The Cluster of Excellence, which is located at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, was awarded the contract in September 2018. “No other university in Germany is concentrating on the importance of the microbiome for human health so consistently and comprehensively,” states the Scientific Council as the scientific policy advisory body for the federal and state governments. It recommended funding the construction project, which the Joint Science Conference (GWK) of the Federal Government and the Heads of Government of the Länder has now approved.
The 40 million euros in funding is being equally shared by the federal government and the state of Thuringia. “The new research building, which is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and strictly focused on close interdisciplinary cooperation, offers the best conditions for establishing Jena as the hub for Germany’s microbiome research,” says Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Tiefensee when outlining the opportunities presented by the new building. Thuringian companies in the industry will also benefit. Construction on the 4,900 m² building will be carried out from 2020 to 2024. (hw)
