The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) is funding four projects as part of its Grand Challenge Initiative Global Health. The researchers are addressing urban mental health, planetary health, health care and migration, and antimicrobial resistance worldwide. All of the projects use an interdisciplinary approach and require collaboration between individuals or organizations working not only in the health sciences but also a variety of other societal areas such as politics, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), or culture. The alliance projects will be funded for three years with a total of approximately 5.4 million euros.

The Funded Projects

“Re-Scaling Global Health. Human Health and Multispecies Cohabitation on an Urban Planet”

This project deals with the interrelationships between humans, animals, and the environment in urban settings and how they affect human health. The multiple links between health, biodiversity, and environmental pollution will be investigated.

BUA partner institutions involved in the project: Technische Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité, Freie Universität Berlin

“Exploring gender-specific determinants and contexts of migrant health from an integrated Global Health perspective”

In implementing their right to health, immigrant populations in Germany face numerous barriers and exclusion mechanisms of a social, cultural, and structural nature. The project will examine health needs of different immigrant groups, gender-related differences, and the dynamics of intersectional inequalities in Germany. Perspectives from potential countries of origin are included to develop potential solutions.

BUA partner institutions involved in the project: Charité, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin.

“GlobalResist – Forecasting antibiotic resistance evolution – a new approach to address a major issue in global health”

The development of resistance to antimicrobial agents is one of the major challenges in the fight against infectious diseases. GlobalResist is developing a wide-ranging approach to predicting antibiotic resistance that intricately links different disciplines. The aim is to enable the assessment of risks of patients developing resistance before use in the future, ideally so that resistance issues can be avoided and antibiotics can be used more sustainably.

BUA partner institutions involved in the project: Freie Universität Berlin, Charité, Technische Universität Berlin

“Exploring and Designing Urban Density. Neurourbanism as a Novel Approach in Global Health”

The neurourbanism research platform explores how urban density affects people’s psyches. Based on a new theory of cognitive science of urban space, the researchers will investigate the societal, creative, and structural factors that influence the mental health of young people and immigrants in the city.

BUA partner institutions involved in the project: Charité, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin