Press release: Outstanding researchers relocate to Göttingen, Excellence Initiative: University’s no-constraints scheme to attract young scientists proves successful

Nr. 7/2010 - 11.01.2010

Employing funds from the Excellence Initiative, the University of Göttingen is setting up four more junior research groups selected entirely on the basis of the group leaders’ interests and research profile and able to work without thematic restrictions. This ‘free floater’ format is proving successful in gaining the brightest minds in the face of international competition: To direct the groups, the University has been able to attract to Göttingen researchers, one woman and three men, who were previously based in Portugal, Great Britain and the USA. “Our ‘free floater’ concept, unique in Germany, is enabling us to develop new interdisciplinary approaches that expand the University’s research profile, while at the same time offering young researchers an attractive career track”, explains Prof. Dr. Kurt von Figura, President of the University. The no-constraint scheme is being viewed with interest by other universities in Germany. The four new Göttingen ‘free floater’ junior research groups are working on topics in the areas of the behaviour of bio-molecules, the extension of the genetic code, biodiversity, and language acquisition by children. Last year, groups of this kind were established to perform research in the spheres of musicology, the social sciences, German studies and mathematics.