DFG projects

Succeeding in a highly competitive environment

The amount of third-party funding which a university attracts is a key indicator of its performance. Funding provided by the DFG (German Research Foundation) is especially significant, as it is awarded on the basis of particularly strict criteria. Accordingly, the percentage of applications which are successful is relatively low: In 2023 the national percentage of applications granted by the DFG in all disciplines was 32.2 percent. When it comes to DFG funding, FAU has been ranked among the top ten best universities in Germany for many years. For 2023, FAU has been granted 117.7 million euros of DFG funding.

Ongoing DFG projects which FAU is currently involved in

Collaborative Research Centers (CRC) and Transregios (TRR) are research institutions at universities which are awarded long-term funding where researchers work together as part of an interdisciplinary research program. FAU is involved in 19 Collaborative Research Centers or Collaborative Research Centers/Transregios (CRC/TRR) and is the main applicant university for 8 and co-applicant for 5 of these. (updated October 17, 2024)

Collaborative Research Centers/Transregios with FAU as the main applicant university

CRC 1411 focuses on optimizing nanoparticle design. For this purpose, particle syntheses are combined with novel separation methods for classifying nanoparticles. The key feature of this approach is that production is optimized in such a way that particles with engineered properties can be produced in continuous processes. These elegant approaches to property and process design replace current methods that are often highly complex and based on experiments. Thanks to this innovation, the new CRC will make important contributions to the digitalization of the product design of particle systems. In 20 individual projects, researchers from the fields of chemical engineering, materials sciences, mathematics and physics will design, produce and characterize new nanoparticles. Designing particles with special optical properties is a central aspect of this research. Within the framework of the CRC, a research training group has been set up for doctoral research in nanoparticle design – a world first. The CRC is also breaking new ground in dealing with the large amounts of data generated in the experiments and simulations.

Professor Nicolas Vogel is speaker for CRC 1411. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2027.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1411

The CRC ‘Catalysis at Liquid Surfaces (CLINT)’ is pursuing a completely new approach in chemical reaction engineering by using the highly-dynamic anisotropic environment of gaseous-liquid and liquid-solid interfaces to create technical catalysts with new properties and as yet unattained productivity, stability and manageability. The aim is to combine the understanding of catalytic processes with targeted material development, which is why the research will include everything from model systems to real catalysts and incorporate in-situ methods.

Professor Peter Wasserscheid is speaker for CRC 1452. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2024.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1452

CRC 1483 EmpkinS (Empatho-Kinaesthetic Sensory Systems) is aimed at finding brand new ‘digital’ patient-centered options for diagnosis and treatment in medicine and psychology by combining touch-free radar, wireless and camera-based sensor technologies with innovative signal processing methods and artificial intelligence.

EmpkinS has received roughly 11 million euros of funding for the next four years. In addition to FAU, Hamburg University of Technology, the University of Bayreuth and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen are also involved in the project.

Professor Martin Vossiek is speaker for CRC 1483. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until June 30, 2025.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1483

The central nervous system (CNS) is our most complex organ system. Despite tremendous progress in our understanding of the biochemical, electrical, and genetic regulation of CNS functioning and malfunctioning, many fundamental processes and diseases are still not fully understood. Only recently, groups of several PLs in this consortium, and a few other groups worldwide, have discovered an important contribution of mechanical signals to regulating CNS cell function. The CRC 1540 ‘Exploring Brain Mechanics’ will synergise the expertise of engineers, physicists, biologists, medical researchers, and clinicians in Erlangen and Berlin to exploit mechanics-based approaches to advance our understanding of CNS function and, as a long-term vision, to provide the foundation for future improvement of diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.

The speaker of CRC 1540 is Professor Dr.-Ing. habil. Paul Steinmann. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2026.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1540

The goal of CRC/Transregio 154 is to meet the challenges of energy reform using mathematical modeling, simulation and optimization in order to provide solutions which set a new quality standard. New knowledge of various fields of mathematics, such as mathematical modeling, numerical analysis and simulation, or integer, continuous and stochastic optimization are required to achieve this.

Professor Frauke Liers has been speaker of SFB/Transregio 154 since April 1, 2023. The project is currently being funded in the third funding period until June 30, 2026.

To the website of CRC/TR 154

The aim of CRC/TRR 241 is to better understand the interaction between cells in mucous membranes and immune cells in the bowel and to develop more effective therapy methods for chronic inflammation. During the next few years, researchers will integrate findings about the regulation and function of the immune system in the bowel and current data about anti-microbial defense on the mucous membrane barrier into a new concept. The individual projects will focus in particular on the role of misdirected communication between epithelium and immune cells during the pathogenesis of IBD. The researchers’ long-term aim is to develop medication that targets the causes of bowel inflammation while retaining the ability of the immune system to fight infections and cancer cells. In addition, they hope to find diagnostic methods that predict patients’ response to therapies – a goal that not only serves to relieve symptoms quickly, but should also contribute to lowering treatment costs.

Professor Christoph Becker is speaker for CRC/TRR 241. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until June 30, 2026.

