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Ein perfektes Mittsommerwochenende: Bei bestem Wetter amüsierten sich am Samstag mehr als 6.000 Gäste beim 67. Schlossgartenfest der FAU. Es wurde getanzt, gelacht, gegessen und getrunken – dieses Jahr unter dem FAU-Jahresmotto „#FAUgemeinsam“.

Researchers from five Bavarian universities have been working in the research network “Solar Technologies Go Hybrid (SolTech)” since 2012 on new concepts for transforming solar energy into electricity. The Free State of Bavaria recently awarded the consortium a further 1.7 million euros in funding. In our interview, Prof. Dr. Dirk Guldi explains what the consortium has already achieved and where the focus will lie in the coming years.

The forecast anticipates sunshine and pleasant summer warmth - without precipitation. FAU's Schlossgartenfest will take place on June 24! Tickets also available at the box office.

We spoke with ZIWIS Director Michael Jungert about the significance and relevance of the applied philosophy of science and about what is known as the Erlangen model.   

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.