Two new DFG Collaborative Research Centers at TUM
CRCs to study immunotherapies and photocatalysis
The DFG Collaborative Research Centers are among the most important research funding programs in Germany. They support complex, interdisciplinary and long-term research initiatives. They are initially approved for four years and can receive funding for up to 12 years. A TRR (or “transregio”) is a CRC with partners cooperating on a trans-regional basis.
TRR 325: Assembly Controlled Chemical Photocatalysis
The basic substances used in many everyday materials are produced with the aid of catalysts. Photocatalysis opens up the way to new approaches and products that would be virtually impossible with conventional processes. The goal of the TRR “Controlling chemical photocatalysis through molecular assemblies” is to develop a new generation of photocatalytic systems for organic synthesis by controlling interactions between catalysts and reactive partners. The long-term objective is to help conserve more energy and resources in light-driven reactions. The speaker is Thorsten Bach, a professor of organic chemistry at TUM. The University of Regensburg is a co-applicant.
Before coming to Munich, Thorsten Bach spent time in Heidelberg, Los Angeles (USC), Marburg, Boston (Harvard) and Münster. He has held the Chair for Organic Chemistry I at TUM since 2000. He is a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.
TRR 338: LETSIMMUN
Lymphocytes are a subgroup of the white blood cells. They include the T cells, for example. The TRR "LETSIMMUN - Lymphocyte Engineering for Therapeutic Synthetic Immunity" will investigate – among other questions – how genetically engineered lymphocytes might be used to fight infections, tumors or autoimmune diseases. The group wishes to help establish immunotherapies with modified lymphocytes as a medically safe and effective treatment for as many patients as possible. The speaker is Dirk Busch, Professor of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene. Co-applicants are the LMU München and the University of Würzburg.
Dirk Busch has been the director of the Institute for Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at TUM since 2009. He is a member of the Leopoldina German Academy of Sciences.
TRR 326: Geometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures (GAUS)
The CRC “Geometry and Arithmetic of Uniformized Structures (GAUS)” will work in the field of theoretical mathematics. The basic idea behind uniformization is to replace complicated geometric objects through simpler ones without changing the local structure. By translating the complexity into another “language”, the group wishes to open up new perspectives on the original objects and make them accessible for central geometric and arithmetic problems. Applicant universities are Frankfurt/Main, Darmstadt and Heidelberg. TUM is represented by Eva Viehmann, Professor of Arithmetic Geometry.
Extended for an additional four years:
SFB 1258 Neutrinos and Dark Matter in Astro- and Particle Physics
SFB 1320 Everday Activity Sciences and Engineering - EASE
- TUM participation: Prof. Gordon Cheng
- Speaker: Prof. Michael Beetz (University of Bremen)
SFB 1277 Emergent Relativistic Effects in Condensed Matter - From Fundamental Aspects to Electronic Functionality
- TUM participation: Prof. Christian Back
- Speaker: Prof. Klaus Richter (University of Regensburg)
SFB 1064 Chromatin Dynamics
- TUM participation: Prof. Henriette Uhlenhaut
- Speaker: Prof. Peter Burkhard Becker (LMU)
TRR 205 The Adrenal Gland: Central Relay in Health and Disease
- TUM participation: Prof. Henriette Uhlenhaut
- Speaker: Prof. Stefan R. Bornstein (TU Dresden)
