Offers of the TRA Sustainable Futures
TRA Sustainable Futures offers its members various opportunities for funding and networking:
- Lecture Series "Innovation Pathways to Sustainability"
- Funding opportunities
- Funded projects
- Newsletter
"Innovation Pathways to Sustainability"
Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series
With the Lecture Series, TRA Sustainable Futures aims to initiate an exchange with high-profile and internationally visible scientists working in academia or at the science-policy interface.
Learn more about upcoming lectures, registration, and watch videos of past lectures.
Funding
Call for Postdoctoral Researchers 2023
We are announcing the Call for Postdoctoral Researchers 2023 for our members. The innovative and cross-disciplinary nature of the proposal is the most important requirement for funding. Successful proposals can be funded with up to 40.000 €. The proposal must cover a new initiative, as continuation or expansion of ongoing projects will not be funded.
Application deadline is September 13, 2023.
Open Call
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 and will be accepted at any time.
Previously funded projects
Call: Current Call
Type of funding: Seed funding
Contact: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kusche (Agricultural Faculty)
Call: Current Call
Type of funding: Seed funding
Contact: Prof. Andreas Meyer / Prof. Lukas Schreiber (Agricultural Faculty)
Call: Current Call
Type of funding: Seed funding
Contact: Prof. Chris McCool (Agricultural Faculty) / Prof. Maren Bennewitz (Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences)
Call: Current Call
Type of funding: Seed funding
Contact: Prof. Anna-Katharina Hornidge (Faculty of Arts/DIE) /Dr. Michael Brüntrup (DIE) / Prof. Detlef Müller-Mahn (Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences) / Dr. Patrick Augenstein (Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences) / Dr. Alisher Mirzabaev (Center for Development Research) / Dr. Nicolas Gerber (Center for Development Research)
Call: Sustainability implications of the COVID-19 pandemic
Type of funding: Seed funding
Contact: Prof. Detlef Müller-Mahn (Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences) / Dr. Girma Kelboro Mensuro (Center for Development Research)
Call: Sustainability implications of the COVID-19 pandemic
Type of funding: Seed funding
Contact: Nawaphan Metchanun / Prof. Christian Borgemeister (Center for Development Research)
Award of the Klaus Töpfer Research Prize 2022
During our general meeting on July 12, 2022, Dr. Melanie Braun from INRES was awarded the Klaus Töpfer Research Prize 2022. Her project idea "Colloidal and Nanoplastics in Soil" prevailed over strong competition in a multi-stage review process. With the help of the prize money of €50,000, Melanie Braun now wants to develop an analytical method that can be used to quantify the smallest plastic particles in soil.
Prof. Dr. Joachim von Braun said at the award ceremony: "Melanie Braun's project fits perfectly with our focus on modeling, foresight and risk assessment capacity, as it provides for the first time data on soil pollution by nanoplastics that can later be used for forecasting and other purposes."
Dr. Klaus Töpfer (on the left in the picture) took the journey to Bonn for the first presentation of the award that bears his name and used his speaking time to emphasize, among other things: "In the question of how we can still feed the growing world population in the future, research on soil is immensely important."
In her acceptance speech, Dr. Braun explained the motivation behind the project idea: "There has been evidence that soils receive plastic input, mainly by agricultural practices like application of sewage sludge and compost as well as irrigation. As soils are one of the most important bases of our food production, there is an urgent need to investigate the prevalence of colloidal and nano-sized plastics in soil, to adequately safeguard worlds food production."
