Topics range from malformations of the cerebral cortex to restoring diversity in our diet / Approximately €82 million for the first funding period

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is establishing 11 new Research Training Groups (RTGs) to further bolster the support offered to researchers in early career phases. This was decided by the responsible Grants Committee in Bonn. From spring 2026 onwards, the new RTGs will receive a total of approximately €82 million over an initial period of five years. This includes a programme allowance of 22 percent for indirect project costs. Among the new groups is one International Research Training Group (IRTG) with a cooperation partner in Australia.

In addition to the eleven new Research Training Groups, the Grants Committee also approved the renewal of ten RTGs for a further funding period, including two IRTGs with partners in Japan and Canada. Research Training Groups offer doctoral researchers the opportunity to complete their doctorates by following a structured research and training programme at a high level of subject-specific expertise. The DFG is currently providing funding for a total of 209 RTGs, including 29 IRTGs.

The new Research Training Groups in detail

(in alphabetical order of host university, with information on the spokesperson as well as the other applicant universities and cooperation partners):

Focal cortical dysplasias (FCD) are congenital malformations of the cerebral cortex that arise during brain development in the embryonic phase. They can cause epilepsy as well as cognitive and behavioural disorders, which are particularly difficult to treat pharmacologically. Findings show that communication between nerve cells and blood vessels, and the interaction between macrophages and neurons play a role in FCD, as do the adaptability of neuronal connections and the transmission of signals via neurotransmitters. The aim of the RTG Development and epileptogenesis of dysplasias in the interplay of distinct CNS cell types is to understand these mechanisms and develop experimental therapeutic approaches. (University of Bonn, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Albert Becker)

By hierarchically organising a limited number of building-block modules, organisms produce an astonishing variety of functional materials; these can serve as models for the sustainable development and processing of bio-inspired materials. Yet the formation mechanisms of such materials have not been studied in detail to date. The main objective of the RTG The Biological Making of Materials is to investigate materials produced by organisms with respect to where they are formed and the temporal sequence of their formation. The range of materials studied spans biominerals, protein-based materials and polysaccharide–protein composites. The aim is to gain fresh insights into natural biosynthetic and bioprocessing pathways that can then be used to advance the development of bio-inspired methods for sustainable manufacturing and processing. (TU Dresden, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Yael Politi)

The Standard Model of particle physics is fundamentally successful and describes measurements from accelerator experiments very well. However, it does not explain such phenomena as the existence of dark matter, the matter–antimatter asymmetry in the universe and the mechanism that gives rise to neutrino masses. There is a wealth of ideas for extending the Standard Model in order to address these and other shortcomings, but it remains unclear which of these ideas are actually realised in nature. The RTG Looking for signposts towards the New Standard Model of particle physics (NewSM) draws on an extensive research programme combining experimental and theoretical approaches to seek indications of how the Standard Model can be consistently extended and how some of its unresolved puzzles might be solved. (University of Freiburg, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Heidi A. Rzehak)

Our experience of the world is based on a complex interplay of sensory, cognitive and motor processes. Despite decades of psychological research, many questions remain as to how people perceive and interact with materials and objects in everyday contexts. Much of what is known to date stems from highly controlled laboratory experiments under simplified conditions. The RTG Perceiving and Interacting with Materials and Objects in Naturalistic Environments uses innovative approaches and methods to examine how materials and objects are perceived and modelled under real-world conditions, how we interact with them motorically, and how these processes vary across individuals and over people’s lifetime. (University of Giessen, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Katja Fiehler)

The RTG Multiscale Imaging and Analytics of Interfaces in Musculoskeletal Health aims to improve understanding of the functional processes between bone, muscle, tendons, fat and blood vessels, as well as the interfaces between them. It investigates factors such as muscle health, vascular characteristics and the effects of fat accumulation on fracture risk, taking account of comorbidities, biomechanical load and individual movement profiles. In doing so, the RTG combines biomedical and technological perspectives and promotes innovation in diagnostics and preventive healthcare, using state-of-the-art imaging, disease-modelling techniques and artificial intelligence. (University of Hamburg, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Björn Busse, also applying: TU Hamburg)

Quantum states of the light field are indispensable components of quantum technologies and are also central to the study of fundamental aspects of physics. Entangled photon states are used in quantum communication, quantum cryptography and quantum computing. The RTG Quantum Photonics: Quantum emitter, tailored photon states, and quantum processors investigates the foundations for future quantum photonics – from the development of basic knowledge regarding the generation of tailored photon states to the exploration and implementation of novel photonic quantum systems. (University of Hannover, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Michael Oestreich)

