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Future of plant research: Guided walk at the HHU!
On July 3, 2025, the HHU Düsseldorf invites you to a campus walk on plant research. Registration required by July 1st.
Future of plant research: Guided walk at the HHU!
As part of the upcoming plant research event at Heinrich Heine University (HHU), interested parties will have the opportunity to go on a guided campus walk on Thursday, July 3, 2025. This is led by Prof. Peter Westhoff and Dr. Christian Wever and aims to show the development of plant research at HHU over the last 20 years. The event starts at 5 p.m., the meeting point is in the foyer of building 26.24 of the university. Registration is required by July 1, 2025.
The campus walk will include various stops, including classic greenhouses and state-of-the-art laboratories. The theme of the event is the contribution of plant research to a sustainable future. This is particularly relevant as the Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (CEPLAS), which organizes the event, has been working on questions about feeding the world through crops since 2012 as part of the Excellence Strategy. How hhu.de reported, in recent years there has been an intensive focus on the molecular mechanisms of plant growth, metabolism and interactions with microorganisms.
The development of plant research
The history of CEPLAS is characterized by continuous growth and development. After two funding phases from 2012 to 2018 and 2019 to 2025, the third funding phase will continue from 2026 with an applied funding volume of around 56 million euros. This new phase is designed to last seven years and is supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Science Council. The scientific motto of this phase is: “SMART plants in dynamic environments”. plantresearch.de highlights.
In the coming funding period, CEPLAS will specifically promote basic research on plants and their microbiota in order to meet the challenges of climate change and resource scarcity. Understanding the interaction between plants and microbes under changing environmental conditions is the focus of research. In the previous funding phases, essential molecular mechanisms of plant growth and interaction with microbes were already researched.
A key player in plant research
CEPLAS has established itself as the only cluster of excellence that comprehensively investigates the genetic and molecular basis of plant traits. Partner institutions such as the University of Cologne, the Research Center Jülich, the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne and the Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben make significant contributions to this center of excellence. In particular, IPK Gatersleben contributes its expertise, including modern phenotyping platforms and one of the largest gene banks in the world.
The relevance of the CEPLAS project for plant science research in Germany is highlighted by HHU Rector Prof. Dr. Anja Steinbeck clearly highlighted. She sees CEPLAS as an important player that not only promotes scientific progress, but also addresses social challenges. CEPLAS also supports young scientists with a qualification program that includes interdisciplinary projects and international networks.
The CEPLAS Düsseldorf office is available for further information about the event. The managing coordinator Dr. Céline Hönl can be reached on +49 211 81-11996 and by email at celine.hoenl@hhu.de.