- Centre
- Milestones
Milestones
1 October 2024
New funding model
Permanent funding provided by federal states and hosting institutions in Central Germany
1 October 2024
New research group: Biodiversity in the Anthropocene
with Prof Dr Susanne Fritz (iDiv, Friedrich Schiller University Jena) as group head
13 November 2023
New Research Training Group ECO-N
Grant proposal approved by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
12–16 September 2023
52nd Annual Meeting of The Ecological Society (GfÖ)
in Leipzig with iDiv as local host
4–8 September 2023
Seventh iDiv Summer School
on “Integrating Ecological and Economic Theory for Modelling Biodiversity Change” in Leipzig
20 April 2023
Celebration of 10 years of iDiv
with the Minister Presidents of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia and the Federal Government Commissioner for Eastern Germany
30 March 2023
ERC Advanced Grant
for Jonathan Chase (iDiv, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg)
17 January 2023
Parliamentary evening
at the State Representation of Saxony-Anhalt in Berlin
15–19 August 2022
Sixth iDiv Summer School
on “Molecular Evolutionary Ecology in Biodiversity” in Leipzig
1 July 2022
New Junior research group: Soil Biodiversity and Functions
with Anton Potapov (iDiv, Leipzig University) as group head
1 June 2022
New Junior research group: Symbiont Evolution
with Michael Gerth (iDiv, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) as group head
25/26 April 2022
Seventh iDiv Annual Conference
with more than 300 participants – again virtual
7 April 2022
Leipzig Science and Humanities Prize 2022
for Christian Wirth (iDiv, Leipzig University, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)
15 September 2021
Inauguration of the new iDiv building
with the Minister Presidents of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
6 July 2021

Extension of iDiv’s funding
for another three years by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
February 2021
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
for Nico Eisenhauer (iDiv, Leipzig University)
1 November 2020
New Junior research group: Evolutionary Ecology
with Omer Nevo (iDiv, Friedrich Schiller University Jena)
1 October 2020

Start of the yDiv Postdoctoral Programme
January 2020
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize
for iDiv member Markus Reichstein (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)
29 August 2019
Fifth iDiv Annual Conference
on biodiversity science with more than 300 participants at the Leipziger Kubus (UFZ)
21–28 August 2019
Fifth iDiv Summer School
on “Citizen Science – Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy” in Leipzig
11 June 2019
Inauguration of iDiv research greenhouse
at the Botanical Garden of Leipzig University
April 2019
Thuringian Research Prize
for Ulrich Brose (iDiv, Friedrich Schiller University Jena)
11–12 December 2018
Fourth iDiv Annual Conference
on biodiversity science with more than 310 participants at the Leipziger Kubus (UFZ)
1 October 2018
New research group: Biodiversity Economics
with Prof Dr Martin Quaas (iDiv, Leipzig University) as group head
20–31 August 2018
Fourth iDiv Summer School
on “Ecological Theory of Modelling for the Biodiversity Crisis” in Leipzig
July 2018
Piers J. Sellers Mid-Career Award
for iDiv member Markus Reichstein (Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)
1 June 2018
New Junior research group: Evolution and Adaptation
with Renske Onstein (iDiv, Leipzig University) as group head
12 April 2018
Groundbreaking of the new iDiv building
with Minister President of Saxony Michael Kretschmer
21 March 2018
Roofing ceremony of research greenhouse
at the Botanical Garden of Leipzig University
January 2018
Max Planck Fellowship for Christian Wirth (iDiv, UL, MPI BGC)
extended for another five years
4–5 December 2017
Visit by the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
at the iDiv core centre in Leipzig
19–20 September 2017
Third iDiv Annual Conference
on biodiversity science with more than 240 participants at the Leipziger Kubus (UFZ)
3–15 September 2017
Third iDiv Summer School
on “Synthesising and Modelling Biodiversity Data” in Leipzig
9 June 2017
Saxon Prime Minister Stanislaw Tillich and Minister of Science Eva-Maria Stange
visit iDiv core centre in Leipzig
7–8 November 2016
Second iDiv Annual Conference
on biodiversity science with more than 200 participants at the Leipziger Kubus (UFZ)
29 July 2016
‘Freigeist’ Fellowship
of the VolkswagenStiftung for Carsten Meyer (iDiv, Leipzig University)
6 July 2016
Extension of iDiv’s funding
for another four years by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)
19–25 June 2016
Second iDiv Summer School
on “Biodiversity Synthesis and Integration” in Leipzig
2–3 December 2015
First iDiv Annual Conference
on biodiversity science with more than 230 participants and 80 lectures in Leipzig
23–29 August 2015
First iDiv Summer School
with 24 participants from 16 countries in Leipzig
25 May 2015
New research group: Spatial Interaction Ecology
with Humboldt Professor Tiffany Knight (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, iDiv) as group head
1 February 2015
New research group: Theory in Biodiversity Sciences
with Prof Dr Ulrich Brose (iDiv, Friedrich Schiller University Jena) as group head
1 January 2015
New Junior Research Group: Domestication Genomics
with Martin Mascher (iDiv, IPK) as group head
1 August 2014
New research group: Biodiversity Synthesis
with Prof Dr Jonathan Chase (iDiv, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) as group head
1 August 2014
New research group : Physiological Diversity
with Prof Dr Stan Harpole (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, iDiv, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) as group head
9 July 2014
Re-commissioning of the Leipzig Canopy Crane
as an iDiv research platform
5 May 2014
Commissioning of the High-Performance Computing Cluster
at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
1 May 2014
New research group: Ecosystem Services
with Prof Dr Aletta Bonn (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, iDiv, Friedrich Schiller University Jena) as group head
8 April 2014
New Junior Research Group: Sustainability and Complexity in Ape Habitat
with Dr Hjalmar Kühl (iDiv, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology) as group head
1 April 2014
New research group: Experimental Interaction Ecology
with Prof Dr Nico Eisenhauer (iDiv, Leipzig University) as group head
1 April 2014
New research group: Molecular Interaction Ecology
with Prof Dr Nicole M van Dam (iDiv, Friedrich Schiller University Jena) as group head
March 2014
Robert Bosch Junior Professorship
for Dr Hjalmar Kühl (iDiv, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology)
October–December 2013
yDiv accredited
to InGrA (International Graduate Academy MLU), JGA (Graduate Academy FSU), Research Academy Leipzig (UL)
1 September 2013
First iDiv research group: Biodiversity Conservation
with Prof Dr Henrique M Pereira (iDiv, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) as group head
18–20 April 2013
Opening Symposium
“Integrative Biodiversity Research – a young discipline under time pressure”
18 April 2013
iDiv becomes a central facility of Leipzig University
1 February 2013
First Junior Research Group: Niche Detector for Hyperdiverse Tropical Forests
with Nadja Rüger (iDiv, Leipzig University) as group head
1 February 2013
Visit Saxon Minister of Science, Sabine von Schorlemer
January 2013
Christian Wirth (iDiv, Leipzig University) appointed as Max Planck Fellow
14 May 2012
First General Member Assembly with press conference
at the Botanical Garden in Leipzig
27 April 2012
Acceptance Initial Proposal
the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) funds iDiv