Two New DFG Programs Approved

Researchers from RWTH are contributing to two programs approved for funding by the German Research Foundation DFG.

 

Functional Microgels

The Collaborative Research Center “Functional Microgels and Microgel Systems,” a collaboration with Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and DWI Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, will continue to receive funding from the German Research Foundation, DFG, for another 4-year period.

The CRC is concerned with developing bio-inspired microgels with useful functionalities for new applications, such as in the field of catalysis, targeted drug delivery within the body, and treatment of intestinal disorders. The CRC, established in 2012, is coordinated by Professor Walter Richtering, head of the RWTH Institute of Physical Chemistry.

Material-Minimized Carbon Concrete Structures

Furthermore, the DFG has approved to establish a new Transregional CRC, titled “Construction Strategies for Material-Minimized Carbon Concrete Structures – Foundations for a New Way of Building.” It is a joint project by TU Dresden and RWTH Aachen University. Professor Josef Hegger, head of the Institute of Structural Concrete is deputy spokesperson for the Transregional CRC.

Over the next four years, fundamentally new concepts for resource-saving and material-minimized construction with concrete will be developed, in a shift away from traditional design principles. In addition to the development of structures made of carbon concrete, the focus will be on adaptive production methods in the manufacturing process and sustainability assessments over the entire life cycle.