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A team led by Prof Carsten Grashoff and doctoral student Srishti Rangarajan from the Institute of Integrative Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Münster has now shown that the talin protein plays a central and evolutionarily conserved role in cell adhesion.

In mid-October, the broadcaster Deutschlandfunk reported: “German research institutes are leaders in patent applications.” This was based on a study by the European Patent Office (EPO). At the University of Münster, too, there are discoveries that lead to patents. Who is involved? What obstacles are there? What follows patenting? Answers can be found in an invention from the field of pharmacy.

At the beginning of 2026, Cyprus will be taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union – a role which the 27 member states each take on, in turn, every half-year. This means that the island state, with only about 1.3 million inhabitants, will be granted something which happens only seldom: it will be in the limelight.

Life at the University of Münster, including everyday working life, is just as colourful and varied as the people who work and study here. From among the countless number of highlights and events which took place in 2025, guest authors take some figures as their basis for presenting some remarkable stories.

Tobias Heindel works at the Department of Quantum Technology on communication systems of the future whose security is based on the laws of quantum physics. A portrait.

A research team led by the University of Münster has discovered new evidence of a layered structure in the Earth’s inner core. High-pressure experiments with iron alloys showed that seismic waves travel at different speeds depending on their direction. The findings could help explain long-standing seismic anomalies deep inside the Earth.

In an article published in the journal The Lancet, an international research team led by Dr Thilo von Groote and Prof Alexander Zarbock from the University of Münster has demonstrated that a targeted preventive treatment strategy after major surgery significantly reduces the incidence of severe acute kidney injury.

A major boost for the humanities: The Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz (Joint Scientific Conference) announced on 28 November that the University of Münster will participate in the new Academies Programme with two research projects. In both projects, researchers will explore and analyse historical sources and make them accessible with the help of artificial intelligence.

Prof Dr Susanne Menzel-Riedl, the President of the University of Osnabrück, will become the new rector of the University of Münster on 1 October 2026. She will succeed Prof Dr Johannes Wessels, who has led the University since 2016. She received 23 out of 28 votes in the University Election Assembly.

A team of theoretical physicists has developed a new mathematical model that describes rotating black holes and neutron stars that orbit each other and emit gravitational waves.

A brief smartphone-based training programme completed by patients with depression alongside their inpatient treatment can lead to long-term reduction in depressive symptoms. This is the finding of a study conducted by psychologists at the University of Münster.

A research team has discovered several rare, high-pressure minerals in the Kindberg meteorite. The analysis provides new insights into the formation and preservation of these mineral phases, which is of great importance for the remote sensing of asteroids and terrestrial planets.