Cooperative ecosystem accelerates metabolic research in the Braunschweig area Goal: Establishment of a "metaBoSpace"

A new chapter in metabolic research in the Braunschweig area was opened at Drübeck Monastery in the Harz Mountains from 4 to 5 November 2025: Around 30 researchers at all career stages came together for a workshop to promote the formation of a metabolic research community within the Braunschweig ecosystem.

Workshop on the establishment of a “metaBoSpace”. Photo credit: Cordes Lab/TU Braunschweig

“This was more than just a scoping workshop — it was a joint journey driven by the vision of bringing institutions such as TU Braunschweig, the Leibniz Institute DSMZ, the national metrology institute PTB, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), and Hannover Medical School (MHH) closer together,” says Professor Thekla Cordes from TU Braunschweig. For two days, intensive discussions and brainstorming sessions were held to explore ways of further developing training and teaching, public relations and visibility, methodological approaches, and joint funding options in the field of metabolic research.

The workshop brought together experts from various fields, from data scientists to experimental researchers, thus laying the foundation for the further development of metabolic research within the ecoversity network.

Thekla Cordes (TU Braunschweig, HZI), who launched the initiative together with Karsten Hiller (TU Braunschweig), Meina Neumann-Schaal (Leibniz Institute DSMZ) and Gavin O’Connor (PTB), sums it up:

“Bringing together such a diverse and committed group demonstrates the cooperative spirit of our region and creates important conditions for future metabolic research in the Braunschweig area.”

The workshop concluded with concrete measures to promote the growth of a “metaBoSpace” in the region. The event was supported by the TU Braunschweig initiative “Ecoversity – Spaces for Collaboration”.

From 4 to 5 November 2025, researchers gathered at a workshop to establish collaborative metabolic research projects. Photo credit: Cordes Lab/TU Braunschweig