Extension of CLICCS fundingFuture of the next generation of climate researchers ensured

22 May 2025

Photo: UHH/Claudia Höhne

Cheers and applause in the Audimax of the University of Hamburg: the Cluster of Excellence CLICCS (Climate, Climatic Change, and Society) will receive millions in funding for a further seven years. This has now been announced by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the German Council of Science and Humanities. The graduate school SICSS (School of Integrated Climate and Earth System Sciences) also benefits from this - with its commitment to doctoral candidates and postdocs, it helps forming the next generation of climate researchers.

“I am very happy about the extension of our Cluster of Excellence,” says CLICCS spokesperson Prof. Johanna Baehr, “our special combination of academic depth and interdisciplinary diversity makes us unique in climate research. We research which climate futures are plausible - and how socially desirable futures can become reality.” The future that awaits us depends not only on the climate system, but also on social developments. In the new CLICCS II funding phase, natural and social scientists will therefore work even more closely together.

This requires young talent with an interdisciplinary mindset - not just pure natural or social scientists. This is where the SICSS comes in: The graduate school supports doctoral candidates and postdocs with a comprehensive qualification program. Doctoral students benefit from intensive supervision by an advisory panel, a wide range of courses, international exchange opportunities and individual career support. The focus is on both academic excellence and personal development. Postdocs also receive targeted support - through a structured career development program with individual mentoring, development discussions and networking opportunities. The aim is to strengthen their scientific independence, attract third-party funding and promote their international networking.

With the continued funding of CLICCS, the future of SICSS is also secured in the long term - and with it the training of the next generation of excellent climate researchers.