Franco-German Fellowship Programme on Climate, Energy, and Earth System Research (Make Our Planet Great Again – German Research Initiative, MOPGA-GRI)
The clock is ticking – the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement have made clear what needs to change. But many aspects of the climate change are still unexplored. With the new programme international researchers are now given the opportunity to explore these questions from the fields of climate change, energy transition and earth system research at German universities and research institutions.
Background
The programme, funded by the Federal German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and implemented by the DAAD, traces back to an initiative taken by the French president Emmanuel Macron. With their commitment both countries support the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement which are recognized as an urgent global challenge. The projects are carried out between May 1st, 2018 and December 31st, 2022. In this period the research groups can dispose of a budget of up to 1 Mio. EUR (Junior Researcher) or 1.5 Mio. EUR (Senior Researcher).
The Global Success Story of Knotweed (2022)
- Dr. Christina Richards, group leader of the project Genomics and Epigenomics of Plant Invasion at the University of Tuebingen, attempts to uncover together with her project team, why invasive plant species spread, and is recisiting some fundamental ideas in evalutionary biology.
Why are oceans better at storing carbon than trees? (2022)
The answer to this question is provided by an illustrative article published in the online science magazine The Conversation. Its content is based on a recently published study to which MOPGA-GRI Fellow Dr Gayane Asatryan contributed.
Microorganisms, also known as plankton, are able to store carbon long-term in their calcareous shells. As they die and sink to the seabed their shells are preserved in the sediment. The researchers' surprising finding: Sediment samples dating back millions of years indicate that in the earliest past, an increased sea temperature corresponded with an increased occurrence of seashells. The transition to these mechanisms of increased carbon storage and the transferability to today's climate change are now the subject of further research.
Climate researcher Helmuth Thomas appointed to professorship (2022)
- Congratulations! MOPGA-GRI Fellow Professor Dr Helmuth Thomas has been appointed to a joint professorship in Marine Alkalinity of the Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM) at the University of Oldenburg and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Geesthacht.
MOPGA Mid-Term Conference in Strasbourg (2021)
- impressions and the full recording of both conference days are now available online!
New YouTube channel to the MOPGA web seminar series (2021)
- view all previous seminars!
Exciting insights: MOPGA fellows from Germany and France launch web seminar series (2021/22)
- Over 25 MOPGA fellows created a joint Franco-German web seminar series to talk about their latest research.
- The series starts on September 06th, 2021, and can be streamed live every Monday from 4-5pm (CET/CEST) via zoom. Online registration open now!
- Further information about the program of the web seminar series
- German participation: Dr. Anna Possner, Dr. Henry C. Wu, Dr. Christina Richards, Dr. Matthias Tesche und Dr. Maria Apergi (Scientific Project Leader of Professor Dr. Andreas Goldthau)
How corals can help us understand climate change (2021)
- Dr. Henry C. Wu, group leader of the project “OASIS”, explains in a short video how he makes conclusions about climate change based on tropical corals.
- April 30th, 2021, 9.45am-12.30pm (CEST), virtual
- Topic: Using Earth system science to understand climate change and its impacts: Results of the Franco-German “Make Our Planet Great Again” research initiative and beyond
- Conveners: Sara Todorovic, Dr. Henry C. Wu, Prof. Helmuth Thomas, Dr. Gayane Asatryan, Dr. Emilie Capron
Climate researcher establishes new Helmholtz-Institute (2021)
- MOPGA-GRI fellow Prof. Dr. Helmuth Thomas takes over as head of the new Institute for Carbon Cycles at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in March 2021 (in German).
Fair technology transfer (2020)
- Interview with Professor Dr. Andreas Goldthau: all people worldwide should have access to affordable and clean energy by 2030.
Corals – Witnesses to climate change (2020)
- A report (in German) by MOPGA-GRI Fellow Dr. Henry C. Wu on his project „OASIS“ can be found in the current issue of science magazine „Impact“ published by the Research Alliance of the University of Bremen.
- Topic: Biogeochemistry of coastal seas and continental shelves - including a brief overview of the French-German MOPGA Initiative
- Convener: Dr. Helmuth Thomas
Holes in the parasol (2019)
- Interview with Dr. Anna Possner on occasion of the Environmental Day on 5th of June 2019 (in German).
