• 07.08. – 09.08. from 1 to 8pm
• 14.08. - 16.08. from 1 to 8 pm
• 21.08. - 23.08. from 1 to 8 pm

"The idea for the HeatFuture Lab came from the ongoing project HEATCOM project and now offers the opportunity to further deepen scientific findings and disseminate them to the population – in the spirit of participatory research and population-oriented research communication," explains Dr Dominik Daube. He works as a postdoctoral researcher on the HEATCOM project at the University of Erfurt, which focuses on the question of how people in Germany behave in heat situations, which factors influence their protective behaviour and how interventions can contribute to health-promoting adaptation. Together with his colleague Sarah Pelull and student assistants, he has planned the HeatFuture Lab Thuringia.

"We offer an interactive dialogue and experience space in which visitors can think together with young researchers about what a hot summer of the future could look like – and what options there are for dealing better with heat. Using AI-generated images of the future from real city photos and vivid representations of heat stress as well as individual audiovisual elements, visitors will be able to understand how heat can affect well-being, everyday life and health risks. At the centre of all this is the question of how we as a society can better prepare ourselves for hot summers: e.g. through cities that deal better with heat, through comprehensible information and everyday protection options – and through a medicine of the future that supports people in the heat in a preventive, advisory and low-threshold manner. This could include digital warning and counselling services, telemedical consultation hours on hot days or heat-sensitive care structures in GP surgeries and care settings.

The HeatFuture Lab Thuringia is funded by “Wissenschaft im Dialog”.

The study highlights the campaign by the French health authority, Santé publique France, as particularly successful. In contrast to traditional, risk-oriented messages, it adopts a positive, benefit-oriented approach and provides practical, everyday recommendations, such as cooling living spaces or improving sleep quality during heatwaves. A survey of more than 3,000 participants before and after the campaign showed that the positive framing generated greater engagement than traditional, threat-based communication. Almost half of those surveyed stated that they had implemented at least one recommended protective measure, whilst more than 70 per cent expressed their intention to do so in future.

The Netherlands is also setting a good example: the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has carried out the first comprehensive evaluation of the Dutch Heat Action Plan for 2024 and 2025 in 20 years. The findings led to an adjustment of the communication strategy – moving away from purely self-protection information towards the message “Look out for one another when it’s hot”, which appeals in particular to carers and family members.

However, these two examples remain the exception. In most of the countries studied, communication measures are neither tested before their introduction nor evaluated after their implementation in terms of their impact on knowledge, risk perception or protective behaviour. Often, monitoring of success is limited to simple metrics such as website clicks. The study also shows that most campaigns continue to rely on fear-based, loss-oriented messages, whilst a differentiated approach to target groups – such as older people living alone, tourists or workers in particularly high-risk sectors – is rare.

Another key finding is that there has so far been little exchange between European countries regarding effective strategies, materials or evaluation methods. Existing European networks and institutions have so far been underutilised for this purpose. The researchers therefore advocate a more data-driven, theory-based approach to campaign development. Specifically, they recommend:

• the systematic pre-testing of communication materials prior to their publication,
• mandatory impact evaluation following roll-out, based on clear, verifiable objectives,
• the establishment of a Europe-wide database of evidence-based, previously evaluated materials for shared use,
• closer cooperation between European health authorities to pool resources and learn from one another.

The HEATCOM project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Health at the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour at the University of Erfurt, which coordinated the expert meetings, already provides a data infrastructure for this purpose: in Germany, representative data on the population’s knowledge of heat, risk perception and protective behaviour are collected regularly. This data shows, for example, that around two-thirds of people in particularly vulnerable groups are completely unaware of their increased risk – a finding that underlines the urgency of more targeted communication.

Conclusion: In view of increasing heatwaves, it is not enough simply to disseminate warnings and safety advice – their effectiveness must also be demonstrated. The researchers are therefore calling on European health authorities to systematically test, evaluate and coordinate communication strategies across national borders in future in order to protect human lives.

Read our article on this in the Campus Blog!

The three-year project brings together research from the fields of mosquito and virus biology, environmental and climate research, and behavioural science. In addition to the BNITM, the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (Berlin), the University of Erfurt, the University of Heidelberg and the University of Bamberg are involved. The total funding amounts to around 1.2 million euros.

