsonaro’s term of office. Irrespective of this, the analysis shows that even the perception of a low risk of punishment was a relevant driver of deforestation. The researchers estimate that up to 1,700 square kilometers of forest – almost double the area of Berlin – were destroyed due to the power of words. The results have been published in The Journal of Politics.
Sep 28, 2026
© Image: ESRI World Imagery/Ferro et al. (2026)
Do Grasslands in More Diverse Landscapes Suffer Less from Drought?
During the heatwave of 2018, meadows and pastures also suffered from the drought. Are grasslands in diverse landscapes more resilient to yield losses than those in monotonous regions? Researchers at the University of Bonn led by Marco Ferro and Prof. Dr. Jan Börner from the Institute for Food and Resource Economics (ILR) investigated the influence of landscape diversity on the drought tolerance of grasslands as part of Collaborative Research Center 1502 DETECT.
Sep 24, 2026
© Photo: Jürgen A. Morgenroth / Stifterverband
UNIPRENEURS honors Denise Fischer-Kreer
Prof. Dr. Denise Fischer-Kreer received an award from UNIPRENEURS for her exceptional dedication to spin-offs and entrepreneurship. The professor for Entrepreneurial Behaviour at the Institute of Entrepreneurship, University of Bonn, was honored for her work promoting entrepreneurship within higher education and research in Germany, along with 19 other professors. The award ceremony took place in Berlin.
Sep 23, 2026

Highlights and Announcement

Get Involved in the TRA

© Christina Schiegl

Become a member of TRA Sustainable Futures!

As TRA member, you will have access to TRA funding and opportunities for networking beyond the borders of your own discipline.

Members

The TRA Sustainable Futures currently has more than 220 members whose research is focused on the four priority areas of TRA Sustainable Futures.

Meet our Researchers

Inter- and transdisciplinary research actively pursued at the University of Bonn and is promoted across faculty boundaries. The faces of TRA Sustainable Futures are our Hertz-Chair, our Argelander-Professor and the numerous dedicated scientists.  

© Gregor Hübl/Uni Bonn

Transdisciplinary Research on Climate Change and Health

Prof. Dr. Ina Danquah

Hertz-Chair "Innovation for Planetary Health"
Research professorship in the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Sustainable Futures" of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

© Gregor Hübl/Universität Bonn

Collective Action for Sustainable Development

Jun.-Prof. Dr. Wolfram Barfuss

Argelander-Professorship "Integrated System Modelling for Sustainability Transitions" 
Research professorship in the Transdisciplinary Research Area "Sustainable Futures" of the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn.

Contact

Avatar Zimmermann

Hanna Zimmermann

+49 228 73 54469

TRA Manager | Strategic Development and Quality Assurance Unit

Dechenstraße 3-11

53115 Bonn

© Jürgen Hofmann

Further information

The TRAs

In the TRAs top researchers work together across faculty boundaries on key academic, scientific, technological and societal issues relevant to our future.

Learn more

Excellence Strategy

We want to create an ideal environment for outstanding researchers that fosters creative scientific work and promote talented researchers at all stages of their careers.

Learn more

Cluster of Excellence

PhenoRob, the only Cluster of Excellence in Germany in agricultural sciences, brings together researchers to investigate how technology can enable sustainable crop production.

Learn more