How much CO2 does the ocean absorb? (2019)
- To learn more about the consequences of climate engineering measures, Dr. Helmuth Thomas from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht studies the sea’s alkalinity.
- To allow international researchers to do top-level research related to the aims of the Paris Climate Agreement at German institutions.
- To contribute to a sustainable networking among the researchers and thus to strengthen international research in the fields of climate change, energy transition and earth system research (French-German conferences and local meetings).
- To support policy makers in their climate-related decisions by providing application-oriented and innovative new research results.
- To give an impulse at an international level for taking on responsibility for global developments which require an instant need for action.
- To strengthen German and French universities and research institutions and to intensify the collaboration between Germany and France in the field of science.
Funded by the BMBF and implemented by the DAAD, the programme “Make Our Planet Great Again – German Research Initiative (MOPGA-GRI)” supports 13 outstanding research projects covering three fields of research: Climate Change, Energy Transition and Earth System Research.
The DAAD is collaborating closely with the BMBF and the project sponsors Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR), Projektträger Jülich (PTJ) und Projektträger Jülich (PTJ) Standort Rostock to implement the programme.
Each project is further elaborated on in the following three fields of research.
Climate research plays an important role in forming social and political awareness of the challenges posed by climate change. Climate data and models provide information on how the earth's ecosystem changes and build the knowledge base for decision-making. Activities in the areas of monitoring, modelling and mitigation are part of the research field ‘climate change’. This includes an improved observation of the Earth system and the attribution of environmental and climate changes, a better understanding of processes, interaction scales, risks and threshold values, an improvement of the modelling of complex Earth systems, data assimilation and predictability, a better understanding and assessment of the extent of future extreme events as well as the mitigation and social impacts.
Dr Anna Possner
Project: Organisation and Cloud-Radiative Properties of Low-Level Mixed-Phase Clouds
Research site: Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences
Clouds, which reside close to the ground are good reflectors of incoming sunlight and trap little heat radiated outward to space. Dr Anna Possner explores how the presence of ice crystals impacts the areal coverage and reflective properties of these clouds and how this affects global warming.
Web site: anna-possner.com
Dr Jed O. Kaplan
Project: Feedbacks between land cover, people, and climate in the seasonally arid tropics (MONSOON)
Research site: Augsburg University, Institute of Geography
The MONSOON project asks the question: How do climate change and human activities combine to influence the risks of environmental and social disruption? Addressing this question is critical if we want to develop strategies to ensure the resilience of people and nature in the face of ongoing climate change.
Dr Matthias Tesche
Project: Particles in Aerosol Cloud Interactions: Stratification, CCN/INP concentrations, and Cloud Lifecycle (PACIFIC)
Research site: Universität Leipzig, Institut für Meteorologie
Atmospheric aerosol particles are of great importance for cloud formation in the atmosphere because they are needed to act as cloud condensation nuclei in liquid-water clouds and as ice nucleating particles in ice-containing clouds. PACIFIC will improve our understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions which are crucial for assessing and improving the performance of climate models.
Web site: research.uni-leipzig.de
Dr Clemens Scheer
Project: Climate change, reactive nitrogen, denitrification and N2O: Identifying sustainable solutions for the globe
Research site: Karlsruhe Instutute of Technology, Institute of Meteorology and Climate Research Atmospheric Environmental Research (IMK-IFU), Garmisch-Partenkirchen
The use of synthetic N fertilizers has grown over the last century, with severe environmental consequences. Dr Clemens Scheer is therefore investigating how a growing world population can be supplied with climate-friendly food.
Web site: mopga.imk-ifu.kit.edu
The focus of the subject area energy research is on solutions for sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply from renewable sources. This includes basic research for the development of new materials for efficient generation, storage and use of renewable energy, highly innovative concepts and technical and digital solutions for a sustainable energy system based on renewable energies, contribution to the development of marketable sustainable solutions and systems analysis and scenario development for the energy transition considering the global economic, social and ecological consequences and challenges.
Dr Michael Zürch
Project: Quantifying Ultrafast non-Equilibrium dynamicS in semicon-ducTor quantum nanomaterials for nExt geNEration eneRGY Materials (QUESTforENERGY)
Research site: University of Jena, Institute of Optics and Quantum Electronics
Nanointegration and efficiency optimization of silicon-based devices clearly reached the end of the road while advancing society requires ever-increasing capacities of communication and computation and, thus, electric power. Dr Michael Zürch is researching alternatives to silicon to enable more efficient conversion of solar energy into electricity.
