Suche
Mein Konto
Jena receives funding for the innovative cluster of excellence Imaginamics”!
The University of Erfurt is part of the new cluster of excellence “Imaginamics”, which researches social conflicts and debates.
Jena receives funding for the innovative cluster of excellence Imaginamics”!
On May 22, 2025, it was enthusiastically announced that the “Imaginamics” cluster application from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena would be funded for the next seven years as part of the federal and state excellence strategy. This decision was announced by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Science Council. The initiative aims to explore social connections through shared ideas, narratives, world views and future plans.
The Cluster of Excellence "Imaginamics. Practices and Dynamics of Social Imagining" is led by Prof. Dr. Johannes Grave directed. He and his team want to contribute to a better understanding of current social conflicts and debates through the analysis and understanding of social imagination. In view of the current crises such as climate change, pandemics, wars and the spread of right-wing extremist ideas, this is even more important. These challenges demonstrate the dual role of social imagining: on the one hand, it can promote solidarity, while at the same time it can generate conflict.
Interdisciplinary research network
In addition to the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, the “Imaginamics” research network also brings together nine other institutions. These include renowned institutions such as the University of Erfurt and the Max Weber College. Prof. Dr. Hartmut Rosa and Prof. Dr. Lambert Wiesing are involved in the “Theory Hub”, where they reflect on the different theories and practices of social imagination.
Research in the cluster is enriched by various approaches, including phenomenology, history of knowledge, narrative theory and image theory. Prof. Dr. Bernhard Kleeberg heads the “Mediating Difference, Substantiating Truth” working group, which deals with the boundary figures between science and religion. The aim of this group is an interdisciplinary discussion about the relationship between political epistemologies and the praxeology of truth from antiquity to the present.
Strong regional partnerships and future potential
bThe “Imaginamics” project is supported by a network of regional cooperation partners. These include the Bauhaus University Weimar, the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology as well as various foundations such as the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society and the University of Halle.
In addition, the “Balance of the Microverse” cluster at the University of Jena, which has existed since 2019, will also continue to be supported. With the commitment to two clusters of excellence, the University of Jena has the opportunity to apply for the title of “University of Excellence” in autumn 2025.
The decisions to promote the clusters are part of a broader initiative that has been implemented by the DFG since 2017. A total of 88 application sketches out of 195 submitted sketches were examined, and 57 projects received funding for seven years. This funding aims to expand top research in Germany and strengthen European universities. Further information about this high-profile initiative can be found on the website DFG.