MERCUR funds three new cooperative research projects with around 1.25 million euros
- Research
With around 1.25 million euros over two years, the Mercator Research Center Ruhr (MERCUR) will fund three new cooperative research projects within the University Alliance (UA) Ruhr from 2022. TU Dortmund University will collaborate with Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) on projects in the fields of developmental psychology, DNA nanotechnology and ultrashort pulse lasers.
The participating researchers use the MERCUR funding to establish long-term research networks within the UA Ruhr. About half of the funding is provided by Stiftung Mercator, the other part is financed proportionally by the universities.
Developmental Psychology
In the field of developmental psychology, Prof. Norbert Zmyj from TU Dortmund University is conducting research together with Prof. Sabine Seehagen from RUB. Around 350,000 euros in funding is going into the project "ManyRuhrBabies: The Role of Contextual Factors in the Development of Social-Cognitive Abilities". Rapid fluctuations in current well-being are characteristic of infancy and toddlerhood. Surprisingly, however, little is known about how current well-being affects early childhood cognition. Using innovative methods and a collaborative approach, the team would like to initiate a systematic examination of the interplay between well-being and cognition in infancy.
DNA nanotechnology
Prof. Guido Clever from the TU Dortmund and Prof. Thomas Happe from the RUB are working together in the field of DNA nanotechnology. They will receive about 420,000 euros for their project "Design of DNA-based Redox Systems". In DNA nanotechnology, researchers develop functional materials from DNA for technical, chemical or medical applications. In this project, the participants want to produce novel, DNA-based redox modules for applications in sensor technology and green chemistry, e.g. in hydrogen production.
Ultra-short pulse lasers
Prof. Mirko Cinchetti from the TU Dortmund and Prof. Clara Saraceno from the RUB are conducting research on ultrashort pulse lasers. They will receive a total of 480,000 euros in funding for the project "Towards a UARuhr Ultrafast Laser Science Center: Tailored fs-XUV Beamline for Photoemission Spectroscopy". The aim of the project is to link the research, development and application of ultrafast lasers more closely. The team will build an ultrafast spectroscopic tool with unique performance and flexibility, based on state-of-the-art ultrafast laser technology and tailored specifically for photoemission spectroscopy. The project will form the basis for applying for an ERC Synergy Grant as well as for the establishment of a new "UA Ruhr Ultrafast Laser Science Center".
The Ruhr University Alliance
Since 2007, the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the Technische Universität Dortmund and the University of Duisburg-Essen have been working closely together strategically under the umbrella of the UA Ruhr. By joining forces, the achievements of the partner universities are systematically expanded. Under the motto "better together" there are now more than 100 cooperations in research, teaching and administration. With more than 120,000 students and almost 1,300 professors, the UA Ruhr is one of Germany's largest and most productive science locations.