On September 4th, Lower Saxony's Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, visited the NIhK and got informed about the NIhK's current research during his summer trip.

During short presentations of several research projects, the minister entered into a lively dialogue with the scientists. Current questions about Stone Age settlement, research into different graves and fortifications, and landscape and coastal genetic processes in the area of ​​the North Sea coast were discussed.

The SUBNORDICA project, which began in April 2024 and is funded by the European Research Council as part of an ERC Synergy Grant, received particular attention. In a group of several maritime-oriented research institutions and universities in Denmark, England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Poland, the project aims at important methodological developments for the localization and investigation of Stone Age settlements on the seabed of the North and Baltic Seas. These were flooded during the rapid post-glacial sea level rise between 10,000 and 5,000 BC. BC.

A wide range of methods and the planned use of artificial intelligence to evaluate the research results make SUBNORDICA the largest and best-equipped project of its kind in the world to date. This approach is intended to set new standards and be used in coastal regions worldwide. The aim of the project is to be able to better protect and research the Stone Age cultural heritage under water in the future.

Minister Mohrs was impressed by the interdisciplinary work and the diversity of the projects presented and wished the NIhK continued success.