LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR RESILIENCE RESEARCH (LIR) CELEBRATES ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY
The Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research Mainz (LIR) joyously celebrated its 5th anniversary today. Established in 2018 as a GmbH under the name German Resilience Center, it gained acceptance into the Leibniz Association as LIR on January 1, 2020. What initially began as an intriguing scientific initiative has since evolved into one of the most pertinent social issues of recent years: resilience, defined as the ability to maintain or swiftly recover mental health in the face of stress, critical life events, or social crises.
In the presence of numerous distinguished guests, including the LIR management, State Secretary Dr. Denis Alt from the Ministry of Science and Health, and Leibniz Association President Martina Brockmeier, there was genuine delight in the institute's positive development. LIR now stands as a leading figure in this field within the German research landscape.
We are immensely grateful for the support we have received since the establishment of the gGmbH Deutsches Resilienz Zentrum around five years ago. Today, we take pride in being an esteemed institute within the renowned Leibniz Association," explain the two scientific directors, Prof. Dr. Klaus Lieb and Prof. Dr. Beat Lutz, along with the commercial director, Dr. Thorsten Mundi. They further emphasize, "This success has been made possible through the exceptional commitment of our professors, who, together with their research groups and a competent administrative team, tirelessly seek answers to the mechanistic basis of stress resilience and ways to promote it."
"What our employees accomplish here is not only highly professional and relevant; it is work that shapes the future! That's why we jointly fund the LIR with contributions from federal and state governments, supporting a multitude of projects ranging from basic and applied research to societal transfer," adds Denis Alt, State Secretary in the Ministry of Science and Health in Rhineland-Palatinate, representing Minister President Malu Dreyer. "Significant scientific findings from these funded projects directly benefit individuals whose resilience is compromised, and the increasing digitalization of assistance is making it more accessible. The LIR's preventative efforts are, therefore, profoundly significant for society," continued State Secretary Alt.
The President of the Leibniz Association, Prof. Dr. Martina Brockmeier, extends her congratulations to the LIR:
'The Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research is a crucial and innovative component of the Leibniz Association. Despite its relatively short existence, the institute has already achieved remarkably impressive milestones. The Leibniz Research Alliance 'Ageing and Resilience,' coordinated by the LIR, adopts a novel health-oriented perspective in ageing research. Additionally, under the leadership of the LIR, the recently approved Leibniz Science Campus NanoBrain will pioneer innovative and highly specific approaches for preventing and treating diseases of the central nervous system, such as depression.
The Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research in Mainz (LIR) stands as a non-university research institute where neurobiologists, physicists, physicians, and psychologists collaborate on interdisciplinary research focusing on the phenomenon of resilience. This encompasses the maintenance or swift recovery of mental health during or after stressful life events. The institute's primary objectives are to comprehend resilience mechanisms from a neuroscientific standpoint, develop interventions to promote resilience, and actively contribute to transforming living and working environments to bolster resilience. Dedicated to one of the most pressing social issues of our time, the LIR is the first institute of its kind in Europe. Its precursor, the German Resilience Center (DRZ), was established as a gGmbH in 2018 and integrated into the Leibniz Association as the LIR in January 2020.'"