PROJECTS

DISCOVER OUR ONGOING INITIATIVES!

The biodiversity of marine ecosystems is not only fascinating but also plays an important role in ocean regions worldwide. For example, it contributes to securing our marine food sources, stabilizing sediments, and even discovering new medicines.

Although the biodiversity of marine organisms has been studied for over 200 years, many groups, especially in marine plankton, remain insufficiently researched. This also includes fungi and fungus-like species. These play a crucial role in freshwater food webs, for example, as parasites of phytoplankton. However, their functions in the marine food web and the number of species are not yet well understood.

Despite these knowledge gaps, marine plankton is regularly used to analyze and model ecosystem processes. The goal of INDIFUN-AI is to better understand the diversity and function of marine fungi and fungus-like organisms in the marine food web. This understanding will contribute to better assessment and evaluation of climate-related changes and help identify reliable indicators for these changes.

As part of the subproject at the University of Bremen, the Data Science Center is working on developing an automated indicator system that reliably detects changes in biodiversity. Initially, a data description language and a data validation routine will be developed for the INDIFUN-AI dataset. Ultimately, an early detection system for changes in indicator quality will be created. Within the framework of INDIFUN-AI, we work closely with colleagues from marine sciences and biology. The subproject at the University of Bremen is led by Dr. Marlis Reich in the Department of Biology/Chemistry (Department 02).

The project is funded by the BMBF.

Funded Project Partners:
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI) (coordinating institution)
University of Bremen
Carl von Ossietzky University
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel
Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
AquaEcology GmbH & Co. KG

Additional Links:
Project Website
Information on the BMBF Research Program

As part of this project, the interdisciplinary Data Competence Center for the Bremen Region, „DataNord“, is being established. The center offers researchers at all career levels opportunities to enhance their data skills. These include, among others, training sessions, hackathons, consulting services, research projects, and networking opportunities.

As part of the U Bremen Research Alliance – the cooperative network of the University of Bremen and twelve non-university research institutes – and in close collaboration with additional partners, DataNord is being developed as an interdisciplinary data competence center. It serves as a hub for interdisciplinary and interinstitutional learning, research, and networking in data science within the Bremen region. The alliance's profile areas include (1) environmental and marine sciences, (2) social sciences, (3) materials and engineering sciences, (4) health sciences, and (5) humanities.

The DataNord umbrella project is managed by the Data Science Center, with the University of Bremen acting as the consortium coordinator. As part of our subproject, key offerings are being developed in the areas of learning, research, and networking. A team of data scientists has been established to provide trainings and consulting services for researchers across all career levels and disciplines. Additionally, the research projects MRI4All and SynData are being implemented as part of the Research Academy. These applied initiatives aim to deeply embed data competencies into the research process.

The project is funded by the BMBF and financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

Funded Project Partners:
University of Bremen (coordinating institution)
Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI)
German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI)
Institute for Information Management Bremen GmbH (ifib)
Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology (BIPS)
U Bremen Research Alliance e.V.

Additional Links:
DataNord Project Website
Information on the BMBF Research Program

During the five-month concept phase, a detailed implementation plan will be developed for establishing the interdisciplinary Data Competence Center for the Bremen Region, „DataNord“.

As part of the U Bremen Research Alliance – a cooperative network established in 2016 comprising the University of Bremen and twelve non-university research institutes – and in close collaboration with other institutions in Bremen as well as the regional NFDI consortia, an interdisciplinary Data Competence Center (acronym: DataNord) with strong national networking will be established. The center will focus on the data science needs and diverse research data of the scientific priorities rooted in the region and cooperating nationally and internationally at the University of Bremen: „Marine, Polar, and Climate Research“, „Social Change, Social Policy, and the State“, „Materials Science and Technologies“, „Health Sciences“, and „Minds, Media, Machines“. DataNord will consolidate regional research data expertise and enable synergetic integration with existing structures and initiatives. Two central pillars of DataNord are the Data Science Center (DSC) at the University of Bremen and the interdisciplinary doctoral training program „Data Train – Training in Research Data Management and Data Science“. The planned activities of DataNord in the fields of learning, research, and networking are synergistically aligned to sustainably strengthen data science competencies among researchers at all career levels. DataNord’s interdisciplinary approach will harness Bremen’s regional strengths to build bridges between various disciplines through shared methodologies, breaking down competence silos well beyond the region.

The project is funded by the BMBF and financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.