Research initiative of the Universities of Bielefeld and Münster gets funded

The Ministry of Culture and Science (MKW) of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia funds the expansion of innovative research areas with the programme "Profilbildung" to make them visible and competitive. As the MKW has now announced, nine research initiatives have been selected for the first round of funding - including the new research association "Individualisation in Changing Environments" (InChangE) of the Universities of Münster and Bielefeld.
 
Individual differences exist not only in humans, but in all organisms. However, individualisation has so far been researched mainly within individual disciplines. The joint project InChangE will combine the methods and knowledge of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities to investigate this topic systematically and experimentally.

The research of InChangE is hosted by the Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), which was founded by the Universities of Bielefeld and Münster in March 2021.

Press release by the Ministry of Culture and Science NRW [de]
Press release by the University of Münster [de]
Press release by Bielefeld University [de]
More about InChangE

New BI.research: Individualisation and Change

Individualisation is one of the hallmarks of our society.  it is not just people who need to decide and act independently. Animals also develop individual characteristics while being dependent on the conditions of their environment. The Transregional Collaborative Research Centre NC³ (CRC/TRR212) of the universities of Bielefeld and Münster has been providing findings on this since 2018. Academics from the two universities have founded a new institute – the JICE – that follows on from the work of the Collaborative Research Centre. The new issue of BI.research, the Bielefeld University Research News, presents a dossier on ow individualisation permeates the lives of humans and animals.

Press release by Bielefeld University [de]
Bi.research – Bielefeld University Research News #52

The JICE explores individualisation in changing environments

Determining one's own lifestyle, detaching oneself from the requirements of the community and having the freedom to choose from various behavioural options: All this is part of individualisation. Not only humans can and must make their own decisions and act independently in their lives. Animals also behave individually and, for example, develop behavioural preferences. The new Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), founded by the University of Bielefeld and the University of Münster, explores the role of individualisation under changing environmental conditions. Scientists from eight disciplines will investigate the causes and consequences associated with individualisation.

The Universities of Bielefeld and Münster have been cooperating to investigate individualisation since 2018. The Transregional Collaborative Research Centre NC³ (CRC-TRR 212) examines how animals individually create their own distinctive niche and adapt to their environment. Biologists and philosophers are working together on an interdisciplinary understanding of individualisation. The JICE builds on the work of the Collaborative Research Centre and focuses on implications of individualisation for living beings - both humans and animals. It brings together scientists from biology, psychology, sociology, health sciences, medicine, philosophy, economics and geosciences.

The JICE is jointly run by both universities. The steering committee consists of the professors Dr Oliver Krüger (behavioural research), Dr Barbara Caspers (behavioural ecology) and Dr Caroline Müller (chemical ecology) from Bielefeld University and the professors Dr Joachim Kurtz (evolutionary biology), Dr Helene Richter (behavioural biology and animal welfare) and Dr Jürgen Gadau (evolutionary biology) from the University of Münster. The new institute will promote research on individualisation under changing conditions: for example, through joint conferences and seminars and through scholarships for young scientists who specialise in research on individualisation. In addition, the JICE aims at initiating joint collaborative projects.

Press release by Bielefeld University [de]