“Artificial light at night is an environmental factor that has so far been scarcely taken into account systematically in infection research,” says Professor Esther Schnettler, head of the Mosquito Virus Interactions research group at the BNITM and coordinator of the network. “We assume that light pollution, together with rising temperatures, alters the behaviour of mosquitoes – for example, their activity, biting behaviour or overwintering patterns. This may have implications for the risk of virus transmission.”

The network is divided into four closely interlinked subprojects:

• At the BNITM, researchers are investigating how artificial light and temperature influence the biology of Culex pipiens, the main vector of the West Nile virus in Germany – from gene regulation to transmission potential.
• Researchers at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries in Berlin are analysing how light, temperature, water quality and microorganisms in urbanised habitats influence the development and fitness of mosquitoes.
• The Health Communication Research Group (BNITM / University of Erfurt) is investigating how people perceive risks posed by mosquitoes and how they adjust their protective measures and exposure behaviour in everyday life.
• At the University of Heidelberg, the data collected is integrated into mathematical models to create spatially and temporally resolved risk maps and scenarios for future developments.
• The University of Bamberg is contributing its expertise in digital health research and providing the technical infrastructure for an app designed to record protective behaviour and mosquito exposure in everyday life.

The aim is to bring together biological, ecological and social data in order to assess transmission risks more realistically. The One Health Platform is supporting the project as an inter- and transdisciplinary network. The research findings are intended to lay the foundations for improved infection prevention, for example through surveillance systems, evidence-based communication strategies or the use of lighting in urban areas. Plans include open datasets, digital tools and contributions from citizen science initiatives.

Majorities are underestimated, minorities overestimated

In five studies with a total of more than 5,000 participants from Germany and the USA, the research team investigated how people assess the attitudes and behaviour of others with regard to climate protection. This initially confirmed a familiar pattern: the vast majority of respondents supported climate protection measures in principle, and this majority was underestimated by others. However, when the researchers examined actual, comparatively rare climate protection behaviour for the first time, the opposite pattern emerged: the participants significantly overestimated how many others actually donated money for climate protection or were politically active.

The researchers explain this simultaneous underestimation and overestimation through a general psychological mechanism: people tend to mentally shift extreme values "towards the centre". As a result, large majorities are underestimated and small minorities overestimated.

"Part of what has so far been labelled pluralistic ignorance – the assumption that other people are less willing to protect the climate than they actually are – could be due to very general thought processes when estimating proportions," explains Tiede. "This changes the perspective on a field of research that has grown considerably in recent years – and also the conclusions we can draw from it."

Greater focus on communicating solutions and political framework conditions

The results are particularly relevant for the public debate on climate communication. In recent years, it has often been suggested that informing people about the broad support for climate protection could trigger more social commitment. However, in the studies, correcting such misperceptions did not increase the willingness to donate money for climate protection. "Our results suggest that correcting misperceptions alone is not enough to promote actual climate protection behaviour," says Tiede.

Rather, it is necessary to tackle practical hurdles, a lack of knowledge about effective measures or political framework conditions that facilitate climate-friendly behaviour. Tiede continues: "Support for climate protection already exists in many areas and this finding is very robust. However, the key challenge may be less about convincing people and more about facilitating climate-friendly behaviour and making effective solutions visible."

Publication
Tiede, K. E., Maur, K. & Betsch, C. (2026). People systematically under- and overestimate public engagement in climate action. Nature Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-026-02668-z

The Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour investigates how people act in ways that benefit both health and the climate, and how behaviour can be changed through communication, policy and interventions. The jury considered the combination of a clear mission, interdisciplinary research (8 professorships, 41 members) and targeted knowledge transfer to be worthy of recognition. Interdisciplinary teams, dialogue formats and international networks promote cooperation, practical relevance and the early involvement of early-stage researchers. The Advisory Board particularly commends the combination of research and practice-oriented knowledge transfer.

Professor Cornelia Betsch, Director of the IPB: “I am proud of this award – but above all that it was initiated by our early-career researchers. It shows that the IPB’s vision – research and impact as part of a vibrant society – is coming to fruition and is valued. And everyone contributes to this, every day.”

What is the overarching mission of the German South Asia Day – and to what extent has this objective evolved since the first event?
The mission is to network, raise the profile of and further develop, on an interdisciplinary basis, academic engagement with modern South Asia within the German-speaking world. South Asia is so diverse historically, socially, religiously, politically and culturally that the region cannot be adequately understood from the perspective of a single discipline. The South Asia Day therefore creates a forum where different disciplinary perspectives come together. Since the first events, this objective has expanded further: It is no longer just about exchange within the discipline, but also about raising the profile of academic research in policy circles, providing graduate service and bringing South Asia-related expertise into socially relevant debates – such as those on democracy, migration, religion, digitalisation, climate, gender or global interdependencies.

