TU researchers prove microplastics are stored in forests for the first time

Microplastics and nanoplastics are not only polluting our oceans, rivers and fields, but also our forests. This is the conclusion reached by geoscientists at TU Darmstadt in a study now published in the renowned journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment.

Ein Interview mit den Sprecher:innen des Graduiertenkollegs „Organizing Architectures“

Das Graduiertenkolleg (GRK) „Organizing Architectures“ als stark interdisziplinär und international angelegtes Studien- und Forschungsprogramm ermöglicht multiperspektivisches Arbeiten, das sich mit dem Spannungsfeld von Architekturproduktion und gesellschaftlichen Prozessen beschäftigt.

Die Rhein-Main-Universitäten als Herzensangelegenheit

Drei ist keiner zu viel – sondern genau richtig: Davon waren die Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, die Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz und die TU Darmstadt vor zehn Jahren überzeugt, als sie 2015 eine länderübergreifende Rahmenvereinbarung abschlossen und damit die strategische Allianz der Rhein-Main-Universitäten (RMU) bildeten. Heute kooperieren über 95.000 Studierende und 1.500 Professor:innen bundesländerübergreifend eng in Forschung, Studium und Lehre sowie zunehmend in den Bereichen Transfer und Ausgründungen. So gestalten sie Frankfurt-Rhein-Main als global sichtbare Wissenschafts- und Innovationsregion. Aktuelles Ziel des forschungsstarken Verbundes ist ein erfolgreiches Abschneiden in der „Exzellenzstrategie des Bundes und der Länder“.

Be part of the energy transition

This event brings together doctoral researchers, industry voices, and academic experts to discuss the future of sustainable energy. From keynote talks to interactive sessions, the programme is designed to spark ideas and build connections across the Unite! community. Explore what’s next in energy storage and hydrogen technologies at the 2nd annual Unite!Energy Conference – a full day of insights, exchange and inspiration. The conference will take place on 10 October following the Unite! Dialogue, also at Aalto University.

Developed by young scientists

Are you interested in how cities can work better—socially, environmentally, and technically? This workshop brings together young researchers from across Europe to explore innovative ideas for improving urban systems. Through group work and discussion, you'll develop new skills in identifying urban challenges, generating ideas, and collaborating across disciplines. Joint to 2-Day workshop organized by Urban Innovation Centre at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, and get new experience in urban systems.

Boost student mobility and employability

Included in the Unite! Catalogue for Students, the initiative aimed at enhancing student mobility and offering valuable international work experience within the alliance’s research ecosystem.

MultiDrug-TDM: New LOEWE research cluster for medical technology

The new LOEWE research cluster ‘MultiDrug-TDM’, coordinated by TU Darmstadt, will receive 4.3 million euros state funding for four years, starting in January. The goal is to research a novel, intelligent sensor system to significantly improve paediatric cancer care. By measuring drug levels directly at the bedside, immediate adjustments and thus optimised personalized therapy will be possible.

New Seed Fund initiative launched in 2025

A new online exchange module is strengthening teaching collaboration across seven Unite! universities – with a focus on sustainable mobility in climate-resilient cities. Funded through the Unite! Seed Fund for Teaching and Learning, the Unite! Sustainable Mobility Forum (U!SMF) launched in the summer semester of 2025 and now brings together around 120 master’s students from the Unite! alliance and the EIT Urban Mobility Master School.

TU Darmstadt tests geothermal systems at medium depth

TU Darmstadt has implemented one of the first real-scale systems for medium-depth borehole thermal energy storage (MD-BTES) on its Lichtwiese campus. In the SKEWS (‘Seasonal Crystalline Borehole Thermal Energy Storage’) project, researchers from the TU's Geothermal Science and Technology group, led by Professor Ingo Sass, are investigating how heat generated above ground, for instance from renewable sources, can be stored seasonally in crystalline rock layers deep below the Earth's surface. Promising initial findings from the field tests are now available.

2nd Online Matchmaking Event

Unite! Engineering Biology: Online matchmaking event for young researchers. On September 25, 2025, the Unite! Engineering Biology initiative will bring together researchers from all Unite! partner universities to foster collaboration and lay the groundwork for joint project proposals in the fields of biotechnology, biomedicine, biosciences and chemistry.

Aalto University invites to Finland

The XII Unite! Dialogue will take place at Aalto University in Espoo, Finland, from 6 to 9 October 2025. Over 300 participants from the nine Unite! universities of the European University Alliance are expected to attend.

UNITE! launches the Sustainable Mobility Forum

The new UNITE! Sustainable Mobility Forum (U!SMF) will kick off with an online launch event on Friday, July 4, 2025, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM (CEST). The event will take place via Zoom.

New study under leadership of TU Darmstadt published

‘Starter packs’—curated user lists that new users can follow with a single click—played a key role in helping Bluesky grow to over 30 million users, according to a new study.

University members can vote online until 3 July

The university elections started today (23 June 2025) at 12 noon. All eligible voters can cast their votes electronically until 3 July 2025, 12 noon. The members of the University Assembly and the Department Councils, the student members of the joint commissions of the study areas as well as the members of the Student Parliament and the Department Councils will be newly elected.

Researchers show AI art protection tools still leave creators at risk

Artists have an interest in protecting their artworks found on the internet from being used as training data by AI models, which could then learn to imitate artistic styles in a deceptively realistic way. Modern image protection tools promise to prevent this. However, researchers at TU Darmstadt, the University of Cambridge and the University of Texas at San Antonio have now shown that this protection can be circumvented – a wake-up call for the industry.