Aid organisations have to react rapidly and effectively in crisis situations. Logistics is a crucial aspect of such action. A research project of the FWF is focused on how private logistics companies and humanitarian organisations can intensify their cooperation and work more effectively. Economists develop optimal pricing and contractual forms for this purpose. Continue reading “Humanitarian logistics – when help is effective”
The sociologist Hilde Weiss talks about the specific Austrian context, the salient features of a good society, and why one needs a thick skin in the world of science. Continue reading “Enemy stereotypes: collective problem-solving”
Rita Fürst does research at the renowned Scripps Research Institute in Florida, where the chemist enjoys reaping the fruit of her interdisciplinary work and making friends with manatees. Continue reading “Welcome to the Sunshine State, welcome to Scripps Florida!”
Life as a shift-worker, far from home, is usually considered problematic and often described in such terms. An interdisciplinary project funded by the FWF focuses on the Russian petroleum industry to study the complex interconnections in long-distance commuting and reconstituting the normality of a life between extremes. Continue reading “At the far end of the pipeline – Long-distance commuting as a way of life”
To date, chip-based retinal implants have only permitted a rudimentary restoration of vision. However, modifying the electrical signals emitted by the implants could change that. This is the conclusion of the initial published findings of a project sponsored by the FWF, which showed that two specific retinal cell types respond differently to certain electrical signals […] Continue reading “New approaches to vision with retinal implants”
Scientists can now gain a better understanding of space weather – the dreaded solar winds and flares – thanks to the development of high spatial resolution observation and computing methods. For the first time, it will thus be possible to study the interrelated events that occur on the sun and trigger solar activity. To this […] Continue reading “New method makes space weather easier to predict”
In the series “Unterwegs” (on the road) literary scientist Sandra Mayer reports about the fascination of Oxford, the value of networks und a turning point in her life. Continue reading “City of Dreaming Spires”
Implementing sustainable and binding environmental policy decisions is truly a challenge. A new economic theory will help to better understand and master this challenge. The distinguishing characteristic of the theory, which will be developed in the context of an FWF project, is an innovative way of accounting for the correlation between environmental policy and asset […] Continue reading “Getting rich through environmental policy”
The pathologist Philipp Starkl talks about Stanford, the comfort of living in San Francisco and the inestimable value of exchanges with the international scientific community. Continue reading “If you’re going to San Francisco …”
The Anglicist Barbara Seidlhofer about the lion’s den, her work as a shortage manager and why English is like driving a car. Continue reading ““Whose language is it anyway?””