To the website of CRC/TR 241

Cooperative behavior is a well-known phenomena, for example in the dynamics of flocks of birds. However, cooperativeness in the field of quantum mechanics has not yet been fully described. The Collaborative Research Center/Transregio “Quantum Cooperativeness of Light and Matter (QuCoLiMa)” investigates cooperativeness on the quantum level. The research group hopes to contribute to a systematic understanding in the long term of the spatial and temporal quantum correlations in mesoscopic systems in which light and matter have very strong interrelationships. Its results could enable quantum cooperativeness to be used in sensors, communication systems and in quantum computing in the future.

Professor Joachim von Zanthier is speaker for CRC/TRR 306. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2024.

To the website of CRC/TR 306

In Collaborative Research Center/Transregio 369, scientists at FAU are collaborating with colleagues from the Universities of Dresden and Ulm to investigate the connection between chronic inflammation and bone loss or fractures. Although diseases in which the immune system affects the skeletal system, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, or periodontitis, are widespread, this connection has not yet been sufficiently explored. The collaboration in the CRC allows for the integration of new developments in both immunology and bone biology. This includes exploring regulatory circuits within or between cells that control inflammation and skeletal reactions, as well as gaining insights into the metabolism of the immune and skeletal systems. Through these efforts, the teams aim to discover new explanations for how inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or periodontitis can impact our skeleton. FAU is the coordinating university for the CRC.

Professor Aline Bozec is speaker for CRC/Transregio 369. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2027.

To the website of CRC/TR 369

Collaborative Research Centers/Transregios with FAU as a co-applicant university

Blood stem cell transplants are one treatment option for certain forms of leukemia and lymph node cancer. However, in some patients immunological reactions can occur between the transplanted cells and the healthy tissue after the transplant. This often causes damage to the skin, liver and intestines. CRC/TRR 221 is therefore researching the immunological mechanisms of blood stem cell transplants. The long-term aim is to increase the tolerability of this therapy and to suppress undesirable immune reactions.

Professor Andreas Mackensen is speaker for Erlangen for CRC/TRR 221. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2025.

To the website of CRC/TR 221

This Collaborative Research Center/Transregio is dealing with a new field of research where structures are generated using 3D printing in which cells and materials are arranged in structures similar to tissues. In the long term, this method could be used to create tissue models that could replace animal testing, for example. CRC/TRR 225 is conducting research in the foundations of biofabrication and is investigating the behavior of cells before and after the printing process. In addition, it is seeking to develop new materials and processes for 3D printing of tissue.

Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini is speaker for Erlangen for CRC/TRR 225. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2025.

To the website of CRC/TR 225

In all fields of product manufacturing, such as automotive and mechanical engineering, individual parts are joined to form structures with several connection points. The joinability of parts is the key to efficient production processes. In addition to the need for a prognosis of joinability, the growing number of combinations of materials and geometries means that inflexible mechanical joining processes need to adapt. Up to now, these needed to be tailored to new combinations, which is a complex process. CRC/Transregio “Method development for increasing mechanical joinability in adaptable process chains” will research methods for increasing adaptability in the areas of materials (suitability for joining), construction (joining safety) and manufacturing (joining capability) as well as for joinability prognosis.

Professor Marion Merklein is speaker for Erlangen for CRC/Transregio 285. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until June 30, 2027.

To the website of CRC/TR 285

The mechanisms behind tumor metastasis are not yet well understood. The Collaborative Research Center/Transregio “Striking a moving target: From mechanisms of metastatic organ colonization to novel systemic therapies” is researching the early phase of organ “colonization” by scattered tumor cells. The research group hopes to increase existing knowledge about the mechanisms of colonization and develop approaches for therapies which could help to stop metastasis at this early stage.

Professor Thomas Brabletz is speaker for Erlangen for CRC/TRR 305. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2024.

To the website of CRC/TR 305

In Germany, more than 5 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease, although the majority of them are unaware that they are affected. Around 100,000 of them require renal replacement therapy in the form of dialysis or a transplant. Kidneys’ detoxification and excretory functions are based on two steps: first of all, a large amount of filtrate is formed from blood plasma, before it is largely reabsorbed and modified in a system of tubes, known as the tubules. Until now, research into kidney disease has focused predominantly on the filtration process. The function of the tubules and the surrounding tissue (tubular interstitium) has been largely neglected in spite of its major relevance to disease, as the interactions that take place there are extremely complex and difficult to address using suitable methods. In order to tackle this issue, an interdisciplinary group of researchers has come together in Collaborative Research Center CRC 1350/Transregio TRR 374, focusing on exploring these complex processes within the kidney and the signal pathways of the tubular interstitium.

In the first funding period for the CRC 1350 from 2019 to 2022, the team of researchers from the University of Regensburg and Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg gained important insights into how various kidney diseases are triggered. For example, they uncovered mechanisms for inflammatory processes and excessive scarring and identified genetic risk factors for the loss of kidney function.

From 2023, Collaborative Research Center 1350 will become Transregio 374. This will allow the team of researchers to link fundamental research, clinical research, cutting-edge technology and data science even better than before, and further synergies can be created between the two complementary kidney centers in Eastern Bavaria, Regensburg and Erlangen. We believe that together with our national and international partners, we are in an ideal position to conduct modern kidney research, to train the kidney researchers and physicians of the future and develop tailored diagnostics and treatments for sufferers of kidney disease.

Professor Kerstin Amann is speaker for Erlangen for SFB/Transregio 374. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2026 (continuation of CRC 1350).

To the website of CRC/TR 374

Collaborative Research Centers/Transregios involving FAU

Immunopathology is the basis of a variety of diseases and can affect any organ. Traditionally, it has been assumed that immunologically mediated diseases are caused by over-activity of the immune system and that immunosuppression is therefore the correct therapeutic approach. Paradoxically, however, immunopathology can also arise from impaired immune responses. This principle is very clearly illustrated by patients with congenital immunodeficiencies (PID) in whom specific genetic alterations cause impaired immune responses that lead to immunopathology. This “IMPATH paradox” has important implications. From a biological perspective, it may change our understanding of how the immune system works. From a clinical point of view, it becomes clear that immune stimulation or immune reconstitution can be important therapeutic approaches. The CRC wants to contribute to a better understanding of immunopathology that arises from impaired immune responses.

The speaker for CRC 1160 is Professor Stephan Patrick Rosshart. The project is currently being funded in the third funding period until December 31, 2026.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1160

Collaborative Research Center 1265 investigates current processes of the spatial reordering of society as a “re-figuration of spaces”. Conceiving of sociality as an essentially spatial phenomenon, it seeks to develop an empirically-based theory of contemporary social change that views social change as a form of processual, spatial-communicative refiguration.

Professor Silke Steets (Institute of Sociology) is the speaker for CRC 1265 in Erlangen. Together with Professor Dr. Hubert Knoblauch (TU Berlin), she is in charge of sub-project B02 “Control/Space: The spatiality of digital infrastructures in contextures, maps and discourses.” The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2025.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1265

European populations are aging rapidly. By the year 2060, every third person living in Germany will be older than 65. For this reason, the social and socio-economic relevance of regenerative therapies is clearly increasing. This holds particularly true for implants: the older the population grows, the more medical implants will be required for various indication areas and the more often they will have to be replaced during the course of therapy. The research vision pursued by the Collaborative Research Center ELAINE focuses on innovative electrically active implants. Specifically, we address implants employed for the regeneration of bone and cartilage, and implants for deep brain stimulation to treat movement disorders. Three central research objectives are a means to implement our research vision. The first objective is to establish innovative energy autonomous implants that allow a feedback-controlled electrical stimulation. Thus, we will pave the way for new long-time medical applications, and individual patient treatment by conceiving an ultra-low power, miniaturized implant electronic platform supporting all electrically active implants being considered in ELAINE. A second objective is to derive efficient multi-scale simulation models to enable rapid progress in targeted implant improvements and patient-specific therapies. Here, new methods in the simulation of biomaterial compounds, electromagnetic stimulus of living cells and the validation of results will push the fundamental understanding in ELAINE far beyond the state of the art. The third long-term objective is to analyze the basic mechanisms of electrical stimulation in bone, cartilage and brain, and to translate this knowledge into clinical practice. The technical vision focuses on an energy-minimized electrical stimulator that works autonomously for 12 weeks, is fully programmable and implantable with continuous and intermittent modes for application both in humans and in animals. For this purpose, scientists from the fields of electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical engineering, material science, physics, biology, and medicine will work together in an interdisciplinary manner. As a unique characteristic, our interdisciplinary consortium enables a scientifically sound validation of newly derived theoretical models, computational methods and technical solutions through experiments in both engineering and the life sciences. This high-risk collaborative and interdisciplinary research program is designed to demonstrate new approaches for future biomedical implants, hopefully increasing the chances of overcoming the above-mentioned health problems of aging populations.

Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini is speaker for Erlangen for CRC 1270. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until June 30, 2025.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1270

The aim of the POLYTARGET CRC is to develop polymer-based nanoparticle carrier materials for the targeted application of pharmaceutical substances. The focus lies on systems that are suitable for treating diseases and syndromes whose morbidity rates are significantly characterized by an inflammatory reaction. The research will involve investigating the relationship between the structure and properties of polymers and nanoparticles and their biological effects with the aid of systematic particle libraries. New functional polymers are being developed for the nanoparticles such as polyesteramides, polyketals, functionalized polysaccharides and cationic polymers that are tailored to the anti-inflammatory substance (both new and known substances) to be incorporated and the desired type of substance release (CORE projects). To increase the circulation time in the body and minimize undesirable interactions with proteins, the nanoparticles can be equipped with polymers known as ‘stealth polymers’ such as poly(ethylenoxide) and poly(2-oxazolin)e. Cell specificity is achieved by active or passive targeting, whereby the coupling of antibodies, peptides or other molecules with specific recognition structures plays a major role. Suitable dyes are included in the carrier materials or covalently attached to enable diagnostic approaches (SHELL projects). In particular within the MEDIUM projects, the nanoparticles are investigated in detail with respect to their physical and chemical properties as well as their biological / pharmaceutical suitability, also taking into account physiological conditions, in in vitro and in vivo models. For this purpose, already established techniques are used, but new methods are also being developed to identify formulations suitable for use in nanomedicines over the long term. Close cooperation within the multi- and interdisciplinary consortium with researchers from chemistry, materials science, biology, pharmacy and medicine offers unique prerequisites for transferring the findings from basic research into applications.

