DFG Research Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) funded for another three years

In response to global biodiversity change, the Leipzig-based iDiv has developed the new research direction of integrative biodiversity research since 2012. This combines approaches from the molecular to the ecosystem level, experiments and theory building as well as natural and social sciences. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the DFG's main committee has now also decided to approve a third funding phase with around 11.5 million euros annually until 2024.

Prof. Dr. Christian Wirth: "The DFG's decision is an overwhelming vote of confidence. We will use the funding to further intensify our work. Our planet is becoming increasingly impoverished. Every day, species are irretrievably lost. We are working under time pressure on strategies for protecting and managing biodiversity. We are grateful to have the full support of the DFG for this important task, as well as that of our partners in the three central German states." As former director and current spokesperson of iDiv, Prof. Wirth has made a decisive contribution to the establishment and success of the iDiv Center.

At the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI-BGC), Max Planck Fellow Prof. Christian Wirth and his research group operate the world's most comprehensive database on global plant traits (TRY). Several MPI-BGC scientists are also full members of the iDiv center and conduct interdisciplinary research on joint projects.

iDiv is supported by the three applicant universities, the University of Leipzig, Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. In addition, the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research, four Leibniz Institutes, and three Max Planck Institutes, including the MPI-BGC, are involved as non-university partners.