Cutting-edge research at the Rhine-Main Universities: DFG approves 82 million euros for collaborative research centres
Of the eleven collaborative research centres (CRCs) approved by the German Research Foundation (DFG) on 25 May, four alone are being led by one of the Rhine-Main universities and a further four are successfully entering their second or third funding period. As a result, the DFG is making some 82 million euros available for cutting-edge research at the Rhine-Main Universities (RMU). More than one third of that (31 million euros) is going to collaborative projects in the atmospheric sciences, fundamental mathematical research and theoretical physics.
TRR 326 “Geometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures – GAUS” (here: the j-invariant as an automorphic function on the uniformization of the moduli space of elliptic curves); image: Michalis Neururer
What role does the troposphere play in climate models and predictions about climate change? How can uniformization help to replace complicated geometric objects with simpler ones without changing the local structure? How does strongly interacting matter respond to extreme conditions of temperature and density? These are the big questions that outstanding researchers at the RMU will be exploring in detail over the coming years within the collaborative research centres.
For this purpose, the following collaborations have been set up: Transregio 301 “The tropopause region in a changing atmosphere” (JGU press release) with the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) providing the spokesperson (the Goethe University Frankfurt is a co-applicant, TU Darmstadt is involved) and Transregio 326 “Geometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures” (TUDa press release) with the Goethe University as spokesperson (TU Darmstadt provides the co-spokesperson, JGU is involved). Transregio 211 “Strong-Interaction Matter under Extreme Conditions” is entering its second funding period (TUDa press release) with TU Darmstadt providing the spokesperson (the Goethe University is a co-applicant).
The five other collaborative research centres illustrate the broad spectrum of cutting-edge research in the Rhine-Main region: Through CRC 1482 “Studies in Human Categorization” (JGU press release) and Transregio 319 “RMaP: RNA Modification and Processing” (JGU press release), the humanities and social sciences in Mainz will receive funding as well as the life sciences. Extensions for CRC 1066 “Nano-Dimensional Polymer Therapeutics for Tumor Therapy” and 1039 “Signalling by fatty acid derivatives and sphingolipids in health and disease” are located within the Faculty of Medicine at JGU and the Goethe University respectively. The third funding period for Transregio 129 “Oxyflame” (TUDa press release) addresses technical issues associated with using biomass to reduce CO2 emissions.
This excellent funding result for the RMU represents a highpoint in the process of ongoing consolidation of the alliance, which has now been in place for six years between the three research-focused universities.
Further information can be found in the press releases issued by the German Research Foundation, the Goethe University and the Johannes Gutenberg University.