This year the Norddeutsche Wissenschaftspreis [North German Science Prize] was awarded to a team comprising researchers from the University of Bremen’s MARUM Research Center, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, and Senckenberg am Meer in Wilhelmshaven. The prize granted by the five Federal States in the North of Germany is worth 100,000 euros.

This year applications were invited in the field of climate and environment research. “Cold water corals in the Atlantic Ocean: fragile bio/geosystems under the influence of climate and environment changes” is the title of the prizewinning joint study selected from the seven final candidates. The team of Bremen, Kiel and Wilhelmshaven marine researchers have been working together for some 15 years on various German and international research projects aimed at gaining a better understanding of the fascinating submarine eco systems created by deep-sea cold water corals. The grounds given by the jury for their decision referred to the excellent and innovative research carried out by the team in what is still a comparatively young field.

Bremen‘s Senator for Science, Prof.Dr. Eva Quante-Brandt, congratulated MARUM on receiving the prize: “I’m happy about such an outstanding achievement. The State of Bremen is now well-established internationally as a location for top-level research in the fields of marine and climate sciences. And MARUM is an excellent research center of superregional and internal renown that picks up on important future scientific issues.”

The prize introduced in 2012 is awarded in recognition of outstanding, cross-border scientific cooperation that adds to the profile of the North German research landscape. Next year the North Germany Science Prize will be awarded in the humanities.