The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved two new Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs) at Freie Universität Berlin and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin: the CRC “Fluorine-Specific Interactions: Fundamentals and Functions” will focus on studies on particular interactions that may arise from fluorinated groups in molecules or materials. To be based at Freie Universität Berlin, this CRC will also involve researchers from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin, as well as non-university institutions. The goal of the CRC being set up at Charité is to gain a better understanding of widespread kidney disease. In the CRC “Renoprotection,” scientists from various Berlin institutions hope to find out more about the development of kidney failure and develop new approaches to treatment.

These are two out of a total of ten CRCs approved by the DFG’s Grants Committee at its autumn meeting in Bonn. Starting from January 1, 2019, the new research alliances will initially receive a total of around 120.3 million euros in funding for four years. In addition, the funding of the CRC “Control of self-organizing nonlinear systems: Theoretical methods and concepts of application” at Technische Universität Berlin has been prolonged for a further four years. Based at Technische Universität, the researchers in this CRC cooperate with researchers at Freie Universität Berlin and several non-university research institutions. They investigate dissipative, nonlinear dynamic systems driven far from thermodynamic equilibrium, as they occur in physics, chemistry, and biology. Plans are underway to set up an integrated Research Training Group during the new funding period.