Our Concept
Microbiomes, consisting of complex communities of microorganisms in diverse environments, are fundamental to ecosystem dynamics, influencing everything from human health to environmental stability.
Our research utilizes advanced omics and (bio)photonic technologies to explore these communities in settings ranging from soils and oceans to host-associated systems. By studying microbial interactions, we aim to understand and maintain essential microbial balance.
Our cross-system approach integrates insights across ecological and medical fields, uncovering universal principles of microbial balance and resilience. This holistic perspective, which we term the 'microverse', connects local and global microbiomes, providing groundbreaking insights into ecological balance and the factors that disrupt or sustain it.
Discover the Microverse Cluster in our image film:
Our missions are
- Enhancing Understanding of Microbial Balance: Our first mission is to enhance our understanding of microbial balance across molecular and ecosystem levels, revealing the intricate web of interactions that sustain life on Earth.
- Shaping Microbiome Dynamics for Positive Outcomes: Our second mission is to innovate and utilize new tools and detection technologies to strategically shape microbiome dynamics for beneficial outcomes in environmental and human health.
Jena Hub for Microbiology Research
The Microverse Cluster at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena unites leading institutes and partners to research microbial communities and their interactions in various ecosystems and the human body. These institutions collaborate to advance research in chemical ecology, biogeochemistry, photonic technology, and infection biology, with the goal of developing innovative solutions for agriculture, environmental protection, and healthcare.
Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Maintaining traditions and shaping the future – these are the fundamental aims of research and teaching at Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU), one of Germany’s most historic universities. Since 1558, FSU has established Jena as an international academic hub. Today, it is the largest higher education institution and the only comprehensive university in Thuringia, attracting students and scientists worldwide.
FSU's interdisciplinary research profile is built on the triad LIGHT - LIFE - LIBERTY, reflecting tradition and future development through close collaborations within the University and with non-university research institutes.
Five university faculties are involved in the Microverse Cluster.
Participating Institutions
The only university hospital in Thuringia has a longstanding tradition as medical and teaching hospital. Today, with more than 4900 employees the university hospital is one of the largest employers in the region. Its 26 clinical centers and 25 institutes provide care for 53,000 in- and 275,000 outpatients per year, as well as teaching for 2,500 students of medicine, dentistry, molecular medicine and medical photonics. At Jena University Hospital, scientists work both in the field of fundamental biomedical research and in patient-related clinical Research.
Microbial natural products serving as mediators of biological communication are essential for our lives. They do, however, play an ambivalent role: on the one hand, they contribute to the generation of many infectious diseases; on the other hand, they belong to the most important sources provided in drugs such as antibiotics.
Researchers at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) – in Jena investigate the communication between microorganisms to be able to make use of the acquired know-how to develop innovative components for the diagnosis and therapy of diseases. By means of implementing those research results and the derived models thereof, the HKI contributes to the development of the systems biology of an infection.
Photonics, the key light-based technology of the 21st century, is at the center of the research activities at the Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology’s in Jena. In line with its motto "Photonics for Life", the scientists at IPHT are investigating photonic and biophotonic processes and systems to address issues in the fields of medicine and the life and environmental sciences. The insights gained from research are converted into application-oriented procedures, instrumental concepts, and laboratory samples. With this orientation, the institute contributes to the solution of pressing issues in our society, such as in health, energy, and the environment. The IPHT is involved in research and development at the interface of three focal points in research: fiber optics, photonic detection, and biophotonics. New photonic processes are being developed and transferred into innovative application-oriented Systems.
The Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI) is the first national research institute in Germany focusing on biomedical research on human aging, a multifactorial process controlled by environmental and genetic factors.
The Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena investigates the role, diversity and characteristics of chemical signals which control the interactions between organisms and their environment. Scientists from the fields of ecology, biochemistry, organic chemistry, entomology, ethology, and insect physiology work together in order to understand the complex system of chemical communication. Their research focuses on the co-evolution of plants and insects. The fact that plants usually spend their entire lives in one place forces them to use effective strategies to guarantee that their offspring are spread and also to protect themselves against pests and diseases. To this effect, plants have developed a wide range of chemical signalling compounds that enable them to optimize their adaptation to their respective environments. These so-called allelochemicals are used to, among other things, attract pollinators, fend off herbivores and pests, fight diseases and keep unwelcome competitors away. Plants also synthesize mixtures of many organic substances that have a deterrent or toxic effect on herbivores. As a countermeasure, insects that feed on plants adapt accordingly and, for their part, try to overcome plant defenses.
The Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena conducts research into global material cycles and the associated chemical and physical processes. Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen are four elements that are crucial to life whose compounds are transported by plants, animals and microorganisms and distributed via the air and water. The researchers seek to gain a better understanding of the complex interaction between the organisms in the soil and the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, as well as the influence of humans on these natural processes. How do ecosystems react to various climate conditions, land-use practice and species diversity? To this effect, the scientists compare historical data with current observations from field experiments and measurement campaigns in order to draw conclusions on the future adaptability of organisms. They also work closely with the Max Planck Institutes for Meteorology in Hamburg and Chemistry in Mainz.
A defining challenge of future science is to integrate the findings of different disciplines on the pressing human issues of climate change, biodiversity crisis, overexploitation of natural resources, and the sustainable persistence of human communities. It is at the intersection of these issues that the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology comes in. Through model-based and interpretive approaches, the institute examines the fundamental dynamics and dilemmas that have brought about the multiple crises of the "Anthropocene," humanity's proposed geological epoch, and explores their mutual conditions.
The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology brings together scientists from diverse backgrounds (natural sciences and humanities) with the aim of investigating the history of humankind from an interdisciplinary perspective using comparative analyses of genes, cultures, cognitive abilities, languages and social systems of past and present human populations, as well as those of primates closely related to humans.
The main focus of research at the Institute of Data Science in Jena is on data management, analysis and processing of large and heterogeneous data. Furthermore, research is being conducted on topics such as IT security, smart systems (Industry 4.0) and Citizen Science. The work complements established research areas at the DLR institutes and extends DLR's core competences. In line with the thematic focus of the institute, four departments are to be established, which are supported by six DLR internal working groups during the build-up phase. The Institute for Data Science is based on a solid internal network with DLR institutes and will contribute in close cooperation with regional research and industry partners to solutions for the complex challenges of the topics Big Data, IT Security, Citizen Science and Smart Systems.
The Fraunhofer IOF conducts application-oriented research in the field of optical systems engineering on behalf of its clients in industry and within publicly-funded collaborative projects. The field of optical system engineering enables the step from specific optical, mechanical and electronic components to optical, opto-mechanical and opto-electronic modules and systems with complex functionalities. The objective is to control light, from its generation to its application. In this context, the sustainable energy-efficient use of light – "Green Photonics" – plays a special role for the Fraunhofer IOF
The Fraunhofer IOF provides the entire process chain, starting from system design to manufacture of prototype optical, opto-mechanical and opto-electronic Systems.