UNIVERSITAT ERFURT

Their core work

Universität Erfurt is a German university with strong humanities and social sciences roots, particularly known for its Max-Weber-Kolleg — an advanced research center for cultural and social studies. Their core work spans religious studies, Islamic civilisation research, and the intersection of religion with digital transformation and globalisation. More recently, they have expanded into public health communication, specifically tackling vaccine hesitancy and misinformation among healthcare professionals in the context of COVID-19.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Erfurt's early H2020 engagement (2015–2018) centred on building interdisciplinary research capacity through its Max-Weber-Kolleg fellowship programme, focused broadly on cultural and social studies. From 2019 onward, the university sharpened its focus toward religion in the digital age (MIDA) and pivoted into public health communication with the JITSUVAX project on vaccine misinformation. This evolution shows a university moving from general humanities capacity-building toward applied, society-relevant research on misinformation and belief systems.

Erfurt is increasingly positioned at the intersection of belief systems, digital communication, and misinformation — a combination highly relevant for future projects on media literacy, trust in science, and societal resilience.

How they like to work

Universität Erfurt takes varied roles — they have coordinated one project, partnered in another, and served as a third party in a third, showing flexibility rather than a fixed position. With 30 unique consortium partners across 10 countries from just 3 projects, they engage in moderately large international consortia. This adaptability makes them a pragmatic partner who can step into whichever role a consortium needs.

Despite only three H2020 projects, Erfurt has built a network of 30 partners across 10 countries, indicating they join well-connected consortia. Their geographic reach is solidly European, with no indication of a narrow regional cluster.

What sets them apart

Erfurt's distinctive strength lies in combining deep humanities expertise — particularly in religious studies and cultural analysis — with emerging competence in health communication and misinformation research. Few universities bridge Islamic civilisation studies and vaccine hesitancy in the same portfolio. For consortium builders, this makes them a strong choice when projects need social science depth applied to real-world public communication challenges.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MWK-Fellows
  Their largest project (EUR 1.4M) and sole coordinator role — a prestigious MSCA-COFUND fellowship programme at the Max-Weber-Kolleg.
• JITSUVAX
  Marks a significant pivot into public health, applying behavioural science to counter COVID-19 vaccine misinformation among healthcare workers.
• MIDA
  Bridges traditional Islamic studies with digital transformation research — a rare and timely combination in the humanities.