Professor Dagmar Fischer is the speaker for Erlangen for CRC 1278. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until June 30, 2025.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1278

Approximately eight percent of people living in industrial countries suffer from autoimmune diseases. These are triggered when a number of genetic and non-genetic factors combine to make the body mistakenly attack its own structures. Pemphigoid diseases are autoimmune diseases that damage the skin and mucous membranes. In spite of becoming increasingly prevalent in our aging society, they are among the least extensively researched autoimmune diseases across the globe. Collaborative Research Center (CRC) Pathomechanisms of antibody-mediated autoimmunity (PANTAU) – Insights from pemphigoid diseases’ focuses on pemphigoid diseases as a model for antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases. The researchers hope to decipher the mechanisms triggering the disease and pave the way to new approaches for diagnosis and treatment.

The working groups led by Prof. Dr. Anja Lux and Prof. Dr. Falk Nimmerjahn from the Chair of Genetics at FAU are involved in CRC 1526 – Insights from pemphigoid diseases at the University of Lübeck. Researchers from FAU are investigating which mechanisms cause auto-antibodies to trigger serious inflammatory reactions in the skin that can in the worst case cause chronic blistering and make the skin peel. The long-term goal of the research is to develop new, targeted treatments for these pemphigoid skin disorders aimed at either preventing or at least reducing these severe inflammatory processes.

The speaker for Erlangen for CRC 1526 is Professor Falk Nimmerjahn. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2025.

To the website of Collaborative Research Center 1526

Healthy eyes are a prerequisite for good vision. Many eye diseases are age-associated, which means their prevalence will increase due to our aging society. Beyond significant loss in quality of life of individuals, leaving these diseases under-investigated will affect and burden society, increasing the need for a specialized research center. One hypothesis from CRC 1607 is that irregular cellular immunologic pathology/inflammation and/or pathologic regulation of (lymph)angiogenesis drive clinical manifestations of a variety of age-associated eye diseases. This includes common diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, dry eye disease and glaucoma, but also corneal dystrophies, herpetic keratitis, ocular graft-versus-host-disease and ocular melanoma that affect a large portion of our population (>50% of people aged 60 years and over). We included experts who specialize in fields other than ophthalmology such as (lymph)angiogenesis and inflammation research as well as image analysis and artificial intelligence into our CRC, thereby enabling (i) transfer of external expertise to ophthalmological diseases and (ii) a better use of the eye as an easily accessible model system to unravel disease mechanisms relevant beyond ophthalmology. This will help us to achieve our over-riding aim: The development of new therapeutic concepts in this area to alleviate the individual and societal burden of age-associated vision loss.

The speakers for CRC 1607 are Professor André Reis and Professor Alexander Steinkasserer. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until March 31, 2028.

To the website of CRC 1607

Research training groups (RTG) support young researchers. They give doctoral candidates the opportunity to carry out their work within the framework of a coordinated research program supported by senior researchers and professors. FAU is involved in 16 research training groups (and is the applicant university for 12 of these) and in 8 Integrated research training groups. (updated August 28, 2024)

Research training groups with FAU as the main applicant university

How is the development of the central nervous system (CNS) related to the occurrence of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases in late adulthood? To what extent do development processes influence resistance to CNS diseases in adulthood? What are the most important factors here? These are just some of the fundamental questions that the doctoral candidates in RTG 2162 are investigating using methods such as animal models and induced pluripotent stem cells developed from patients’ cells.

Professor Dieter Chichung Lie is speaker for RTG 2162. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until June 30, 2025.

To the website of Research Training Group 2162

The research training group investigates selected phenomena and processes associated with interfaces, multiscalability and reduced dimension models. The group brings together the expertise at FAU and the partner university in Regensburg in the fields of analysis of (stochastic) partial differential equations, calculus of variations, homogenization and gamma convergence in numerical analysis and scientific computing.

The RTG is responding to the growing demand for refined mathematical models and their thorough mathematical treatment in various areas of science, medicine and engineering (biology, cardiology and oncology, materials science, manufacturing technology).

Professor Günther Grün is speaker for the second funding period of GRK 2339. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until March 31, 2027.

To the website of Research Training Group 2339

How do various materials fracture? The RTG hopes to develop simulation methods to record fractures in brittle, granular and porous materials at various length and time scales. The results are to be used to develop materials specially tailored to prevent fracturing.

Professor Paul Steinmann is speaker for RTG 2423. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2027.

To the website of Research Training Group 2423

In view of the growing importance of information technology for society, cybercrime is becoming more and more of a threat. At the same time, there are also new opportunities for criminal prosecution, such as automated online data collection and analysis, and monitoring programs. However, what impact does it have on the basic rights of those affected when ‘forensic computing’ is used? The research training group “Cybercrime and forensic computing” brings together experts from the fields of computer science and law to systematically investigate the research area of “criminal prosecution of cybercrime”.

