The 2015 award winner is a cross-state team of scientists from the University of Bremen, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre in Kiel and the Leibniz Institute Senckenberg am Meer in the German city of Wilhelmshaven, which is investigating the impact of environmental changes on the ecosystems of cold-water corals. “Marine and climate research and green energy are increasingly becoming unique selling points in the German research community,” commented Science Minister Kristin Alheit during the awards ceremony in Kiel. \u201eThe North is a key player in this process.”<\/p>\n\n
She emphasised the importance of cross-state research cooperation during the award ceremony for the 2015 North German Science Award. \u201eThe award winners impressively demonstrate \u2013 as do the projects submitted \u2013 that they are making great progress towards establishing a well-coordinated division of labour across federal state borders.” Alheit also emphasised that the northern regions are reorganising and improving their competitiveness, particularly in the areas of climate and environmental research.<\/p>\n\n
The award has been organised since 2012 by the federal states of Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein. This year, the prize money was doubled from \u20ac50,000 to \u20ac100,000 by mutual agreement.<\/p>\n\n
The award recognises excellent, cross-state scientific collaborations that contribute to shaping the research scene in Northern Germany. The prize money may be used freely within the scope of the responsibilities of universities and research institutions. This year, the focus is on projects in the area of climate and environmental research. Eight research projects took part in total, and in the final round, the winners won out over the GENUS project, which is investigating the Benguela upwelling area near south-west Africa, one of the four major upwelling areas in the oceans.<\/p>\n\n
Eight research projects took part in total, and in the final round, the winners won out over the GENUS project, which is investigating the Benguela upwelling area near south-west Africa, one of the four major upwelling areas in the oceans. In 2015, 8 teams applied for the award. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania will host the award ceremony next year. The focus is on the humanities.<\/p>\n\n