Rapid population growth is driving sweeping land use changes that have become the chief cause of species decline on Mount Kilimanjaro. These are the findings of an international research team led by the University of Bayreuth, published in the scientific journal PLOS One.

Several projects at the University of Bayreuth are being funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF; German: EFRE) through the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. The funded topics include personalised medicine, materials development, and modern simulation methods. The aim of the ERDF funding is to improve living conditions across Europe.

Plants adapt the growth of their roots and shoots differently in response to environmental changes. This is the outcome of a study involving the Ecological-Botanical Garden (ÖBG) at the University of Bayreuth. The researchers challenge previous assessments of climate change impacts on plants, which often extrapolate from aboveground to belowground plant structures. Their findings have been published in the journal Plant & Soil.

In the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR), the University of Bayreuth is placed in the global group 301–350, once again demonstrating its strong performance. Particularly noteworthy is its research environment, where it ranks 248th out of 2,191 evaluated universities worldwide.

An international research team led by the University of Bayreuth has discovered a metal that combines electrical conductivity with internal polarity. This enables it to exhibit second harmonic generation – an optical effect typically observed only in non-metals which is of particular interest for sensors and electrical engineering. The researchers report their findings in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

The cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) offers an ecologically advantageous alternative to silage maize for bioenergy production. This is the conclusion of a multi-year comparative study conducted by researchers at the University of Bayreuth. Their findings have now been published in the journal GCB Bioenergy.

Together with small and medium-sized enterprises, the University of Bayreuth is conducting research on advancing the additive manufacturing process Fluid-MEX. The aim is to produce complex silicone components with variable mechanical and physical properties. The project, called FLEXNET, is funded through the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

Bavarian Minister for Digital Affairs, Dr. Fabian Mehring, becomes patron of the Digital Leadership Academy at the University of Bayreuth.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has accepted Dr. Helen Grüninger into its prestigious Emmy Noether Programme. Based at the Northern Bavarian NMR Centre (NBNC) and the Bavarian Battery Centre (BayBatt) at the University of Bayreuth, the Emmy Noether junior research group is exploring photobatteries that combine the properties of solar cells and batteries.

The University of Bayreuth offers a nationwide unique interdisciplinary masters programme called Battery Materials and Technology (M.Sc.). For an introduction into the fields of study the University has launched a new online format to explore its contents.

For the fifth time, the Chair of Neuromotorics and Movement at the University of Bayreuth is conducting the Bayreuth Movement Check. This year, there is a new addition: alongside physical literacy, the children's cognitive abilities will also be assessed.

Researchers and experts from the energy sector have collaborated on the “DIVE” project to develop a forward-looking solution for a digital energy system. Among the contributors to the project, led by the Future Energy Lab of the German Energy Agency (dena), was Professor Dr. Jens Strüker from the University of Bayreuth. The researchers have now published the project’s final report.

The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW) and the University of Bayreuth (UBT) are joining forces in international cooperation. Through targeted support for young researchers from the University of Dar es Salaam within the framework of the Tanzanian-German Centre for Eastern African Legal Studies (TGCL) at UBT, funded by the BAdW, both institutions affirm their commitment to fostering early career researchers on a global scale.

The joint project between FC St. Pauli and the University of Bayreuth has been honoured with the EASM Sport Organisation Award at this year’s conference of the European Association for Sport Management (EASM). The award recognizes outstanding initiatives in sport management that demonstrate innovation, impact, and sustainable development.

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An international research team, including experts from the Ecological-Botanical Garden (ÖBG) at the University of Bayreuth, has demonstrated in a new study that native tree species in Argentina grow at a similar rate to introduced North American pine species—contrary to previous assumptions. Moreover, the exotic pines displace native trees and increase the risk of forest fires, especially in the context of climate change. The researchers published their findings in the journal Forest Ecology and Management.

A German-Dutch research team, including scientists from the University of Bayreuth, has investigated how age-related changes contribute to an increased risk of falling in older adults. Using computer simulations, they explored specific scenarios involving stepping down from a kerb or stair with varying levels of muscle strength and nerve signal speed—both of which tend to decline with age. Their findings have been published in the journal Scientific Reports.

On 9 October 2025, the second Bayreuth IT Criminal Law Day will bring together experts from across Germany to explore aspects of international criminal prosecution in the digital age.

Researchers at the University of Bayreuth have discovered that offspring of burying beetles benefit from having siblings—regardless of whether their parents are present to provide care. This challenges the long-standing paradigm that sibling rivalry over parental resources outweighs any benefits, making siblings a disadvantage for individual offspring. The findings are published in the journal The American Naturalist.