Funded projects

Funding period: 2019-2023, Volume: 1,4 Mio. CHF

The new tropical house in the Botanical Garden of the University of Basel, with its cloud forest house that is unique in Europe, was officially opened in May 2023.

Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, it provides an energy-efficient environment for rare tropical mountain plants and enriches botanical education. This project was made possible by numerous private sponsors and foundation contributions.

Funding period: 2019-2028, Volume: 82.5 Mio. CHF

The University of Basel, together with Fondation Botnar and ETH Zurich, is proud to have established a globally unique center for child health. In this center, they bring together outstanding science and clinical research from various disciplines to develop new methods and digital innovations for use in pediatrics worldwide.

The Fondation Botnar, based in Basel, is funding the BRCCH with 100 million Swiss francs, half of which will go to the University of Basel and half to ETH Zurich. The funding will be provided over a period of ten years. The Fondation Botnar is committed to improving the health and well-being of children and young people worldwide. "Children and young people are important pillars of society. We want to empower them to shape their lives successfully and actively contribute to their positive development. The BRCCH will contribute many new solutions to this," says Dr. Peter Lenz, President of the Board of Trustees of Fondation Botnar.

Funding period: 2019-2027, Volume: 1.6 Mio. CHF

Just outside Basel, nature lovers will find the Petite Camargue Alsacienne, a floodplain landscape along the old course of the Rhine.

It was here, where Luc Hoffmann discovered his passion for ornithology as a young man, that an ambitious and scientifically highly interesting project developed in the 1980s: one of the largest renaturation projects in Central Europe. MAVA, Fondation pour la Nature, the foundation of Luc Hoffmann, who died in 2016, extended its existing commitment for a further four years.

Funding period: 2019-2028, Volume: 5.5 Mio. CHF

The Center for Philanthropy Studies, CEPS for short, celebrated a contract extension in 2018.

Initiated by SwissFoundations, renowned Swiss foundations have been committed to philanthropic research at the University of Basel since the center was founded. Thanks to their recognized research achievements, Prof. Dr. Georg von Schnurbein and his team were able to announce the third round of contract extensions just in time for the 10th anniversary of the CEPS.

Funding period: 2018-2029, Volume: 4.1 Mio. CHF

In 2002, the Department of Art History established the Laurenz Assistant Professorship for Contemporary Art, financed by the Laurenz Foundation. Following stints in Karlsruhe and Chicago some seven years previously, the second Laurenz Professor in 2003 Ralph Ubl returned to Basel, where he now holds a position as full professor of modern art history.

“The Laurenz Professorship is a windfall for the university,” explains Ralph Ubl, “because it brings someone from the outside who brings a fresh new perspective to the faculty. For modern art this is an absolute must!” The career paths of those who have previously held the professorship show that this position is a stepping stone up the art history career ladder – a real success story. It’s wonderful to know that the Laurenz Foundation will be offering the professorship for the 6^th time. Click here for further information
 

Funding period: 2017-2027, Volume: 10 Mio. CHF

The Georg H. Endress Foundation has pledged to provide the University of Basel in collaboration with the University of Freiburg with up to 10 million Swiss francs in funding over the next ten years for the joint project Georg H. Endress Postdoc Cluster for Quantum Science and Quantum Computing.

The Center of Excellence under the auspices of Eucor – The European Campus will consolidate the pioneering role of the two universities in quantum physics. At the heart of the new project is an international cluster for postdoctoral researchers. The postdocs will work on joint research projects at both universities. The objective is to train outstanding doctoral candidates thus preparing the future workforce for the quantum technologies market. “These are our future top researchers and leading experts in science, technology, and industry,” says Professor Dominik Zumbühl, Head of the Department of Physics. Click here for further information
 

Funding period: 2018-2022, Volume: 2.7 Mio. CHF

The University of Basel is thrilled about this generous contribution to Africa Studies. The five-year project Aesthetics from the Margins. Photography in Africa and the Poetics of Un/Making the World focuses on the field of postcolonial aesthetics/aisthesis.

The project explores sensory perceptions in the context of the conflicting priorities between colonial rule and postcolonial restructuring: how do people living in colonial and postcolonial societies use aesthetic forms and practices—such as photography—to represent themselves and their lifeworlds in a meaningful way. Click here for further information