Professor Felix Freiling is speaker for RTG 2475. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until September 30, 2028.

To the website of Research Training Group 2475

The objective of this international research training group is to research electro-mechanical (piezo-electric) and electro-optical (photovoltaic and water splitting) energy conversion systems that are based on lead-free perovskite materials. The development of lead-free materials systems is a pioneering field of research due to international regulations that prohibit the use of heavy metals in electronic devices, for example. This affects the use of lead-free materials not only in renewable energy but also in high-tech applications such as autonomous wireless sensors. Research into multiscale phenomena during, for example, energy conversion, development and use of lead-free perovskite materials in new 2D and 3D processing technology, and in device integration is of particular interest. This involves the use of various synthesis, manufacturing and characterizing techniques that are coupled with simulations. Scale-specific phenomena can now be investigated in a collaborative research and training environment thanks solely to this interdisciplinary research team and its combined expertise in the various length scales. The partners in this international research training group will enjoy access to a wide variety of experimental techniques and measuring devices and be able to enter into contact with partners in industry in Japan.

Professor Kyle G. Webber is speaker for the international RTG 2495. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2028.

To the website of Research Training Group 2495

The objective of this research training group is to develop new strategies for treating and preventing viral diseases by identifying cellular points of attack for antiviral treatments and inserting them into the immune system, preventing the development of resistant viruses. A particular focus is placed on training young researchers who are familiar both with antiviral chemotherapy and immune-based approaches. The doctoral candidates will receive training from medical researchers, biologists, pharmacists and bioinformatics specialists at FAU. Cooperation with the Ragon Institute in Boston, USA, a research institute set up by the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, will open up international perspectives for the researchers.

Professor Klaus Überla is speaker for RTG 2504. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until March 31, 2024.

To the website of Research Training Group 2504

The goal of the proposed Research Training Group is to establish an internationally competitive research and training program to promote young scientists and medical students in the field of immunology. The analysis of defined molecular regulators using genome-wide transcriptome analysis, modern imaging techniques, transgenic mouse technologies and CRISPR-mediated genome editing will identify and characterize new fine-tuners of adaptive immune responses and immune memory. To reach our goal, we have recruited five female and 12 male researchers with an internationally recognized expertise in the field of adaptive immunity from eight institutes and clinical departments at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU). All researchers are supported by third-party funding and experienced in graduate training. We also offer an innovative training program for Dr. rer. nat. candidates with a master’s degree in life sciences. This program consists of a bi-weekly RTG Paul-Ehrlich-Club, research-specific as well as interdisciplinary hard skill and soft skill workshops, internal RTG research retreats and RTG network meetings, the RTG guest speaker series, and the RTG’s public relation program. Furthermore, we have developed a fast-track program that will lead six fellows with a bachelor’s degree to the Dr. rer. nat. degree without the need to obtain a master’s degree. During their one-year qualification phase, the fast-track candidates will be prepare for their dissertation phase and receive extensive training in molecular biology and immunology within the Master’s program “Integrated Immunology,” attend RTG-specific events, and participate in a research-oriented rotation in a laboratory outside of Germany. To motivate medical students for basic research, we will set up an innovative and structured 18-month-long doctoral program. Highlights of this program are an 8-month lab phase and a curriculum tailored to the educational needs of each medical student. A three-member thesis advisory committee will mentor all doctoral candidates through-out their entire thesis project. To internationally position our doctoral candidates, they will organize the 7th International RTG Symposium on “Regulators of Adaptive Immunity” and do research rotations in laboratories outside of Germany. We are convinced that our innovative training and research concept with hypothesis-driven projects will better prepare our doctoral candidates for a professional post-graduate career as an immunologist and help them to develop into critically thinking scientists, to complete their thesis in 3-4 years, and to build an international network.

Professor Hans-Martin Jäck is speaker for RTG 2599. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until June 30, 2025.

To the website of Research Training Group 2599

The Research Training Group “The sentimental in literature, culture and politics” investigates forms and functions of the sentimental from synchronic and diachronic perspectives. We understand the sentimental as a communicative code for forming relationships capable of referring back to emotional knowledge and activating empathic skills. It can be observed in various fields of symbolic interaction, such as aesthetic-literary, mediatized, staged and political-rhetorical areas of application and can be described as an element of socially effective discourse and practices. From a perspective based on the comparison of cultures, the training group focuses on cultural-specific uses and on intercultural and transcultural and appropriation processes involving this code in national and transnational contexts. The sentimental comes into play as an aesthetic form of presentation serving specific affective economies or a sociopolitical interpellation strategy in literary and non-literary narratives as a means of collective crisis management and endowing sense to affective, community-building cultural practices and as a strategy for political mobilization and moral legitimation, e.g. in protest movements or populist rhetoric. The research training group aims to analyze how this code develops its efficacy in the intertwining of allegedly private emotional worlds and the public display thereof and how it is exploited in various situations for various intentions. The issues investigated by the research training group are of the utmost relevance in today’s world, indicated in the often mentioned crisis in political communication and its new emotive character (not only) in Western democracies and underlined by the long history of using a sentimental register to generate empathy and solidarity in light of individual and collective suffering. The aim of our work is to systematically link the various discourses on the sentimental in literature and cultural studies as well as sociology and politics, some of which have until now only focused on one specific discipline or only been touched upon in passing. The research program is linked to an innovative and demanding qualification and training concept characterized by the integration of interdisciplinary research-oriented training and practical measures. Together with tried and tested formats such as a colloquium where postdoctoral and doctoral candidates can present their projects, guest lectures and interdisciplinary method workshops, the research training group offers a practical module (financed with FAU funds) in which doctoral candidates can gain an insight into other extramural fields. The research training group has grown out of many years of interdisciplinary collaboration between the involved researchers and belongs to a research environment that links specific cultural expertise with theoretical reflection on fundamental issues.

