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The end of term and the lecture-free period are marked by written examinations and term papers. Some students react to this with procrastination. To counter excessive procrastination, the AStA (General Students’ Committee) and the Procrastination Outpatient Clinic at the University of Münster support affected students. Answers to important questions on the topic can be found in this text.

A team led by Prof Martin Salinga has mapped the energy landscape of germanium telluride, gaining deep insights into the behaviour of the material. The findings could contribute be interesting, for example, for realising very dense networks of memory cells.

A major recognition for Prof Dr Franziska Jahnke and Dr Konstantinos Kartas: On January 31, 2026, research results of the two members of Mathematics Münster will be presented at the "Séminaire N. Bourbaki" in Paris. The internationally renowned seminar series is considered a barometer of current developments in mathematical research.

Natalia Sampedro Loro from Spain and Anar Abdullayev from Azerbaijan are studying in the third semester of the English-language Mathematics Master's programme at the University of Münster. And they are doing so with such dedication and success that they have each been awarded a monthly scholarship of 1,000 Euros for one year by the Berlin-based foundation “Wübben Stiftung Wissenschaft”.

A milestone has been reached in the commissioning of the FFB PreFab (first construction phase): the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production FFB, in which research partners from the University of Münster are involved, has produced its first electrically functional lithium-ion battery cell.

A team led by Prof Susann Wicke from the Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity has shown that certain parasitic plants activate their haustoria independently of the host plant. This strategy increases their ability to successfully infest the host.

The University of Münster’s Clinician Scientist CareerS programme supports medical professionals who are engaged in patient care while actively pursuing research. In this dual role, they can make a key contribution to ensuring that research translates into new treatment options. The German Research Foundation is once again providing more than a million euros to fund the programme.

The University of Münster’s ‘InFlame’ programme has been awarded 1.1 million euros from the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation for a second funding period of four years. The programme is aimed at postdocs in the natural sciences working in the interdisciplinary field of inflammation research. It helps create synergies between research and clinical practice and supports candidates in setting the course for their careers.

Leading an orchestra sounds exciting, but what does being a conductor really involve? In an interview with Norbert Robers, Miloš Dopsaj from the University of Music describes how he shapes an ensemble and achieves top performance, as well as explains why self-confidence on the podium is so important.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize 2026 to chemist Prof. Armido Studer from the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Münster. Worth 2.5 million euros, the Leibniz Prize is the most valuable and the most important German research prize.

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.