One year ago, JenaVersum was founded as an association. That would be reason enough to celebrate if we hadn’t already achieved so much together.

The spirit of collaboration and exchange lies above the numerous working meetings and workshops in our fields of action and on cross-cutting issues – whether in the exchange on research initiatives, the communication meetup, the networking meeting of the responsible persons for IT infrastructure or the discussion of the question of how research infrastructure can be used in a more coordinated way in the future. After a successful application, the Carl Zeiss Foundation will support the implementation of a solution for this the next four years.

Members’ assembly

The trusting cooperation between science, business and the city was also evident at the JenaVersum members’ assembly on 30 November 2022, where interdisciplinary cooperation projects were presented as one part. Insights were provided into the Zentrum für Alternsforschung Jena (ZAJ) with the project Impuls, the Thüringer Wasser-Innovationscluster (ThWIC) (Thuringian Water Innovation Cluster) and the Jena Smart City project.

And next year?

In the coming year, we are looking forward to continuing the positive cooperation and especially to the event Future Conference #JenaVersum2027. In the summer, all partners, participants and interested people will be able to meet and exchange ideas. An invitation will follow shortly.

Many thanks to all partners for their commitment! We look forward to another year of JenaVersum with you!

More than 20 partners from science, businesses and the city have joined forces to form the “JenaVersum” network. The aim is to promote cooperation in research at the location, to raise the profile of the science and business region internationally and to strengthen the dialogue with society.

Close cooperation between science, business and the city has a long tradition in Jena. With the founding of JenaVersum e. V. on 18 November 2021, a new chapter in this successful history of cooperation will be launched. “As a university with traditionally close ties to the city and all resident partners in the research landscape, it is a great concern for us to continue cultivating this network and to raise our cooperation to a new level,” says Prof. Dr. Walter Rosenthal, President of the University of Jena and also Chairman of the Board of the JenaVersum association. “The network is a place for exchange and at the same time steps up to make the excellent research and development at the location even better known internationally.”

JenaVersum connects the Friedrich Schiller University, the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences, the University Hospital as well as non-university research institutions and foundations, partners from the city and research-related companies. These partners are also represented on the newly elected board: Walter Rosenthal (University of Jena), Jürgen Popp (Leibniz-IPHT), Steffen Teichert (University of Applied Sciences Jena), Thomas Kamradt (University Hospital), Thomas Nitzsche (City of Jena), Jörg Ganzenmüller (Ettersberg Foundation), Jochen Alkemper (SCHOTT Technical Glass Solutions GmbH).

JenaVersum focusses its work on:

• Promoting the successful research location Jena on an international level and attracting talents to the region.
• Strengthening the exchange on research priorities and initiatives and supporting the coordinated use of existing research infrastructure.
• Supporting the dialogue between science and society and continue to work in partnership for the development of the city and region.

The implementation of these ambitious goals will only succeed together. “Interdisciplinarity and cooperation require a common language and trust among the partners involved – character traits that already distinguish the university city of Jena,” emphasises Prof. Dr Jürgen Popp, scientific director of the Leibniz-IPHT and deputy chairman of the association. The work of JenaVersum will start with future workshops in the coming year. “We want to exchange ideas at eye level, discover previously unused potential and make plans together,” says Dr Dana Strauß, head of office JenaVersum at the university and managing director of the association.

Interested parties from the member institutions are cordially invited to contribute their ideas for the network.