FAU Erlangen receives millions in funding for human rights research!

FAU Erlangen receives millions in funding for human rights research!

On May 22, 2025, the German Research Foundation (DFG) announced that the “Transforming Human Rights” research project at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) was recognized as a Cluster of Excellence. President of FAU, Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger expressed his pride in the recognition of human rights research and emphasized the importance of this project.

The project is funded with a mid-double-digit million amount and is part of the new interdisciplinary research center Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU CHREN). The research aims to examine human rights challenges that arise in the context of global megatrends such as autocratization, digitalization and planetary environmental crises. Bavaria's Science Minister Markus Blume congratulated FAU on its successful application and underlined the importance of such projects for the German research landscape.

Interdisciplinary collaboration and recognition

The “Transforming Human Rights” project passed the first hurdle in February 2024 and submitted the full application in August 2024. The positive reports from the reviewers confirmed the scientific substance and relevance of the application. The FAU thus occupies an outstanding position in the declaration of human rights and their connection to current social challenges, such as the discussion of global migration, displacement and digital transformation.

The cluster is led by the co-speakers Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski and Prof. Dr. Katrin Kinzelbach led. The interdisciplinary cooperation includes renowned partner institutions such as the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, the German Institute for Human Rights as well as the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

Research approach and social responsibility

The German Institute for Human Rights (DIMR) attaches great importance to ensuring that research is always committed to human rights. This means that the research questions are derived from current human rights problems, for example regarding forced evictions or the right to housing. The development of indicators for the empirical verification of legal obligations is therefore of central importance.

A normative orientation is essential to uphold human rights mandates in Germany. The methodology is based on the United Nations’ “human rights-based approach to data”, whereby data must be collected in a discrimination-sensitive manner. Participation and inclusion play a key role in integrating the perspectives of those with rights into the research process.

In particular, it is emphasized that the research process focuses on reflecting on the effects on those with rights. Critical examinations of terminology and interview questions are necessary to ensure non-discriminatory research and to enable respondents to describe themselves.

With funding totaling 687 million euros per year for up to 70 clusters of excellence from 2026, a significant contribution will be made to further strengthening the outstanding research profiles in Germany, it is reported fau.de. The “Transforming Human Rights” cluster marks a decisive step in the interdisciplinary examination of human rights challenges in times of profound social change.

The research work closely incorporates the expertise of rights holders and self-representatives in order to make the research not only academically relevant, but also practically relevant. The fact that this work was committed and assumed responsibility shows the FAU's comprehensive commitment to promoting and protecting human rights.