Web site: www.physik.uni-jena.de
Dr Eric Hill
Project: Nanocomposites and Materials for Energy Solutions
Research site: Universität Hamburg, Institute of Physical Chemistry
The current crisis facing our planet is significant: widespread overuse of fossil fuels threatens the globe through pollutants and greenhouse gases that can lead to catastrophic environmental consequences. Dr Eric Hill is researching how new materials can make it easier to produce hydrogen to use it as alternative operating power.
Web site: www.chemie.uni-hamburg.de
Dr Heechae Choi
Project: Amorphous-crystal junctioned semiconductor: a new class of photocatalytic material with high activity and cost-effectiveness
Research site: University of Cologne, Institute of Inorganic and Materials Chemistry
Dr Heechae Choi is addressing the problem of low photocatalytic activity in materials to convert them into solar energy. This project is aiming at developing a new class of semiconductor system – the amorphous-crystal junction – to fabricate highly active photocatalysts for clean hydrogen energy and air/water purifications with lowest cost.
Web site: uni-koeln.de
Dr Yutsung Tsai
Project: Lateral multi-junctions of 2-D transition metal dichalcogenides as optoelectronic platform for transparent photovoltaics
Research site: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin
The current solar energy conversion by established photovoltaic devices does not meet the renewable energy production targets necessary for mitigating climate change. Hence, Dr Yutsung Tsai is developing new device systems that employ inexpensive semiconducting materials and that can be processed by simple scalable techniques into high-performance devices that are capable of stable operation.
Contact: yu-tsung.tsai(at)helmholtz-berlin.de
Professor Dr Andreas Goldthau
Project: Investigating the systemic impacts of the global energy transition (ISIGET)
Research site: Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies e.V. (IASS), Potsdam
The international energy transition is already delivering numerous benefits, but it is also creating new inequalities. The risks posed by this transformation will impact especially on developing countries, which lack access to technologies and capital. Professor Dr Andreas Goldthau is developing recommendations for equitable forms of governance to reconcile conflicting policy goals.
Web site: www.iass-potsdam.de
The analysis of the functioning and interaction of the systems and processes that determine life on earth is key issue in the field of Earth system research. Therefore, the activities are ascribed primarily to basic research for a better understanding of the Earth system. Challenges are in particular the development of interdisciplinary long-term standards for data and evaluation systems, a better understanding of climate-related changes of material and energy flows in the Earth system, monitoring and early-warning systems for identifying natural and anthropogenically-induced natural hazards, the registration of human claims in coastal regions aiming at sustainable development concepts for an effective management of the natural resources and the development of innovative measurement procedures and techniques for automatic and autonomous monitoring in the context of marine observation systems.
Dr Henry C. Wu
Project: Witnesses to the Climate Emergency: Ocean acidification crisis and global warming observations from tropical corals (OASIS)
Research site: Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels is not only warming the Earth’s surface and ocean temperatures but is also increasing the acidity of our shallow marine environments. Dr Henry C. Wu uses corals to study ocean acidification in tropical seas triggered by human-induced climate change.
Webseite: OASIS; www.leibniz-zmt.de
Dr Gayane Asatryan
Project: Polar Oceans and Plankton in a Warm High pCO2 World
Research site: Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin
Dr Gayane Asatryan analyses the links between global climate change, the Paleogene polar oceans, and the evolution of marine plankton. By doing so, she explores a process, called the ocean carbon pump, which is the only significant planetary long-term (centuries or longer) removal mechanism for CO2 from the atmosphere.
Web site: www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin; ehrenberglab MfN
Dr Christina Richards
Project: Genomics and Epigenomics of Plant Invasion
Research site: Universität Tübingen, Institute of Evolution and Ecology (EvE)
In the context of climate change, understanding the mechanisms involved in species resilience is a critical issue for maintaining biodiversity and global sustainability. Dr Christina Richards is researching the interaction between climate change, evolution, and invasive plant species to better control them and prevent future invasions.
