German Research Foundation commits $194 million to launch network of 13 university research centers

The German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) in Bonn has announced a four-year, €170 million ($194 million) commitment to launch 13 collaborative research centers at German universities. The projects span interdisciplinary research at institutions including RWTH Aachen University (polymer mechanochemistry and periodontal disease), Free University of Berlin (planetary habitability), University of Bonn (food system diversification), Technical University of Darmstadt (paper materials), and Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (diabetes–cardiovascular interactions). Additional grants support research at universities in Frankfurt, Freiburg, Jena, Munich, Münster, and Regensburg, covering RNA therapeutics, virus evolution, brain immune networks, thrombosis–inflammation, and advanced geometry.