In the “UCART” project, physicist Professor Anke-Susanne Müller is working on a new method of radiotherapy in which tumors are irradiated directly in the body using an electron accelerator. In the “CoMet2” project, electro-biotechnologist Professor Dirk Holtmann wants to develop a process with which CO2 can be converted into valuable chemicals. With the wildcard program, the foundation is supporting these two unconventional research projects with 900,000 euros each for a period of two years.

New production cycles that can turn used products into new ones are needed for a resource-conserving, low-emission and at the same time competitive and strong economy. The Collaborative Research Center "Circular Factory for the Everlasting Product" deals with the question of how the maximum value retention of products can be achieved with the help of innovative production systems. Researchers from the fields of production engineering, product development and materials technology, ergonomics, robotics, computer science and knowledge modeling are cooperating in the network to investigate this question. (KIT Karlsruhe, Spokesperson: Professor Dr.-Ing. Gisela Lanza)

With their project proposals, two early-stage researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were successful in the recent call for Starting Grants of the European Research Council (ERC): Kathrin Gerling, Professor of Human-Computer Interaction and Accessibility, has proposed “AccessVR” to make virtual reality accessible for people with disabilities. Tenure-track professor Philip Willke conducts research at the interface between quantum technologies and nanosciences. His project ATOMQUANT will focus on an architecture for quantum information processing and magnetic sensor technology on the atomic level.

Molecular biologist Professor Holger Puchta has received funding in a Reinhart Koselleck project of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for his work on the targeted restructuring of plant genomes. A pioneer in green genetic engineering, Puchta has been using molecular scissors in plants for 30 years. The new project aims to use the CRISPR/Cas method to freely combine genes in crop plants - thus realizing Gregor Mendel's dream. This is also important in order to better adapt agricultural crops to global warming in the future.

The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded the project "Origami inspired thermoelectric generators by printing and folding" (ORTHOGONAL) by Professor Uli Lemmer (LTI and IMT) with an ERC Advanced Grant of 2.4 million Euros.

The young scientist Julian Quinting from the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research - Troposphere Research (IMK-TRO) was awarded for his project ASPIRE by the European Research Council (ERC). The ERC is funding the project with almost 1.5 million euros over 5 years.

The DFG also funds the SFB/Transregio "Phenomenological Elementary Particle Physics after the Higgs Discovery" (TRR 257) for another four years. The researchers from KIT (host university), RWTH Aachen University, and the University of Siegen aim at a deeper understanding of the fundamental concepts underlying the so-called "Standard Model" of particle physics, which describes the interactions of all elementary particles in a mathematically conclusive way. The goal of TRR 257 is to be a pioneer in the search for a possible "new physics" beyond the Standard Model.

For their research projects in the fields of computer engineering and quantum physics, the two renowned scientists will receive funding from the European Research Council (ERC) of around 2.5 million and 2.7 million euros respectively over the next five years.

Pascal Friederich, Tenure-track Professor at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), is awarded the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize of the German Research Foundation (DFG). The prize, endowed with 20,000 euros, is the most important recognition of early-career researchers in Germany.

The European Research Council is funding the "HiSCORE" project with around 14 million euros.

Dr. Tonya Vitova and Professor Laurent Schmalen receive up to two million euros each