Professor Heike Paul is speaker of RTG 2726. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until September 30, 2026.

To the website of Research Training Group 2726

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding a new Research Training Group from January 2022 for an initial period of four and a half years at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Universitätsklinikum Erlangen that is investigating which microenvironmental factors in tissue are significant for antimicrobial defense and the survival of pathogens.

Why does the immune system successfully fight many infections caused by bacteria, fungi or parasites, but not other infections? Which role do the individual cells of the immune system play in the interaction with the microenvironment in tissue, the milieu factors and the metabolism of the infected cells and the pathogens? How does this “immune microtope” differ with various infectious diseases? During the next four and a half years, the answers to these questions will be sought in 14 doctoral research projects in the new RTG 2740 “Immunomicrotope: Microenvironmental, metabolic and microbial signals regulating immune cell-pathogen interactions” funded by the DFG. RTG 2740 provides an interface between infection biology, immunology, bioinformatics and mathematics. The latest methods in high-resolution imaging, metabolomic analyses, bioinformatics and mathematical model generation will be used.

During the structured training program, the 14 doctoral candidates will receive training in various seminars and courses and will be given the opportunity to take part in a stay abroad at a renowned laboratory. A series of guest lectures with international top-level researchers, an annual closed-door conference, and a bi-annual international symposium round out the training provided to the young researchers in the field of infection immunology and molecular microbiology for future positions in leading national and international research institutions.

GRK 2740 “Immunomicrotope” is initially being funded by the DFG with 6.1 million euros for four and a half years which may be extended by a further four and a half years on positive evaluation. In addition to 7 different institutes and chairs at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen and FAU, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg also has its own project in the consortium.

Prof. Dr. Christian Bogdan, Chair of Microbiology and Immunology of Infection at FAU and Director of the Institute of Microbiology – Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen is speaker of the consortium and responsible for coordinating the project in conjunction with Dr. Ilka Knippertz. Applications from candidates with a Master’s degree can now be submitted.

Professor Christian Bogdan is speaker for RTG 2740. The project is being funded from January 1, 2022 until June 30, 2026.

To the website of Research Training Group 2740

Under which social, political, economic and medial conditions is literature created? And how does literature affect its surrounding environments? The RTG “Literature and the public sphere in different contemporary cultures” will be examining these questions during its research.

It will be looking at contemporary literature in different languages and cultural spaces since 1945 in view of changing and fragmenting public spheres. This is characterized in particular by the praxeological concept of literature, which includes socio-cultural contexts, political frameworks, institutional arrangements, the literature industry and the literary scene into the analysis.

The speakers are Prof. Dr. Dirk Niefanger, Chair of Modern German Literature with a Systematic Focus, and Prof. Dr. Antje Kley, Chair of American Literary Studies.

Professor Dirk Niefanger is speaker for GRK 2806. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until September 30, 2027.

To the website of Research Training Group 2806

Construction grammar is a theoretical approach in linguistics based on the assumption that a person’s entire knowledge of language is represented by a network of pairings of forms with meanings, or “constructions”. In the Research Training Group “The construction grammar galaxy”, researchers from the fields of linguistics, psychology and brain research will be examining central aspects of this concept and will demonstrate its use on largely unresearched languages, language stages, and language contact situations.

Prof. Ewa Dabrowska is speaker of RTG 2839. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until September 30, 2027.

To the website of Research Training Group 2839

The Research Training Group is focusing on a new field of research in communications engineering, which has made significant advances during the last ten years: Molecular communication. This involves using molecules as information carriers in order to communicate in environments and with objects or organisms that are not suitable for conventional communications systems based on electromagnetic waves. The group is led by Professors Castiglione and Schober and develops new theoretical and experimental concepts for molecular communications systems. To do so, researchers investigate how to control bioprocesses and magnetic nanoparticles in blood vessels and molecular communication based on what are known as odorous objects.

Professor Robert Schober is speaker for RTG 2950. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until May 31, 2029.

