Foreword

The University of Leipzig's Research Report for the year 1999 comprises a booklet and a CD-ROM. It is full of useful information about the current state of research at the University. It contains information on the research activities pursued by the 14 faculties and provides a survey of the bodies (mostly interdepartmental) under whose auspices research is conducted. It also includes details concerning patent applications submitted by the University, its participation in exhibitions, and conferences it has hosted. Furthermore, the Report mentions a number of prizes and other awards received by members of the University. The statistics and charts at the end of the booklet contain facts and figures such as the level of external funding granted and its sources, the number of projects being carried out, the amount of doctorates and other higher degrees awarded, and publication activities. The booklet is augmented by the CD-ROM, which contains full details of each individual research project. This year for the first time, some parts of the Research Report are also in English in order to reach the international scientific community.

All the institutions supported in 1998 by the DFG (Germany's central scientific funding body), the BMBF (German Ministry of Education and Research), the SMWK (Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Culture of the Free State of Saxony) and other backers continued their work in 1999 and in some cases received approval for further periods of funding following successful evaluation. One exception is the postgraduate research unit "Molecular and Cell Biology of Connective Tissue (Molekular- und Zellbiologie des Bindegewebes)", which finished on 31 January 1999. The Co-ordination Centre for Clinical Trials (KKSL / Koordinierungszentrum für klinische Studien Leipzig) started work on 1 October 1999, as did the DFG-funded research group "Linguistic Foundations of Cognitive Science (Sprachtheoretische Grundlagen der Kognitionswissenschaft)".

The year 1999 was characterised by intensive preliminary work for other research initiatives: a recommendation has been passed for the establishment of the research group "Comparative Study of Programming on East German Television (Programmgeschichte DDR-Fernsehen - komparatistisch)"; the University of Leipzig took part in the BMBF's "BioProfile" competition via Bioregion Halle-Leipzig Management GmbH, which has now been given funding to work out a detailed application; in the DFG "Bioinformatik" competition the University of Leipzig was among the 3-5 applicants to be short-listed; and the assessors also recommended that the collaborative research centre "Bioactive Ligands of Communicative Proteins: Probes for Structure Identification and Function Analysis (Bioaktive Liganden kommunikativer Proteine: Sonden zur Strukturerkennung und Funktionsanalytik)" involving the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy, the Faculty of Biology, Pharmacy and Psychology, and the Faculty of Medicine be financially supported. Moreover, in a joint undertaking by the University together with Leipzig City Council and three ministries in Saxony, the green light has been given for the construction of the BBZ (Biotechnology-Biomedicine Centre) near the Leipzig Fair's old grounds. The BBZ will house both commercial and scientific operations under one roof, and will ensure the rapid transfer of knowledge from this important area of Life Sciences to industry.

In 1999, a number of important buildings were completed and their new occupiers have moved in. They include the new chemistry block on Philipp-Rosenthal-Strasse, and the Max Bürger Centre containing research premises for the Faculty of Medicine. The refurbishment of the physics building is now also complete. Work dogged by difficult conditions such as construction noise, temporary accommodation and frequent moving has now returned to 'normal', i.e. the institutes concerned enjoy excellent working conditions.

This and all the other activities currently underway demonstrate that the University of Leipzig has further developed and sharpened its profile. These successes are not least due to the extraordinarily good co-operation with the three Max Planck Institutes in Leipzig, the UFZ Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, the institutes of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Society (previously known as the "Blaue Liste" institutes), other non-university research establishments, Leipzig City Council and regional companies. Mention should also be made of the award of An-Institut status to the Institute of Interdisciplinary Isotope Research.

The scholars and scientists at the University of Leipzig include numerous non-Germans. In addition to their valuable contribution to research, they are indispensable for the maintenance and further expansion of international ties. May this welcoming attitude towards foreigners which is part of everyday life here spread far beyond the University.

In times of dwindling resources and continued job cuts, all these efforts are doubly important. The University of Leipzig is well on the way to achieving a high position in the university rankings - not just in individual fields, but as a whole.