diff --git a/inception/inception-model/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/AnnotationLayer.java b/inception/inception-model/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/AnnotationLayer.java
index a88d0b2328e..c61412fcea6 100644
--- a/inception/inception-model/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/AnnotationLayer.java
+++ b/inception/inception-model/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/AnnotationLayer.java
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 
 import static jakarta.persistence.ConstraintMode.NO_CONSTRAINT;
 import static java.util.Arrays.asList;
+import static org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils.isBlank;
+import static org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils.substringAfterLast;
 
 import java.io.Serializable;
 
@@ -63,9 +65,15 @@ public class AnnotationLayer
     @Column(name = "id")
     private Long id;
 
+    @Column(name = "name", nullable = false)
+    private String name;
+
     @Column(nullable = false)
     private String uiName;
 
+    @Column(name = "short_name", nullable = true)
+    private String shortName;
+
     @Column(nullable = false)
     private String type;
 
@@ -82,9 +90,6 @@ public class AnnotationLayer
     @Column(length = 64000)
     private String onClickJavascriptAction;
 
-    @Column(name = "name", nullable = false)
-    private String name;
-
     @ManyToOne
     // @ForeignKey(ConstraintMode.NO_CONSTRAINT)
     @JoinColumn(name = "annotation_type", //
@@ -148,6 +153,7 @@ private AnnotationLayer(Builder builder)
     {
         this.id = builder.id;
         this.uiName = builder.uiName;
+        this.shortName = builder.shortName;
         this.type = builder.type;
         this.description = builder.description;
         this.enabled = builder.enabled;
@@ -223,6 +229,29 @@ public void setDescription(String aDescription)
         description = aDescription;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * The name under which the layer should be accessible when searching
+     * 
+     * @param aShortName
+     */
+    public void setShortName(String aShortName)
+    {
+        shortName = aShortName;
+    }
+
+    public String getShortName()
+    {
+        if (isBlank(shortName)) {
+            if (name != null && name.contains(".")) {
+                return substringAfterLast(name, ".");
+            }
+
+            return name;
+        }
+
+        return shortName;
+    }
+
     /**
      * The name displayed to the user in the UI.
      * 
@@ -588,14 +617,15 @@ public static Builder builder()
     public static final class Builder
     {
         private Long id;
+        private String name;
         private String uiName;
+        private String shortName;
         private String type;
         private String description;
         private boolean enabled = true;
         private boolean builtIn = false;
         private boolean readonly = false;
         private String onClickJavascriptAction;
-        private String name;
         private AnnotationLayer attachType;
         private AnnotationFeature attachFeature;
         private Project project;
@@ -638,6 +668,12 @@ public Builder withUiName(String aUiName)
             return this;
         }
 
+        public Builder withShortName(String aShortName)
+        {
+            shortName = aShortName;
+            return this;
+        }
+
         public Builder withType(String aType)
         {
             type = aType;
diff --git a/inception/inception-model/src/main/resources/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/db-changelog.xml b/inception/inception-model/src/main/resources/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/db-changelog.xml
index 8e642de4c80..a5546800ae4 100644
--- a/inception/inception-model/src/main/resources/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/db-changelog.xml
+++ b/inception/inception-model/src/main/resources/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/model/db-changelog.xml
@@ -1401,7 +1401,18 @@
   <changeSet author="INCEpTION Team" id="20240629-14-pg" dbms="postgresql">
     <sql>ALTER TABLE annotation_feature ALTER "curatable" TYPE BOOLEAN USING ("curatable"::int::bool)</sql>
   </changeSet>
- 
+
+  <changeSet author="INCEpTION Team" id="20240907-01">
+    <preConditions onFail="MARK_RAN">
+      <not>
+        <columnExists tableName="annotation_type" columnName="short_name" />
+      </not>
+    </preConditions>
+    <addColumn tableName="annotation_type">
+      <column name="short_name" type="VARCHAR(255)"/>
+    </addColumn>
+  </changeSet>
+
   <changeSet author="INCEpTION Team" id="20251031-1">
     <preConditions onFail="MARK_RAN">
       <not>
diff --git a/inception/inception-schema-api/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/api/AnnotationSchemaService.java b/inception/inception-schema-api/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/api/AnnotationSchemaService.java
index 749f8d8ef20..d627ca00ad2 100644
--- a/inception/inception-schema-api/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/api/AnnotationSchemaService.java
+++ b/inception/inception-schema-api/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/api/AnnotationSchemaService.java
@@ -182,6 +182,17 @@ public interface AnnotationSchemaService
      */
     boolean existsLayer(String name, Project project);
 
