Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights”

The Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments

Promoting top-level research, strengthening Germany’s position as a top location for universities and research and improving its competitiveness is the aim of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments for promoting science and research in German universities.

As part of the Excellence Initiative, the “Transforming Human Rights” research project at the interdisciplinary FAU Research Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU CHREN) will become a Cluster of Excellence and is set to receiving funding in the range of tens of millions of euros.

Transforming Human Rights

The Street of Human Rights in Nuremberg
The Street of Human Rights in Nuremberg (Image: FAU/Anna Tiessen)

The Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights” at FAU addresses the potential and the limits of human rights against the backdrop of the fundamental changes that are shaping our times.

The focus is on five megatrends:

  • Autocratization
  • The fragmentation of economic globalization
  • International migration
  • Environmental crises across the planet
  • Digitalization

These megatrends are changing human rights standards, institutions and practices. At the same time, human rights themselves have the potential to provide answers to these five megatrends. Political scientist Prof. Dr. Kathrin Kinzelbach and legal expert Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski are the co-speakers of the Cluster of Excellence.

Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski (l.) and Prof. Dr. Katrin Kinzelbach (r.) (Image: FAU/Giulia Iannicelli)

“Human rights are under pressure globally, but they are still being demanded, defended and developed worldwide. We will investigate these transformation processes in an interdisciplinary manner in the Cluster of Excellence. We are looking forward to working on this great challenge in conjunction with our partners in Germany, as well as collaborating closely with fifteen research institutions all across the world.”

(Prof. Dr. Kathrin Kinzelbach)

“After several years of development at the FAU Research Center CHREN, this unique and generous funding as part of the Excellence Strategy will now allow us to take the next step and push forward our important topic. FAU and the city of Nuremberg – now a city of human rights and of peace – provide the perfect conditions for rethinking and strengthening human rights research in a critical time.”

(Prof. Dr. Markus Krajewski)

Website of the Center for Human Rights (CHREN)

Further information:

KK

Professors

Contact

MK

Professors

Contact

Previous Clusters of Excellence at FAU

New materials and processes make a decisive contribution to securing our industrial competitiveness, economic growth, improving our quality of life and the preservation of a sustainable environment. Materials organized by hierarchy that have customized electrical, optical, catalytic and mechanical properties are developed in this cluster. Using new ways of collaboration across seven disciplines of the university, extramural institutions, and partners in industry, the Cluster finds innovative applications in the fields of nanoelectronics, photonics, catalysis or lightweight construction. The Cluster’s vision is to close the gap between fundamental research and the use of modern functional materials.

Further information: eam.fau.eu

Optics are considered one of the key technologies of the new century. From the Global Positioning System and the Internet, lasers and glass fiber to lithography for chip manufacturing and eye surgery – nearly all sectors of modern society benefit from the rapid progress being made in this field. In the SAOT research training group, early career researchers work closely at the interfaces between materials science, measurement technology, machining and processing technology and learn to fully exploit the extraordinary potential of these new optical technologies.

Further information: saot.fau.de