News

Research without borders in the European University Alliance Arqus

International cooperation strengthens cutting-edge research, the results of which benefit us all. As part of the European University Alliance Arqus, researchers from the University of Graz are collaborating with colleagues from eight other universities on current topics and societal challenges. Two new projects have just started. The group led by Sandro Keller, Professor of Biophysics, is studying the mechanisms of cell communication as a prerequisite for the development of new, more effective drugs. Christine Schwanecke, Professor of English Literature and Cultural Studies and Director of the Centre for Cultural Studies, and her colleague Lisa Schantl are investigating the special features of contemporary English-language poetry by authors who grew up speaking another language – as an example of how language can overcome the divisions between different cultures.

Teamwork as a Recipe for Success: 20 years NAWI Graz

TU Graz and the University of Graz have been working together very successfully in natural science research and teaching since 2004. With groundbreaking projects such as the Graz Center of Physics and the proposed NAWI Graz Geo Center, this path will continue to be rigorously pursued.

Bees under observation: University of Graz provides unprecedented insights into the hive

What is going on in the combs? How many eggs is the queen laying? How much honey is there? Autonomous robots and AI algorithms provide important data and high-resolution real-time images from inside a beehive. "As part of an international team, we have developed a game-changer technology for a new type of digitalised behavioural research," reports biologist Thomas Schmickl from the Artifical Life Lab at the University of Graz. The publication, which has just appeared as the cover story in the journal "Science Robotics", describes the wealth of information that can be obtained from this unique research facility.

Cell division as a Rubik's Cube: how a viable organism emerges from random disorder

Whether fly, mouse or human: the development of an organism from a single cell is one of the most astonishing phenomena in nature. Many different processes overlap, some of which are chaotic. A research team led by scientists from the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands, the Institute of Science and Technology Austria and the University of Graz investigated the early stages of cell division in mammals. They were able to show that – like a Rubik's cube – a precisely assembled complex emerges from random disorder. The results of their work were published in Science.

Excellent and climate-friendly: University of Graz presents Green Academia Award 2024

How can outstanding academic achievements and sustainable mobility be successfully combined when travelling on business? The philosophers of the University of Graz show how. For achieving these combined goals, the discipline received the first prize in the Green Academia Award 2024, endowed with 50,000 euros. Earth Sciences came in second place, with a prize of 20,000 euros. Third place, with 10,000 euros, went to Environmental Systems Sciences. The award ceremony took place as part of the Sustainability Day.

Strong research impetus: 16 million euros for Circular Bioengineering Excellence Cluster

The Cluster of Excellence Circular Bioengineering has today received a grant of 16 million euros from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). This funding will support research into environmentally friendly bioprocesses and sustainable materials based on renewable raw materials over the next five years. This will provide significant impetus for the transition to a circular bioeconomy. Around 100 researchers from the University of Graz, Graz University of Technology, the University of Vienna and Vienna University of Technology are working together on an interdisciplinary basis under the leadership of BOKU University in the project, which has a total volume of 27 million euros.

Researchers use AI to calculate the surface structures of bacteria, archaea and viruses

Bacteria, archaea and viruses protect themselves from external attacks with an envelope of proteins. These surfaces show complex, regular, symmetrical structures. A team led by Tea Pavkov-Keller at the University of Graz has developed a method with which the structure of the envelope of bacteria, archaea and viruses can be reliably predicted down to the smallest detail with the help of artificial intelligence. This saves an enormous amount of time and effort in the laboratory. The new method, called "SymProFold", is presented for the first time in the journal Nature Communications.

New findings provide basis for innovative material development

If we strive for ever thinner materials, we eventually reach the two-dimensional (2D) limit, where the material is only a few atoms or even just one atom thin. These materials acquire unique mechanical, electronic and optical properties that hold great potential for innovative technologies, for example for energy conversion and storage. Physicists from the University of Graz and Forschungszentrum Jülich have now achieved a breakthrough in the development and characterisation of so-called 2D-MOFs, a special type of two-dimensional material. The scientists published their results in the renowned journals ACS Nano and Advanced Science.

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Arqus Teaching Excellence Award for Sabine Bergner

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On the 180th anniversary of Ludwig Boltzmann's birth: Physics building receives award

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Spatenstich für das „Graz Center of Physics“: Spitzenforschung wird sichtbarer

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Research for healthy aging: FWF funds Cluster of Excellence "MetAGE" with 18 million euros

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