Trier is becoming a research metropolis for maritime culture and history!

Trier is becoming a research metropolis for maritime culture and history!

The TRANSMARE Institute for maritime research has been established in Trier, a city without a sea, since 2015. Despite its geographical location, the institute is dedicated to interdisciplinary research on maritime topics and the connection of people, goods and ideas across eras. This initiative is now supported by the Rhineland-Palatinate Research Initiative 2024-28, which promotes the profile area “Maritime Transfers”. A total of 31 scientists from disciplines such as archaeology, business administration, and art history are working on identifying long-term patterns of maritime connections and their influence on today's global interconnections, such as uni-trier.de reported.

The TRANSMARE Institute is headed by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Gehring and Prof. Dr. Christoph Schäfer. Key areas of focus include topics such as piracy, online trading and China's maritime Silk Road. This enables deeper research into the historical foundations of global trade flows and the political networks that shaped historical port cities.

Research focus and methods

A central concern of the scientists is the analysis of the “trade in ideas” in port cities, which sheds light on the balance of power and the rise of important maritime powers such as England and Spain. Ancient trade routes, such as the connections from the Indian Ocean via the Nile to the Mediterranean, receive particular attention. An innovative methodology combines humanities, science and technology approaches to explore the role of media such as texts, images and maps in the context of maritime transfers.

The Jeanne Baret funding fund also promotes equal opportunities for young female scientists. The Jeanne Baret Scholarship honors outstanding female researchers working on maritime topics.

Connection to international research initiatives

In addition to the work of the TRANSMARE Institute, other organizations are involved in maritime issues. The iFMS (Institute for Maritime Strategy Research) conducts research on, among other things, NATO's northern flank, the Baltic Sea and the Indo-Pacific regions. The objects of these studies are critical infrastructure and resilience in maritime areas. The cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Defense and international partners such as the Indonesian Defense University underlines the relevance of these research projects for security policy hsu-hh.de clarified.

Important completed projects such as the “Secure Digital Coast 2030 Roadmap” to support the maritime economy through digitalization and the “Baltic Sea Security Initiative” illustrate the prominent role of maritime research in current social discourses. In this direction, the TRANSMARE Institute provides significant impetus for future challenges with its interdisciplinary approach.

Further information about the work and projects of the TRANSMARE Institute can be found on their website, which provides a comprehensive overview of the research activities, such as transmare.uni-trier.de informed.