Web site: ecologicalepigenetics.com
Professor Dr Helmuth Thomas
Project: The Ocean’s Alkalinity: Connecting geological and metabolic processes and time-scales
Research site: Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
The project addresses the role of oceans as regulators of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), thus making a crucial contribution to maintaining climate on Earth in a habitable range. Professor Dr Helmuth Thomas is investigating the pH buffer capacity as well as the carbon cycle of the oceans and the connection to climate change.
Web site: www.hereon.de
Scientific Mid-Term-Conference 2021 - Strasbourg
On 23rd and 24th of November 2021 the MOPGA Mid-Term-Conference took place in Strasbourg – as hybrid event. Overall, the MOPGA fellows evaluated the mid-term results of the Franco-German research initiative as distinctively successful. In just 5 minutes each, the fellows gave 49 excellent short presentations and lively discussions emerged from there. Titled “Assessing, Understanding, Mitigating Global Change” the Scientific Mid-Term-Conference addressed the pressing questions of climate change and the scientific answers to them.
- Full recording of the two conference days: day one day two
- Further information about the conference here
Impressions
Scientific journalist Chris Bockman is opening the conference, together with biologist and MOPGA-GRI fellow Dr. Christina Richards.
Silvia Schrötter, PhD candidate in MOPGA-GRI project MONSOON of Dr. Jed O. Kaplan, is answering questions of the participants.
Dr. Anna Possner, an atmospheric physics scientist, is presenting her MOPGA-GRI project, where she explores how the presence of ice crystals impacts the areal coverage and reflective properties of clouds and how this affects global warming.
The Scientific Board is consisting of MOPGA fellows and representatives of DAAD and CNRS.
MOPGA-Session @vEGU21
April 30th, 2021, 9.45am-12.30pm (CEST), virtual
- Topic: Using Earth system science to understand climate change and its impacts: Results of the Franco-German “Make Our Planet Great Again” research initiative and beyond
- Conveners: Sara Todorovic, Dr. Henry C. Wu, Prof. Helmuth Thomas, Dr. Gayane Asatryan, Dr. Emilie Capron
- Further information to the MOPGA-Session here.
MOPGA-GRI Annual Meeting 2020
December 8th – 9th, 2020, virtual
- Further information and impressions to the Annual Meeting 2020 here.
MOPGA-Session at the EGU2020
- Topic: Biogeochemistry of coastal seas and continental shelves - including a brief overview of the French-German MOPGA Initiative
- Convener: Dr. Helmuth Thomas
- Further information to the MOPGA-Session here.
MOPGA-GRI Annual Meeting 2019
December 4th – 6th, 2019, Cologne
- Further information and impressions to the Annual Meeting 2019 here.
Kick-Off Conference 2019
September 30th – October 1st, 2019, Paris
- Kick-Off-Conference in Paris on 1st of October with networking event the day before
- Further information to the conference here.
- Impressions of the Kick-Off-Conference here.
- Joint Statement of the MOPGA laureates.
Workshop: Climate change, reactive nitrogen, food security and sustainable agriculture 2019
April 15th – 16th, 2019, Garmisch-Partenkirchen
- International workshop hosted by our fellow Dr. Clemens Scheer of the MOPGA-GRI project “Climate change, reactive nitrogen, denitrification and N2O: identifying sustainable solutions for the globe”
- The agenda of the workshop can be accessed here.
- Further information to the project here.
Kick-Off-Meeting 2018
October 11th - 12th, 2018, Königswinter
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
P13 Research and Internationalisation, University NetworksUrsula Hardenbicker
Tel.: (+49) 228 882-606E-Mail: mopga-gri at daad.de
- Press release by the DAAD, March 1st, 2021 (in German)
- Press release by the BMBF, October 11th, 2018 (in German)
- Press release by the DAAD, October 10th, 2018 (in German)
- Press release by the DAAD, May 2nd, 2018 (in German)
- Press release by the DAAD, December 12th, 2017 (in German)
- Press release by the FONA Research for Sustainable Development (BMBF), September 12th, 2017 (in English)
- Press release by the DAAD, September 5th, 2017 (in German)
FONA web site:
Franco-German Fellowship Programme on Climate, Energy, and Earth System Research:
- makeourplanetgreatagain-cnrs.com
- Locations of the MOPGA projects
- Overview over all German and French projects
Selected Projects (2018):
Programme announcement (2017):
- Franco-German Fellowship Programme on Climate, Energy, and Earth System Research (in German) (expired)
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