Structural change: research fort he region
The pyramids of Mansfeld Land are a symbol of both the past and the future: The copper shale mining dumps in southern Saxony-Anhalt are the visible result of mining that took place in the region for centuries. The mines were closed in 1990, but the dumps remained. And with them great potential, as geoscientist Dr Ralf Halama explains: “The copper shale itself or the dumps may also contain other metals such as nickel and cobalt. Those critical raw materials are in short supply around the world. Being able to extract them in our own region would be highly advantageous.” Halama is part of a team of researchers examining the economic potential of this idea in detail. At the JTC, 17 innovation teams are working on practical solutions to tackle the challenges facing the four districts of Saxony-Anhalt that are affected by the coal phase-out: Mansfeld-Südharz, Anhalt-Bitterfeld, Burgenlandkreis and Saalekreis.
The topics covered by each team are part of three core areas: social transformation and sustainability research, research on sustainable materials and technologies, and research on legal issues and educational sustainability initiatives. The State of Saxony-Anhalt is providing the university with around 21.5 million euros for the JTC as part of the European Union’s “Just Transition Fund”. The funding notice was presented to the university in April 2024 by Professor Armin Willingmann, State Minister for Research, Energy, Climate Protection and the Environment in Saxony-Anhalt.
Among other things, the JTC is devoted to transferring its research results into business ideas and societal changes. This can be achieved, for example, through spin-offs, cooperatives, collaborations with companies and innovative technologies. MLU’s Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office led by Dr Susanne Hübner is contributing its expertise in this area. In this way, the research aims to help create new impulses for jobs in the region. “The MLU offers the ideal environment for this ambitious project: We have great expertise in the areas of how to launch businesses as well as transferring our research results, as well as in the areas of social sustainability and transformation research. That’s an important unique selling point. If we want to move away from fossil fuels for good, there needs to be dialogue between disciplines – and with society,” says Professor Christian Tietje, a legal scholar who submitted the application for the JTC together with physicist Professor Ralf Wehrspohn and geographer Professor Jonathan Everts.
This is where the JTC’s four regional scouts come into play: They are in constant contact with representatives from the four districts in Saxony-Anhalt. Their job is to reach out to industrial companies in the region and actively build the MLU’s network. For this purpose, the regional scouts are aiming to set up offices in the districts themselves. At the same time, they are looking for suitable spaces in the local area, such as office rooms, that could accommodate the planned projects and thus create new jobs in the region.
The funding runs until 2027, but its effects are expected to be felt for a long time after that: “The JTC represents our commitment to promoting bright minds with good ideas that will provide fresh impetus for sustainable, long-term development here in the Central German mining area,” declared Professor Claudia Becker, Rector of the university, when the funding was granted.
Further information at: https://jtc.uni-halle.de/
Award-winning protein adhesives
The JTC innovation team led by Dr Constanze Zwies (photo) is researching novel protein adhesives. These solutions could replace conventional glue, which is often based on fossil resources such as crude oil. The researchers are now developing synthetic alternatives based on proteins produced by molluscs, which are likely to be more sustainable and healthier. For her doctorate on exactly this topic in July 2024, Zwies won one of three Transfer Prizes awarded by the university together with the City of Halle and Stadtwerke Halle GmbH