The event brings together academics from across Germany. What specific kind of networking or collaboration do you hope to gain from the conference in Erfurt?
We hope that the South Asia Day will forge new connections between researchers working on related topics but who are often based in different disciplines, institutes and networks. Many South Asia-related research approaches exist side by side without always being systematically linked. A particular focus is on supporting early-career scholars. It is particularly important for PhD students and postdocs to be able to present their projects within a specialised yet interdisciplinary framework, to receive feedback and to gain access to specialist networks. Such encounters can lead very directly to further collaborations – such as joint panels, publications, research proposals or teaching formats.

The programme does indeed cover a broad spectrum of panels – ranging from political theory to bodily knowledge and dance, right through to literature and urbanity…
Yes,the thematic spectrum was deliberately kept broad because it reflects the diversity of contemporary South Asian studies. South Asia cannot be understood from a single disciplinary perspective. Political, cultural, religious, literary, aesthetic and urban issues are deeply intertwined and require new lines of inquiry that bring these perspectives to life. The programme therefore follows the principle of showcasing the full breadth of current research approaches. The panels highlight the topics currently being explored in the field – ranging from political systems and social change, through gender discourses, performance and digital worlds, to literature, religion and ecology.

Alongside the academic panels, there will also be a concert featuring traditional raga music on Friday evening. What significance do such cultural events hold for an academic conference?
Cultural events such as the raga concert are more than just a supporting programme. They open up different avenues of engagement with South Asia than academic lectures do: through sound, practice, the body, aesthetics and experience. This is particularly important for an interdisciplinary conference, as it demonstrates that knowledge is conveyed not only through text or analysis, but also through musical practice and performative formats. At the same time, the concert creates an open space for interaction and makes the conference accessible to a wider audience from the university and the city. Another avenue is opened up by Sara Keller’s exhibition at the Brunnenkirche in Erfurt on “Holy and Healing Water”, which devotes a separate section to India and is based on the project “INDIA. Life by the Water”. This brings together academic questions, artistic engagement and public accessibility.

Ursula Rao’s keynote address is entitled “Time as Infrastructure: Reflections on Service Culture in Digital India”. Why was this particular topic chosen for the opening – what does it say about the spirit of the times in South Asian studies?
The keynote was chosen because it uses a very concrete example to illustrate just how deeply digitalisation has penetrated everyday life, public administration and the service economy in India today. Ursula Rao asks not only why digital infrastructures exist, but also how they actually function: through constant temporal coordination between platforms, public authorities, companies and users. The concept of “temporal infrastructure” highlights the fact that digital systems do not automatically run smoothly. In order for insurance payouts to be made, food deliveries to be carried out or welfare benefits to be granted, people must bridge deadlines, delays, waiting times and differing institutional rhythms. It is precisely here that power relations emerge: who has to wait, who can speed things up, who can submit data retrospectively or bypass processes – these are distributed unequally across society. The keynote thus exemplifies an important trend in contemporary South Asian studies: it examines major transformative processes such as digitalisation not in the abstract, but on the basis of everyday practice, infrastructure and social inequality.

Saturday’s roundtable is entitled “Niche or Necessity? Gender Perspectives and Academic Careers in South Asian Studies”. How important is it to you that structural and career policy issues are explicitly placed on the agenda?
This is very important to us because an academic conference does not merely address specialist content, but also the conditions under which scholarship is produced. The roundtable is funded by the University of Erfurt’s Equal Opportunity Office and is intended to appeal particularly to female academics and researchers in the early stages of their careers. On the one hand, it addresses very specific questions regarding academic careers: which topics are funded, which are considered “niche”, and which are regarded as central? On the other hand, we want to highlight that gender perspectives are assessed very differently in various academic contexts – for example, in Germany, South Asia or the USA. Such questions concern not only individual career paths, but also the structure of the field and the question of what knowledge is considered relevant in South Asian studies.