To the website of the Research Training Group 2950

The CRC “Catalysis at Liquid Surfaces (CLINT)” is pursuing a completely new approach in chemical reaction engineering by using the highly-dynamic anisotropic environment of gaseous-liquid and liquid-solid interfaces to create technical catalysts with new properties and as yet unattained productivity, stability and manageability. The aim is to combine the understanding of catalytic processes with targeted material development, which is why the research will include everything from model systems to real catalysts and incorporate in-situ methods.

Professor Peter Wasserscheid is speaker for CRC 1452. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2024.

To the website of CRC 1452

CRC 1483 EmpkinS (Empatho-Kinaesthetic Sensory Systems) is aimed at finding brand new “digital” patient-centered options for diagnosis and treatment in medicine and psychology by combining touch-free radar, wireless and camera-based sensor technologies with innovative signal processing methods and artificial intelligence.

EmpkinS has received roughly 11 million euros of funding for the next four years. In addition to FAU, Hamburg University of Technology, the University of Bayreuth and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen are also involved in the project.

Professor Martin Vossiek is speaker for CRC 1483. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2025.

To the website of CRC 1483

The central nervous system (CNS) is our most complex organ system. Despite tremendous progress in our understanding of the biochemical, electrical, and genetic regulation of CNS functioning and malfunctioning, many fundamental processes and diseases are still not fully understood. Only recently, groups of several PLs in this consortium, and a few other groups worldwide, have discovered an important contribution of mechanical signals to regulating CNS cell function. The CRC 1540 ‘Exploring Brain Mechanics’ will synergise the expertise of engineers, physicists, biologists, medical researchers, and clinicians in Erlangen and Berlin to exploit mechanics-based approaches to advance our understanding of CNS function and, as a long-term vision, to provide the foundation for future improvement of diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.

The speaker of CRC 1540 is Professor Dr.-Ing. habil. Paul Steinmann. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2026.

To the website of CRC 1540

Gas will play an important role as an energy source during the energy reform that is due to take place in the coming decades as Germany moves away from nuclear energy in favor of more environmentally-friendly energy sources. There is sufficient gas available and it can be easily sourced and stored. However, ensuring efficient gas supply involves dealing with issues related to transport, network technology, market regulations and using gas in conjunction with other energy sources. The goal of CRC/Transregio 154 is to meet these challenges using mathematical modeling, simulation and optimization in order to provide solutions which set a new quality standard. New knowledge of various fields of mathematics, such as mathematical modeling, numerical analysis and simulation, or integer, continuous and stochastic optimization are required to achieve this.

Professor Frauke Liers has been speaker of SFB/Transregio 154 since April 1, 2023. The project is currently being funded in the third funding period until June 30, 2026.

To the website of CRC/TR 154

The aim of CRC/TRR 241 is to better understand the interaction between cells in mucous membranes and immune cells in the bowel and to develop more effective therapy methods for chronic inflammation. During the next few years, researchers will integrate findings about the regulation and function of the immune system in the bowel and current data about anti-microbial defense on the mucous membrane barrier into a new concept. The individual projects will focus in particular on the role of misdirected communication between epithelium and immune cells during the pathogenesis of IBD. The researchers’ long-term aim is to develop medication that targets the causes of bowel inflammation while retaining the ability of the immune system to fight infections and cancer cells. In addition, they hope to find diagnostic methods that predict patients’ response to therapies – a goal that not only serves to relieve symptoms quickly, but should also contribute to lowering treatment costs.

Professor Christoph Becker is speaker for CRC/TRR 241. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until June 30, 2026.

To the website of CRC/TR 241

Cooperative behavior is a well-known phenomena, for example in the dynamics of flocks of birds. However, cooperativeness in the field of quantum mechanics has not yet been fully described. The Collaborative Research Center/Transregio “Quantum Cooperativeness of Light and Matter (QuCoLiMa)” investigates cooperativeness on the quantum level. The research group hopes to contribute to a systematic understanding in the long term of the spatial and temporal quantum correlations in mesoscopic systems in which light and matter have very strong interrelationships. Its results could enable quantum cooperativeness to be used in sensors, communication systems and in quantum computing in the future.

Professor Joachim von Zanthier is speaker for CRC/TR 306. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until December 31, 2024.

To the website of CRC/TR 306

Research training groups with FAU as the co-applicant university

The aim of the KoRaTo research training group is to train and support young researchers in the new field of cooperative aperture synthesis for recording fundamental geophysical parameters in the biosphere, geosphere, cryosphere and hydrosphere. Cooperative aperture synthesis is the name given to tomographic radar imaging methods that allow large volume or large surface coherent radar apertures to be synthesized by means of cooperation between a large number of individual, mobile non-coherent sub-radar apertures distributed in the 3D space. The sub-radar apertures are created using mobile drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Research is to be carried out in the following areas:

1) Methods for coherently coupling the non-coherent sub-radar apertures in time and space;

2) Optimized time-variant apertures as well as the associated sub-apertures and trajectories of movement;

3) Tomographic imaging methods in non-homogeneous media, facilitated by cooperative spatial aperture synthesis;

4) Concepts for storing, transferring and processing data based on compressed sensing methods and resource optimization for the sensor data of cooperative aperture synthesis.

