What can we as Goethe University Frankfurt contribute to society’s development in the 21st century? To more sustainability and justice in an increasingly digital world?
How can we apply our skills and make use of our potential in such a way that people, society and the environment – locally and worldwide – have a future worth living?
Dear reader,
If we as a university take these questions seriously, this must also be clearly recognisable from our research profile. And it is! Our profile – revisited, sharpened and represented by six profile areas – shows our interdisciplinary competencies. They make us fit for the future and enable us to further stimulate our dialogue with society.
Goethe in progress presents these profile areas using some collaborative research projects by way of example. Within a large research network, physicists at Goethe University Frankfurt are exploring why there are heavy elements such as gold in the universe and why black holes are so important for our galaxies. What actually happens inside the human body when the interaction of heart and lungs is thrown off balance? And why are some cancer cells resistant to therapies? Research networks, in which physicians are working together with other natural science experts, are studying these topics. A team of our scientists, colleagues from the Senckenberg – Leibniz Institution for Biodiversity and Earth System Research and representatives from urban society is looking at the consequences of climate change from a scientific, sociological and economic perspective. And two further research initiatives are analysing how, in a time of growing uncertainty, conflicts can be resolved in such a way that trust is preserved or created, and elsewhere how understanding and misunderstanding occur in religious contexts.
Goethe University Frankfurt is, of course, a far lot more than just the insights and outlooks we are giving you in Goethe in progress. After all, innovative research is constantly evolving and raising new questions. Excellent research goes hand in hand with excellent teaching. Wherever researchers engage with each other and with students, creative thinking emerges that makes the university a lasting place of learning and a laboratory for the challenges of the 21st century.
Guiding processes and creating an inspiring environment for this is also the task of the Executive Board. This means that we set high quality standards for ourselves, too. Let’s make Goethe University Frankfurt a place where we exchange scientific ideas, act sustainably and support digital transformation processes in our region, for example in the alliance of Rhine-Main Universities, as well as internationally and interculturally.
Should you be interested in accompanying us along this path, we would be very pleased. Meet us, for example, at one of our many events. Or read about us.
I wish you an inspiring read!
– Prof. Enrico Schleiff
President of Goethe University Frankfurt