How can the demand for food, renewable energy and materials be met without jeopardising biodiversity and climate adaptation at local and global levels? The IRTG Competition for land: the role of the food, energy and materials nexus in tackling the climate and biodiversity crises examines this question together with partners in Australia, focusing on the rising global demand for land and the negative consequences for humans and the environment resulting from the overuse of land resources. The central objective is to arrive at an integrated understanding of the entire land system. (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Almut Arneth; cooperation partner: University of Melbourne, Australia)

Industrialisation and globalisation have resulted in a small number of intensively cultivated cereal crops forming the basis of nutrient-poor, highly processed foods worldwide. This development has major environmental, social and health impacts and reduces the resilience of food systems to threats such as climate change, pandemics and plant diseases. The RTG Diversification for Food Systems Resilience draws on an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to investigate how the loss of diversity along the food chain becomes apparent, which factors influence one another and how diversity can be restored from production to consumption in order to strengthen the resilience of food systems. (University of Kiel, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Anja Bosy-Westphal)

As “mediators” between indoor and outdoor climates, façades are among the most important control factors for energy exchange between buildings and their surroundings. Highly responsive building components that adapt to changes in temperature, light and humidity are therefore desirable. Such functionality is currently achieved mainly by means of louvres or mobile shutters that move along fixed axes. By contrast, the RTG BioBuild – Bio-inspired Materials and Systems for Responsive Building Components explores so-called compliant mechanisms which rely on reversible deformation, as well as being less prone to malfunction and more energy-efficient. (University of Stuttgart, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Jan Knippers; also applying: University of Freiburg)

Organoids are 3D cell structures that can replicate the functional and structural characteristics of human tissues and organs while remaining easy to handle and scalable. Using organoid models, the RTG Organoid-Based Modelling of Solid Tumors – Org-BOOST seeks to represent human tumour biology and the tumour microenvironment as realistically as possible, thereby enabling new insights into complex tumour processes. Tumour tissue from both patients and human stem cells will be used to generate organoids. In addition, assembloids – 3D structures that incorporate organoids along with immune and stromal cells – will be employed to represent interactions between tumour cells and their environment and to examine tumour dynamics and intercellular communication in detail. The long-term goal is to develop precise, targeted therapies. (University of Ulm, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Alexander Kleger)

Platelets (thrombocytes) are crucial to blood coagulation. There is increasing evidence to suggest that platelets also play a role in inflammatory processes, innate immunity and the maintenance of vascular integrity. These processes attract particular attention in diseases such as stroke, sepsis and COVID-19. Research into the underlying mechanisms and their therapeutic relevance is still at an early stage. The RTG Thrombo-Inflame – Dissecting and modulating megakaryocyte/platelet-driven thrombo-inflammation aims to address this gap. It follows the premise that the inflammatory and coagulative potential of platelets is determined primarily by the function and interplay of their surface receptors and signalling networks. (University of Würzburg, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Bernhard Nieswandt)

The RTGs with their funding extended for an additional period

(in alphabetical order of host university, with information on the spokesperson as well as the other applicant universities and cooperation partners, and with references to the project descriptions in the DFG’s online database GEPRIS):

• RTG Normativity, Critique, Change (FU Berlin, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Georg W. Bertram; also applying: HU Berlin, UdK Berlin), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/430193663(externer Link)

• IRTG 2662/1 “Charging into the Future”: Understanding the Interaction of Polyelectrolytes with Biosystems (FU Berlin, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Kevin Pagel; cooperation partner: Université McGill, Montréal; University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/434130070(externer Link)

• RTG Sustainable Food Systems (University of Göttingen, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Meike Wollni), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/432617398(externer Link)

• RTG Form-meaning mismatches (University of Göttingen, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Hedde Zeijlstra), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/429844083(externer Link)

• RTG Proteases in pathogen and host: importance in inflammation and infection – RTG-PRO (University of Greifswald, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Barbara Bröker), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/443535983(externer Link)

• RTG KD²School – Designing Biosignal-Adaptive Systems for Decision-Making Processes (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Alexander Mädche; also applying: University of Bremen, University of Oldenburg), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/447089431(externer Link)

• RTG Hydrogen Isotopes 1,2,3H (University of Leipzig, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Knut R. Asmis; also applying: TU Dresden, University of Saarbrücken), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/443871192(externer Link)

• RTG Defining and Targeting Autoimmune Pre-Disease (University of Lübeck, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Jennifer Hundt), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/429175970(externer Link)

• RTG Functional pi-Systems: Activation, Interaction and Applications (pi-Sys) (University of Münster, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Armido Studer; cooperation partner: Nagoya University, Japan), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/437785492(externer Link)

• RTG Neural mechanisms of (mal)adaptive approach and avoidance behaviour (University of Würzburg, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Matthias Gamer), https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/433490190(externer Link)

Further Information

More detailed information on the funding programme and the Research Training Groups to be awarded funding can be found at: www.dfg.de/gk/en(interner Link).

Further information is also available from the RTG spokespersons.