Germany's first transdisciplinary infant sleep center - Das Deutsche Zentrum für Psychische Gesundheit
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Germany's first transdisciplinary infant sleep center

What are the functions of sleep in early childhood and what influences it? Scientists from various disciplines have already investigated these questions repeatedly. Researchers at the DZPG partner site in Bochum-Marburg have now developed an interdisciplinary approach. This may become a driving force in developmental sleep research.

Over the next four years, the team led by Prof. Dr. Sabine Seehagen (Ruhr University Bochum) will establish a transdisciplinary infant sleep center - the first of its kind in Germany. The Volkswagen Foundation is funding the "NAP - The Infant Sleep Center" project with approximately 850,000 euros as part of its Momentum initiative. 

Sabine Seehagen, Professor of Developmental Psychology at the Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany, points out that the existing knowledge on early sleep is rather fragmented. "This is problematic because we can only understand such a complex phenomenon by combining different theoretical models and empirical methods. The new Infant Sleep Center brings together researchers from different disciplines. In addition, it will incorporate the perspectives of people who are directly involved in early childhood sleep outside the university context, such as parents, midwives, and educators. "Our goal is to understand the importance of early sleep at different levels and in different areas of development, such as genes and social context, as well as in the areas of mental health and emotions," says the scientist. 

The cooperative network provides a wide range of measures to achieve this. In addition to collaborative research projects, there will be a fellowship program for international (post-)doctoral students. Researchers will also organize regular symposia and disseminate their findings to policymakers and practitioners. "The center will fundamentally change the approach to sleep research in our working group," says Sabine Seehagen. 

According to the Volkswagen Foundation, the Momentum initiative aims to promote new ideas for research and teaching. The initiative is aimed at professors who are three to five years into their first tenure. The funding is intended to give them the opportunity to further develop their professorship in terms of strategy and content. More here.

[Translate to English:] DZPG Säuglingsschlafzentrum