The planned approach to aperture synthesis, which is being researched for the very first time, facilitates new tomographic radar imaging principles. In terms of resolution and information content when observing Earth, it promises to provide completely new standards in radar remote sensing in the geosciences, for example for mapping dynamic processes in the cryosphere, geosphere and biosphere. One example is the ability to locate and record structures correctly and three-dimensionally from several perspectives that are not or only partially visible in non-homogeneous media.

Professor Martin Vossiek is speaker for Erlangen for RTG 2680. The project is currently being funded in the first funding period until June 30, 2026.

To the website of Research Training Group 2680

– Funding starts on April 1, 2023

With RTG 2861, the universities of TU Dresden and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg are launching a joint initiative for giving researchers comprehensive training in the relatively new but rapidly developing area of planar carbon lattices (PCL). This new class of materials are atomically precisely ordered materials whose basal plane forms a 1D or 2D lattice, for example graphene nanoribbons or 2D polymers. PCLs combine the chemical variety of planar molecular building blocks with the structural diversity of 2D lattices, making it possible to produce materials with virtually any properties from carbon, without using toxic, rare or noble elements. Thomas Heine, Professorship for Theoretical Chemistry at TU Dresden and speaker of the RTG, explains: “The RTG benefits from the complementary infrastructure and expertise of the two locations TUD and FAU. We are creating a unique combination of synthetic chemistry, condensed matter physics and materials science and hope to research and synthesize new PCLs using experimental and theoretical methods. In future, these could be used in quantum materials, as well as optoelectronic or electrochemical devices of the next generation.”

The rapid development and interdisciplinary nature of the subject area means that until now there has not yet been a standard concept for research-based training in PCLs. The RTG aims to establish this required standard with an interdisciplinary research and qualification program combining chemistry, physics and material sciences. Janina Maultzsch, professor of experimental physics at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, is the deputy speaker of RTG 2861. She describes the training concept as follows: “We will develop open-access online lectures and tutorials for beginners and advanced students and intend publishing an open-access textbook on PCLs. Research and training at two locations will be facilitated by a virtual research environment combining digital teaching with online tools for exchanging information and research data.”

Another important component of the RTG are comprehensive diversity measures, aimed at achieving an equal balance of women and men among the doctoral candidates as well as encouraging young talents from developing countries. “I am particularly pleased about the level of commitment demonstrated by FAU and TUD, each of which are providing a preparatory scholarship for students from developing countries. In conjunction with our open science program, we hope to enable international talents to venture into cutting-edge science,” explains speaker Thomas Heine.

Professor Dr. Janina Maultzsch is the speaker for Erlangen for RTG 2861. The project will be funded in the first funding period until March 31, 2028.

To the website of Research Training Group 2861

Blood stem cell transplants are one treatment option for certain forms of leukemia and lymph node cancer. However, in some patients immunological reactions can occur between the transplanted cells and the healthy tissue after the transplant. This often causes damage to the skin, liver and intestines. CRC/TRR 221 is therefore researching the immunological mechanisms of blood stem cell transplants. The long-term aim is to increase the tolerability of this therapy and to suppress undesirable immune reactions.

Professor Andreas Mackensen is speaker for Erlangen for CRC/TRR 221. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until December 31, 2025.

To the website of CRC/TR 221

Research training groups involving FAU

Wars both within countries and beyond their borders have a significant impact on the development of societies. The Byzantine Empire was in constant exchange and conflict with its neighbors and rivals due to its geographic position. This gave rise to a wide range of violent conflicts in the Latin, Slavic and Islamic worlds, and, as a consequence, a diverse range of interrelationships between these war cultures, which we define as the norms, interpretations, attributions of meaning, and reflections related to war as well as its forms and practices. The purpose of this research training group is to analyze Euro-Mediterranean cultures of war and the importance of Byzantium for them in a transcultural perspective for the first time.

Professor Ute Verstegen is speaker for Erlangen for RTG 2304. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until September 30, 2027.

To the website of Research Training Group 2304

The observation that mechanics determine cellular processes as diverse as organ formation, inflammation and carcinogenesis or even embryo implantation is the core idea behind the DFG-funded graduate school MEƎT. The aim of the research is to illustrate mechanical feedback cycles that determine the function and self-organization of cells and tissues in space and time.

MEƎT brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts in biophysics, stem cell and molecular biology, material science, bioengineering and medicine. The common scientific focus is on the mechanobiology of surface-lining epithelia such as the skin, which is subject to extreme mechanical stresses. The aim of RTG 2415 is to use the knowledge gained for improved tissue engineering and the treatment of human diseases.

Professor Ana-Suncana Smith is speaker for Erlangen for RTG 2415. The project is currently being funded in the second funding period until June 30, 2028.

To the website of Research Training Group 2415

Research units (RU) are groups of several researchers based at one or more locations. They often contribute to establishing new areas of research. FAU is currently involved in 19 research units (7 of which as coordinating university). (updated October 11, 2024)

Priority programs (SPP) bring transregional collaborations together and support research which promises to produce significant findings if funding is centrally coordinated. FAU is currently involved in 37 priority programs (1 of which as coordinating university). (updated October 7, 2024)