+    /**
+     * Check if an {@link AnnotationLayer} exists with this short name in the given {@link Project}.
+     * 
+     * @param shortName
+     *            the layer name.
+     * @param project
+     *            the project.
+     * @return if the layer exists.
+     */
+    boolean existsLayerWithShortName(String shortName, Project project);
+
     /**
      * check if an {@link AnnotationLayer} exists with this name and type in this {@link Project}
      * 
diff --git a/inception/inception-schema/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/service/AnnotationSchemaServiceImpl.java b/inception/inception-schema/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/service/AnnotationSchemaServiceImpl.java
index f33552d24f4..13d69f64d13 100644
--- a/inception/inception-schema/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/service/AnnotationSchemaServiceImpl.java
+++ b/inception/inception-schema/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/inception/schema/service/AnnotationSchemaServiceImpl.java
@@ -437,6 +437,23 @@ public boolean existsLayer(String aName, Project aProject)
         }
     }
 
+    @Override
+    @Transactional(noRollbackFor = NoResultException.class, readOnly = true)
+    public boolean existsLayerWithShortName(String aShortName, Project aProject)
+    {
+        try {
+            entityManager.createQuery(
+                    "FROM AnnotationLayer WHERE shortName = :shortName AND project = :project",
+                    AnnotationLayer.class).setParameter("shortName", aShortName) //
+                    .setParameter("project", aProject) //
+                    .getSingleResult();
+            return true;
+        }
+        catch (NoResultException e) {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
     @Override
     @Transactional(noRollbackFor = NoResultException.class, readOnly = true)
     public boolean existsLayer(String aName, String aType, Project aProject)
diff --git a/inception/inception-ui-core/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/core/WicketApplicationBase.utf8.properties b/inception/inception-ui-core/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/core/WicketApplicationBase.utf8.properties
index 2deced219aa..eb530b0112c 100644
--- a/inception/inception-ui-core/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/core/WicketApplicationBase.utf8.properties
+++ b/inception/inception-ui-core/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/core/WicketApplicationBase.utf8.properties
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ enabled=Enabled
 
 id=ID
 name=Name
+shortName=Short name
 slug=URL slug
 description=Description
 format=Format
diff --git a/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/LayerDetailForm.java b/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/LayerDetailForm.java
index fb8794aa01f..2f5a5ce304c 100644
--- a/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/LayerDetailForm.java
+++ b/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/LayerDetailForm.java
@@ -100,6 +100,7 @@ public class LayerDetailForm
     private DropDownChoice<AnnotationLayer> attachTypeSelect;
     private Label effectiveAttachType;
     private TextField<String> uiName;
+    private TextField<String> shortName;
 
     private FeatureSelectionForm featureSelectionForm;
     private FeatureDetailForm featureDetailForm;
@@ -127,6 +128,11 @@ public LayerDetailForm(String id, IModel<AnnotationLayer> aSelectedLayer,
         uiName.setOutputMarkupId(true);
         uiName.setRequired(true);
         add(uiName);
+
+        shortName = new TextField<String>("shortName");
+        shortName.setOutputMarkupId(true);
+        add(shortName);
+
         add(new TextArea<String>("description").setOutputMarkupPlaceholderTag(true));
 
         add(new Label("name").add(visibleWhen(() -> isNotBlank(getModelObject().getName()))));
@@ -373,6 +379,13 @@ private void actionSave(AjaxRequestTarget aTarget, Form<AnnotationLayer> aForm)
                 return;
             }
 
+            if (annotationService.existsLayerWithShortName(shortLayerName, project)) {
+                error("A layer with the short name [" + shortLayerName
+                        + "] already exists in this project.");
+                return;
+            }
+
+            layer.setShortName(shortLayerName);
             layer.setName(layerName);
         }
 
diff --git a/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/ProjectLayersPanel.html b/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/ProjectLayersPanel.html
index 7734526341c..5cb4d2e4bb1 100644
--- a/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/ProjectLayersPanel.html
+++ b/inception/inception-ui-project/src/main/java/de/tudarmstadt/ukp/clarin/webanno/ui/project/layers/ProjectLayersPanel.html
@@ -154,6 +154,12 @@
                     <strong><span wicket:id="name"/></strong>
                   </div>
                 </div>
+                <div class="form-row form-floating">
+                  <input wicket:id="shortName" class="form-control" wicket:message="placeholder:shortName"/>
+                  <label wicket:for="shortName">
+                    <wicket:label key="shortName"/>
+                  </label>
+                </div>
                 <div class="form-row form-floating" wicket:enclosure="type">
                   <select wicket:id="type" class="form-select" wicket:message="placeholder:type"/>
                   <label wicket:for="type">