Over 20 million euros for two new research alliances
German Research Foundation to fund new Collaborative Research Centres "inSight" and "Intelligent Matter"
A great success for the University of Münster: the German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding two new Collaborative Research Centres (CRC). The two research alliances – entitled “inSight – Multiscale imaging of organ-specific inflammation” and “Intelligent matter: From responsive to adaptive nanosystems” – will together be receiving funding of more than 20 million euros. The projects will be starting in January 2021, running initially for four years. The new Centres are a boost two of the research focuses which the University of Münster has: “Cell Dynamics and Imaging” and “Nanosciences”. "What great news! This is an impressive success for all scientists involved in the CRC, but also for the university as a whole," emphasises Rector Prof. Johannes Wessels.
The CRC/Transregio (TR) 128 “Initiating/Effector versus Regulatory Mechanisms in Multiple Sclerosis – Progress towards Tackling the Disease” will be extended for a further funding period. The research alliance, under the direction of the spokesperson Prof. Heinz Wiendl from the Department of Neurology (University Hospital Münster), is investigating multiple sclerosis - a disease which is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. The project contributes to the elucidation of the complex interactions between the immune and nervous systems on a molecular, cellular and systems biological level.
Collaborative Research Centres
Collaborative Research Centres are interdisciplinary research institutions at universities which are funded by the German Research Foundation and are established for up to 12 years. The Centres make it possible for innovative, challenging research projects to be worked on. With these two new projects, the University of Münster now has ten Collaborative Research Centres which are either based at the University or which involve several universities, with Münster researchers play a leading role. Researchers from Münster University also work in many other Collaborative Research Centres involving other universities.