South Asia – that is, the Indian subcontinent comprising countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – is one of the most populous and culturally diverse regions in the world. Why, then, is this region often underestimated by the German public?
Yes, South Asia is often underestimated in Germany, even though India in particular is now a key economic and innovation player. India is not only a major market but also an important hub for IT, digitalisation, services, industry, research and, increasingly, global supply chains. Nevertheless, the German public still frequently perceives India through outdated stereotypes – such as poverty, spirituality, crises or exoticism. These perceptions obscure just how rapidly the region is changing and the significance it holds for global issues relating to technology, energy, trade, skilled labour, climate policy and geopolitical realignment. This is precisely why nuanced research into South Asia is important. It can demonstrate that India and the region as a whole are not only culturally and historically significant, but also of direct economic and political relevance to us, as illustrated by bilateral agreements between India and Germany. At present, a great many students are also coming to Germany from India to pursue their education, which will further strengthen our mutual relations.

Many panels address highly topical issues: Hindutva nationalism, migration, the erosion of democracy, and digital infrastructure. How political can or should South Asian studies be?
South Asian studies must take political and social developments seriously. This is also in line with the self-image of the ‘Modern South Asia’ working group of the German Society for Asian Studies: it sees itself not only as an academic network, but also as a forum for pooling and disseminating expertise on South Asia. When panels address topics such as Hindutva nationalism, migration, the erosion of democracy or digital infrastructure, this is precisely the aim: to provide academically sound knowledge on current developments and to situate them within broader social, political and cultural contexts. In this sense, South Asian studies can and should be politically relevant – as a historically informed, source-based and critical analysis. It can thus contribute to public debates and demonstrate why a nuanced understanding of South Asia is necessary today.

Several colleagues from the University of Erfurt are also represented at the South Asia Day – for example, from the Department of Religious Studies. What, then, are the university’s particular strengths in South Asian studies?
The particular strength of the University of Erfurt lies in the fact that South Asia is represented here in many fields, even though there is no dedicated South Asian Institute. Colleagues work on South Asian topics within the Department of Religious Studies, the Department of History, the Department of Catholic Theology, at the Max-Weber-Kolleg, in the “Religion and Urbanity” research group and within the ICAS network, which is working on “Metamorphoses of the Political in the Long Twentieth Century”, addressing topics relating to South Asia. The Annemarie Schimmel Research Centre at the University of Erfurt is also significant in this context. It is dedicated to the estate of the internationally renowned scholar of Islam and religious studies, Annemarie Schimmel, and thus embodies a research tradition in which South Asia, Islam, the history of religion and the history of transcultural knowledge are closely intertwined. Furthermore, numerous PhD students and postdocs in the aforementioned disciplines hail from the region and bring their own perspectives to Erfurt’s research landscape.

The conference is being organised by the Department of Religious Studies and the Max-Weber-Kolleg. How does the South Asia Day fit into the broader research foci of these institutions?
Very well indeed, because topics such as religion, urbanity, globalisation, migration, knowledge production, cultural interconnections and social change are central to research in Erfurt – and, at the same time, to South Asian studies. This is also evident in the graduate centre “Glocal Religiosities”. This programme explores how religious practices and negotiations of belonging emerge at the intersection of local traditions and global dynamics. It is precisely these global-local interconnections that can be examined particularly well using South Asia as a case study. One aim of the conference is therefore to bring together the existing research approaches in Erfurt more effectively, to facilitate dialogue amongst colleagues, and to raise the University of Erfurt’s profile both nationally and internationally as a centre for South Asian studies.

Will the papers and discussions from South Asia Day be documented or published – and if so, in what form?
A traditional conference proceedings volume is not planned at this stage. However, we would like to expressly encourage the development of joint publication projects arising from individual panels – such as articles, special issues or other collaborative formats. We would also like to draw attention to the opportunities offered by academic information services. They provide vital infrastructure for research, visibility, open access and the long-term documentation of academic work. The South Asia Day is therefore intended not merely to be a one-off event, but also to provide impetus for sustainable academic communication.

How can the insights gained from the event subsequently feed back into teaching or public discourse?
The insights from the conference are intended to have a lasting impact on several levels. For teaching, the South Asia Day offers many points of connection: current debates on India and South Asia – for example, on religion, politics, urbanisation, gender, migration, digitalisation or ecology – can be directly incorporated into seminars, final-year dissertations and early-career research projects. At the same time, we would like to open up South Asia-related research more widely to the university and the city. Formats such as the Raga concert or the exhibition on “Sacred and Healing Water” contribute to this by linking academic questions with cultural practice and public engagement.

