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The former main university building at Fürstengraben 23 will house the new ‘Imaginamics Centre’.

Graphic: OSTERWOLD°SCHMIDT
The former main university building at Fürstengraben 23 will house the new ‘Imaginamics Centre’.

The German Sciene and Humanities Council is funding two new research buildings in Jena: the »Imaginamics Center« at the University of Jena and »SysBrain« at Jena University Hospital. The former University Main Building at Fürstengraben 23 is to be converted into the »Imaginamics Centre«. The federal government will cover half of the costs for this project, amounting to just over 24 million euros, and half of the costs for »SysBrain«, amounting to around 70 million euros. The remaining half of each project will be funded by the State of Thuringia. Construction is due to begin in 2027. Both buildings are expected to be ready for use in 2031.

Portrait of Prof. Dr Johannes Krause.

Image: David Ausserhofer

Prof. Dr Johannes Krause, holder of the Professorship of Archaeogenetics at Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, has been awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.

The German Research Foundation has honoured his pioneering contributions to archaeogenetics and research into historical infectious diseases. The Leibniz Prize, worth 2.5 million euros, is considered the most important scientific award in Germany. The awards ceremony took place on 18 March 2026 in Berlin.

Manja Marz (r.) with Go pro Michael Redmond, holds a symbolic cheque for 300,000 yen..

Image: Alexander Kiel

Prof. Dr Manja Marz, Professor of RNA Bioinformatics and High-Throughput Analysis at the University of Jena, has been crowned the new amateur World Champion in the
asian strategy board game go. The 44-year-old won the title at the »Senko Cup World Amateur Women’s Go Championship« in Tokyo on 13 March. Marz had previously won the German Go championship on several occasions. Manja Marz prevailed against strong opponents from Asia, Europe and the Americas in a field of international
competitors. The prize money of 300,000 yen (approx. 1,640 euros) she plans to invest in special Go boards for the visually impaired. The traditional board game Go is considered one of the most strategically complex games in the world. Go originated in ancient China, where it was already being played more than 4,000 years ago.

Portrait of Prof. Dr Andreas Marx, President of the University of Jena.

Image: Nicole Nerger (University of Jena)

In the nationwide »Rector of the Year 2026« ranking organized by the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers, Prof. Dr Andreas Marx, the President of the University of Jena, placed 5th. More than 90 per cent of
survey participants rated his work positively, and around 80 per cent consider him a very good or ideal candidate for the post of University President. A total of 53 members of the German Association of University Lecturers and Professors submitted their evaluations of Marx.

  • 15.000.000 €

    The Thuringian Water Innovation Cluster (ThWiC) can continue its work: the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space is providing around 15 million euros in funding for the cluster’s second phase over the next three years. This will enable the University of Jena and its partners to further expand their activities in the field of sustainable industrial water management. The aim is to deploy innovative technologies more quickly and thus support the transition to sustainable water management.

    Funding

  • 4

    Researchers from the University of Jena were elected as new members of the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2026: Prof. Dr Birgit Weber (Inorganic Chemistry), Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel (Aquatic Geomicrobiology), Prof. Dr Johannes Grave (Modern Art History) and Prof. Dr Martin Kümmel (Indoeuropean Studies).

    Academy membership

Further reading

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