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Patients with limited hand function are soon set to benefit from an intelligent neuro-orthosis that will enable them to lead independent lives again. Prof. Dr. Alessandro Del Vecchio, a neuroscientist at FAU, is working on this aim in two new projects and has received over 1.3 million euros of funding from the Free State of Bavaria.

Thanks to him there is an effective vaccination against cervical cancer: FAU research alumnus Prof. Dr. Harold zur Hausen. In an interview, the virologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine explains, among other things, how he laid the foundations for research on HP viruses at FAU, what still connects him with FAU and what has changed for him as a result of the Nobel Prize.

Construction of a new building for a North Bavarian High-Performance Computing Center at FAU is about to start. Science minister Markus Blume has approved the planning application of the high-tech project that will cost around 260 million euros.

Teachers must be able to include digital teaching and learning activities during their lessons to be able to teach digital skills. This is being addressed in a collaborative project involving FAU, which is being funded from June 2023 to December 2025 with around 6.3 million euros from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

FAU is not only one of the most innovative universities in Germany, but also ranks first place in this area in terms of sustainability. This has been confirmed in the latest THE Impact Ranking. In Germany, FAU scores top in the “Good health and well-being” category. In addition, the University is among the top 3 in Germany in the “Affordable and clean energy” and “Sustainable cities and communities” categories.

Artificial hands, even the most sophisticated prostheses, are still by far inferior to human hands. What they lack are the tactile abilities crucial for dexterity. Other challenges include linking sensing to action within the robotic system – and effectively linking it to the human user. Prof. Dr. Philipp Beckerle from the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) has joined with international colleagues to summarize the latest findings in this field of Robotics – and establishing an agenda for future research.

Functional nanomaterials could soon control the activity of neurons in the brain. By using this minimally invasive method, Prof Dr. Danijela Gregurec hopes to revolutionize the treatment of neurological disorders such as depression, panic attacks, epilepsy or Alzheimer’s. In conjunction with researchers from Italy, Spain, the UK, and Finland, FAU chemist Gregurec has launched the BRAINSTORM project, which has received 3 million euros of funding from the EU, 740,000 euros of which have been awarded to FAU.

“FAU mourns the loss of an outstanding researcher who had a decisive influence on virological research at our university,” remarked FAU President, Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger, on the news of Harald zur Hausen's death. The Nobel laureate died on Sunday at the age of 87.

There are around 270 degree programs to choose from at FAU, and eight brand new programs are starting in winter semester 2023/24. These programs include Autonomy Technologies, Law and Computer Science as well as a completely revised Book Studies degree program, which is now called Textual Studies and Digital Transformation.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is extending funding for a collaborative research center (CRC) or transregio (TRR), for which FAU is a co-applicant. The researchers will receive a further three million euros in funding over the next four years.