Helmholtz Association funds 15 international research groups

The Helmholtz Association has selected 15 international research groups as part of a pilot project bringing together Helmholtz researchers with scientists from all over the world to research future-oriented projects. These Helmholtz International Research Groups will receive funding of up to €50,000 per year from the Association for the next three years and the same amount from the foreign partner institutions. The pilot project was very well received by the researchers: 79 groups applied, of which eight were chosen in the first selection round and seven in the second.

Complex research topics can no longer be tackled alone. The international exchange of knowledge and the shared use of infrastructure is a great asset in advancing scientific progress. The Helmholtz Association therefore constantly expands its cooperation with international partners. Helmholtz researchers already have a long and successful working relationship with partners in China and Russia, and the Helmholtz International Research Groups now allow the Association to work on joint research projects with partner institutions the world over that are not restricted to certain topics. The programme is an effective means for the participating Helmholtz Centres to consolidate existing contacts and set up new partnerships. Young researchers in particular stand to benefit by gaining valuable first experience of international teamwork.

The following Helmholtz International Research Groups were established at the beginning of this year:

1. Helmholtz International Research Group on the aerodynamic performance of joined-wing single aisle aircrafts:
Dr Frederik Blumrich, German Aerospace Center (DLR), and Dr Daniel New Tze How / Björn Nagel, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

2. Non-classical nanophotonic circuits for ultrafast single photon manipulation on chip:
Dr Wolfram Pernice, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Dr Alexander Korneev, Moscow State Pedagogical University, Russia.

3. Geodynamic evolution of the Neuquén Andes: Implications for geo-resources:
Dr Javier Quinteros / Prof. Stephan V. Sobolev, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences – GFZ, and Prof. Victor A. Ramos / Dr Ruben Somoza, CONICET, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

4. Climate-change and land-use change interactions and feedback (CLUCIE):
Prof. Almut Arneth, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Prof. Benjamin Smith, Lund University, Sweden.

5. Climate-change adaptation options in Santiago de Chile and other Latin American megacities – urban vulnerability on the local level:
Dr Kerstin Krellenberg, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), and Dr Felipe Link, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile.

6. Dopant mapping and side wall characterization of III-V semiconductor nanowires for solar cell applications by scanning tunnelling microscopy:
Prof. Rafal Dunin-Borkowski, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Dr Bruno Grandidier, Institut d’Electronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie, France.

7. Role of BMP signalling in neonatal chronic lung disease:
Dr Anne Hilgendorff, Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health, and Dr Edda Spiekerkoetter, Stanford University, USA.

8. Understanding of the gut microbiome in children at increased risk of type 1 diabetes:
Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Helmholtz Zentrum München – German Research Center for Environmental Health, and Prof. Ramnik Xavier, The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, US.

9. Metabolism and Neurodegeneration: 
Dr Vanessa Schmidt, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, and Dr Mads Kjolby, Aarhus University, Denmark.

10. Microbial Symbionts of Arctic Peatlands and their Relevance for Present and Future Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling (ArcBiont):
Prof. Dirk Wagner / Dr Susanne Liebner, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – German Research Centre for Geosciences – GFZ, and Prof. Mette M. Svenning, University of Tromsø, Norway.

11. Helmholtz-Argentina Joint Research Group on Astroparticle Physics:
Prof. Johannes Blümer, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Prof. Alberto Etchegoyen, National University of General San Martín, Argentina.

12. Role of kinins in obesity:
Prof. Michael Bader / Dr Natalia Alenina, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, and Prof. Joao B. Pesquero, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil.

13. Helmholtz International Research Group on Terrestrial Ecosystem and Resources Informatics (iTERI): 
Andreas Müller, German Aerospace Center (DLR), and Prof. Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa, University of Alberta, Canada.

14. Scalable kinetic plasma simulation methods:
Prof. Paul Gibbon, Forschungszentrum Jülich, and Prof. Giovanni Lapenta, KU Leuven, Belgium.

15. Nanotechnology as a conceptual framework to analyse value creation processes beyond technology:
Prof. Ingrid Ott, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and Prof. Robin Cowan, University of Strasbourg, France.

The Helmholtz Association contributes to solving major challenges facing society, science and the economy with top scientific achievements in six research fields: Energy; Earth and Environment; Health; Key Technologies; Structure of Matter; and Aeronautics, Space and Transport. With almost 36,000 employees in 18 research centres and an annual budget of approximately €3.8 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organisation. Its work follows in the tradition of the great natural scientist Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894).

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