SENCKENBERG GESELLSCHAFT FUR NATURFORSCHUNG

Their core work

Senckenberg is one of Germany's largest natural history research institutions, operating major museums and research stations across the country. Their core work spans biodiversity science, paleontology, earth system research, and the curation of vast natural science collections (geological, biological, paleontological). In H2020, they contribute deep expertise in geochemical analysis, ecosystem monitoring, and the digitization of scientific collections — serving as a bridge between field research and large-scale data infrastructure for the European research community.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), Senckenberg focused on fundamental geoscience — isotope geochemistry, paleoclimate reconstruction, and building long-term ecosystem research infrastructure (eLTER, BASE-LiNE Earth, ABRUPT). From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward digitization of natural science collections (DiSSCo, SYNTHESYS PLUS), applied environmental challenges like wildfire risk (FirEUrisk), and interdisciplinary approaches combining archaeology with environmental modelling (SUSTAIN). The evolution reflects a move from pure analytical science toward making collections and data accessible at European scale, while expanding into societally relevant environmental topics.

Senckenberg is positioning itself as a central node in Europe's distributed scientific collections infrastructure (DiSSCo/SYNTHESYS) while expanding into applied environmental risk science — expect growing demand for their data integration capabilities.

How they like to work

Senckenberg predominantly joins projects as a participant (11 of 17 projects), contributing specialist expertise to large consortia rather than leading them. Their 4 coordinator roles are all MSCA individual fellowships or small focused grants, not large consortia — suggesting they attract talented researchers but prefer to contribute domain expertise in bigger collaborative efforts. With 250 unique partners across 42 countries, they function as a well-connected hub in European natural science networks, making them easy to integrate into new consortia.

Senckenberg has collaborated with 250 unique partners across 42 countries, giving them one of the broadest networks in European natural history and biodiversity research. Their partnerships span from marine science institutions (iAtlantic) to earth observation networks (ERA-PLANET) and archaeological research groups (SUSTAIN).

What sets them apart

Senckenberg combines three things rarely found together: world-class natural science collections (millions of specimens), strong analytical geochemistry labs, and deep involvement in building Europe's digital research infrastructure. Unlike university groups that come and go with individual PIs, Senckenberg offers institutional continuity — their eLTER involvement spans the entire H2020 programme from 2015 to 2026. For consortium builders, they bring both the physical collections and the data integration expertise needed for biodiversity and earth science projects at European scale.

Highlights from their portfolio

• eLTER PLUS
  Their largest single EC contribution (EUR 522,582), part of a decade-long commitment to European long-term ecosystem research infrastructure spanning three consecutive projects.
• DiSSCo Prepare
  Preparatory phase for Europe's Distributed System of Scientific Collections — positions Senckenberg at the heart of a major ESFRI infrastructure that will shape how natural science data is accessed for decades.
• FirEUrisk
  Their most recent and applied project (2021-2025), addressing European wildfire management — shows expansion from pure science into urgent societal challenges.