Topic: research

In the recent call for the European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants, University of Tartu researchers received funding for three projects: to study the climate impact of air pollution particles, the formation of cell patterns in plant leaves, and women’s hormonal sensitivity. Each grant amounts to nearly two million euros, and the projects last for five years.

A recent overview published by the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) reveals that Estonia has performed exceptionally well in the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe (2021–2027). Among Estonian institutions, the University of Tartu has been the most successful participant in the programme, receiving almost €90 million in funding.

New data reveal a major conservation gap for networks of underground fungi that sustain plants, carbon flows, and soil health.

Leho Tedersoo, Professor of Mycorrhizal Studies at the University of Tartu, has received the Advanced Grant from the European Research Council to systematise and describe members of the 95% majority of previously unclassified microscopic fungi, and other eukaryotic organisms not yet included in the current tree of life system. Using the kingdom Fungi as an example, a new system for DNA-based classification of organisms can then be created.

On 23 May 2025, Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas approved the results of the external evaluation of Estonian research and development. The University of Tartu was the only institution in Estonia to receive a positive evaluation in all six fields: natural sciences, engineering and technology, medical and health sciences, agriculture and veterinary sciences, social sciences, and humanities and the arts.

Meelis Pärtel, Professor of Botany at the University of Tartu, was elected to Academia Europaea, the Pan-European Academy of Humanities, Letters and Sciences. Pärtel will be active in the academy’s Ecology and Evolution section, where he sees strengthening connections between ecology and other research fields as his most important task.

Doctoral studies are a part of the career path, giving you the knowledge and future skills needed to become a top specialist or manager.

A study recently published in Nature indicates that human activities have a negative effect on the biodiversity of wildlife hundreds of kilometres away.

Led by the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Centre for Sustainable Development of the University of Tartu, a guidance material has been developed for researchers on how to conduct interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.

The results of cowslip observations carried out in over 5,200 locations shed light on the well-being of insect-pollinated plants under changing climate and land use conditions.