Research Proposal (2026-2032)

The following pages are an excerpt from our Proposal for a Cluster of Excellence, submitted to the German Research Foundation (DFG) in August 2024 by the Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) and the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU). Other participating institutions are: Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité), Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Universität Leipzig (U Leipzig), the Max Planck Institute for Human Development (MPIB), the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA) and Universität Potsdam (U Potsdam).

As we share this part of our application, we would like our readers to be aware that it only reflects the preliminary stage of our research. It is a momentary glimpse of an ongoing process that started seven years ago, which is meant to evolve with time in the coming years.

We believe that science is strengthened by openness. Sharing ideas publicly, even in their preliminary stages, fosters transparency, accountability, and innovation. It allows for critical reflection and invites diverse perspectives that can sharpen and enrich academic inquiry. When it comes to large-scale interdisciplinary research, early dialogue with colleagues, institutions, and the interested public plays a crucial role in shaping meaningful outcomes.

With this in mind, we warmly encourage you to engage with the ideas presented here. This is an open invitation to reach out to us to collaborate, question, and further explore these ideas together.

Please feel free to reach out to us to continue the conversation (communication@scioi.de).

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Index

› 1. Research objectives and research approach

› 2. Preliminary and previous work

› 3. Structure of the research program