The new scholarship track invites applications that embrace the Fulbright core values of knowledge, reason and compassion and are committed to making use of them in the service of transatlantic relations for a peaceful, more cooperative world. It also reflects the principles of interpersonal diplomacy and fosters lasting individual and academic relationships that deepen mutual understanding and reach across regions. Fulbright Germany ensures a broad geographical spread between home and host institutions in both countries so that all TAD participants and partners benefit from different regional, political and social contexts and can gain truly multi-regional perspectives.

For the TAD, Fulbright Germany works with selected universities and schools in Germany and the USA that have a strong academic profile in the fields of public policy, international relations and diplomacy and are committed to promoting transatlantic academic exchange and institutional cooperation.

Participation in the TAD– both as a sending and host institution – is limited to these partner universities and programmes. This exclusive scheme ensures close coordination of study plans, institutional commitment and aligned academic standards on both sides of the Atlantic. The US partners include the University of Pittsburgh's School of Public & International Affairs (SPIA), the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs at the University of Denver, , the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University and the University of Washington, Seattle’s Henry M. Hackson School of International Studies as well as their Evans School of Public Policy and Governance.

"The initiative is a fantastic opportunity for our students and a signal of excellency for our institution. It shows that the University of Erfurt takes internationalisation seriously, and that the Brandt School has made a name for itself worldwide as a graduate institution in public policy," explains Professor Achim Kemmerling, Vice Director of the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy and Vice Dean for Internationalization. "It is also a great opportunity to give new impetus to transatlantic exchange," says Professor Beate Hampe, Vice President for International Affairs at the University of Erfurt.

German students admitted to the MPP intake starting their degree in October 2026 may apply for the TAD directly through Fulbright’s platform by August 31, 2026 and are to start their studies in the U.S. in the fall of 2027.  We still accept applications to the MPP until July 15, 2026 from German candidates and all those who do not need a visa to study in Germany. 

"However, this stability seems deceptive," explains Professor Cornelia Betsch, Director of the Institute for Planetary Health Behaviour at the University of Erfurt. "The population wants more climate protection in principle, but has less and less confidence in the political system." At around 16 per cent, trust in government climate action is at its lowest level since measurements began. "If government programmes, such as the German government's new climate protection programme, are perceived as inadequate, the perceived responsibility shifts further into the private sphere: Existing asymmetries ('my actions have more impact than the government's') are slightly reinforced. Overall, we observe that responsibility tends to be individualised, e.g. also in that discourses move away from regulation and towards individual incentives, and thus in the broader perception climate protection seems to be a private rather than a state task."

Details of the results can be found on the PACE website.(in German only)

Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider and Professor Dr Cornelia Betsch will address these questions at a public discussion event in the Haus der Weimarer Republik – Forum für Demokratie, a project of Weimarer Republik e.V. Together they will discuss how democracy and climate protection are compatible, which communication strategies can create trust and which political paths appear suitable for winning social majorities for necessary changes.

The event is in German and will be moderated by freelance journalist Sebastian Haak.

Monday, 18 May 2026, 7:30 pm
Haus der Weimarer Republik – Forum für Demokratie, Theaterplatz 4, 99423 Weimar

The event is open to the public, admission is free. Admission begins 30 minutes before the start of the event (from 7 pm) via Zeughofgasse. Registration is mandatory and possible by e-mail to veranstaltungen@hdwr.de.
 

Women's health and gender bias 

At the centre of her stay at the IPB is a historical pharmaceutical case with high social relevance. The drug is still suspected of having caused malformations in unborn babies. Many of those affected are still fighting for recognition.

For März, the case is more than just a medical history issue. It raises fundamental questions about gender bias in medicine, structural inequalities in healthcare and social power relations. Diseases that predominantly affect women are historically and currently often under-researched and stigmatised.

During her stay, she would like to examine the following questions in particular: Would a comparable case still be possible today? What psychological, social, political and economic factors influence women's health? And how do access to healthcare, reproductive rights or migration affect medical care and research?

Interdisciplinary exchange at the IPB

At the IPB, Sigrid März is planning a close dialogue with scientists from different disciplines. She would particularly like to build on the work in the field of women's health, stigmatisation and empowerment. The interdisciplinary orientation of the institute – with expertise from medicine, psychology, social sciences and public health – offers an important resonance space for her project.

With the "Journalist in Residence" programme, the IPB strengthens the dialogue between research and journalism – and creates space for a differentiated, evidence-based examination of socially highly relevant health topics.