25.08.2025 Science and politics in conflict: new research projects receive funding

Five new collaborative projects will focus on how science develops in a world shaped by political demands, global networking and digital challenges. The Volkswagen Foundation is providing around €4.9 million in funding for these projects as part of its 'Researching Research' initiative.

Among these projects is:

China's Science Silk Road and the New Geopolitics of Knowledge Production (Prof. Dr Anna Lisa Ahlers, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin; Prof. Han Cheng, National University of Singapore; Prof. Dr Hang Zhou, Université Laval, Canada; approx. €1 million)

This project focuses on China's efforts to influence global science networks through its Belt and Road Initiative. At the heart of this initiative is the Science Silk Road programme. Researchers analyse how it is changing science systems in different countries and what geopolitical influence science is gaining as a result. The team uses interviews, document analysis and field research as its methodological tools.

Source: VolkswagenStiftung