19/03/2021 | The Senate of the Leibniz Association has given the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen a very positive evaluation and recommends that the federal and state governments continue their joint funding of ZMT.
In its statement on the evaluation dated 18 March 2021, the Leibniz Senate emphasises the “high relevance of the ZMT’s work for environmental management in tropical coastal regions” and praises the development of scientific publications and third-party funding as well as ZMT’s participation in international research consortia.
The committee underlines the central role of ZMT’s interdisciplinary research and the importance of the close connection between natural and social sciences for the institute's success.
The committee particularly appreciates the institute's merit in transferring its findings to partner countries and contributing a great deal to the development of competencies within and outside of academia.
ZMT’s initiatives in the field of data management, especially the institutional promotion of Data Science, are also highlighted extremely positively in the assessment.
“We are very happy about this wonderful news and the positive assessment of our institute. The Leibniz Senate’s confirmation of our research strategy and digitisation initiative show us that ZMT is on a successful path,” says Dr Werner Ekau, Acting Scientific Director of ZMT. “The great result is due to the expertise of our highly committed staff, to whom we would like to express our heartfelt thanks.”
Bremen’s Senator for Science and Ports, Dr Claudia Schilling, congratulates ZMT on the successful evaluation: “I am very pleased with the very positive assessment of the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) that emerges from the evaluation report. It shows once again that excellent cutting-edge research 'Made in Bremen' is being carried out here. The internationally renowned ZMT is an indispensable component of regional and supraregional marine, coastal and climate research in the state of Bremen.”
Dr Nicolas Dittert, Managing Director of the institute, adds: “We have also been able to show that ZMT has successfully met new challenges in digitalisation and scientific data management over the past seven years. The positive evaluation and the accompanying recommendations of the commission encourage us to purposefully continue on our chosen path.”
The Corona-related written evaluation took place in spring 2020, the planned evaluation visit had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. At that time, Professor Hildegard Westphal headed ZMT as scientific director and prepared the evaluation. “ZMT has successfully expanded its pioneering role in partnership cooperation in the tropics and crowned it with excellent scientific results. The positive evaluation can make the whole ZMT team proud,” says Westphal.
The next evaluation of the ZMT will take place in 2027.
Link to the full Leibniz Senate statement: https://www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/ueber-uns/evaluierung/das-evaluierungsverfahren-der-leibniz-gemeinschaft/senatsstellungnahmen.html
Background:
Every Leibniz institution is regularly evaluated externally, at least every seven years. Internationally recognised experts evaluate the performance and structures of each institution.
The basis for the evaluation is a written document from the institution and, as a rule, an evaluation visit to the institute. If evaluation visits have to be cancelled at present due to the pandemic, the assessment is carried out via an alternative procedure with digital meetings and written assessments.
The results of the evaluation are recorded in an evaluation report, on which the evaluated institute can comment. On this basis, the Senate of the Leibniz Association adopts a science policy statement, which usually contains recommendations for further funding of the Leibniz institution.
The Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
In research and education, the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) in Bremen is dedicated to the better understanding of tropical coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, sea grasses, coral reefs, estuaries and upwelling systems. As an interdisciplinary Leibniz institute, ZMT conducts research on the structure and functioning of tropical coastal ecosystems and their reaction to natural changes and human interactions. It aims to provide a scientific basis for the protection and sustainable use of these ecosystems. ZMT works in close cooperation with partners in the tropics, where it supports both capacity infrastructures development in the area of sustainable coastal zone management. ZMT is a member of the Leibniz Association. More information at www.leibniz-zmt.de
The Leibniz Association
The Leibniz Association brings together 96 independent research institutions. Their orientation ranges from the natural sciences, engineering and environmental sciences to economics, spatial sciences, social sciences and the humanities. Leibniz institutes are dedicated to socially, economically and ecologically relevant issues. They conduct knowledge- and application-oriented research, also in the overarching Leibniz Research Associations, are or maintain scientific infrastructures and offer research-based services. The Leibniz Association focuses on knowledge transfer, especially with the Leibniz Research Museums. It advises and informs politics, science, industry and the public. Leibniz institutions maintain close cooperation with universities, for example in the form of the Leibniz Science Campuses, with industry and other partners at home and abroad. They are subject to a transparent and independent review process. Due to their national importance, the Federal Government and the Länder jointly fund the institutes of the Leibniz Association. The Leibniz Institutes employ more than 20,000 people, about half of whom are scientists. The total budget of the institutes is more than 1.9 billion euros. www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de
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