DFG Strengthens cutting-edge research at the UDE
Three Collaborative Research Centres granted funding
- 17.05.2026
From innovative approaches in cancer and immunology research to sustainable catalysis research: in the German Research Foundation’s latest funding decision, 13 Collaborative Research Centres were selected across Germany. The University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) was successful with three research consortia. The Collaborative Research Centre “Heterogeneous Oxidation Catalysis in the Liquid Phase”, launched at UDE eight years ago, is now being extended under the leadership of Ruhr University Bochum. The Collaborative Research Centre “Neutrophils: Development, Behaviour and Function” at the University of Münster is entering its second phase, with UDE again as a co-applicant. The new Collaborative Research Centre “Immediate Tumor Dynamics in Melanoma Therapy (DYNAMO)". In addition, the Institute for Sport and Movement Sciences at the UDE is participating in a new sub-project within the Collaborative Research Centre 1567 “Virtuelle Lebenswelten” at the Ruhr University Bochum.
Professor Astrid Westendorf, Vice-Rector for Research and Early Career Researchers, welcomed the DFG decisions: “The latest approvals provide impressive confirmation of the outstanding quality of our fundamental research, particularly in our strategic research areas of Biomedical Sciences and Nanomaterials. At the same time, the joint applications with our partner universities in Bochum and Münster highlight the strength of our collaborations.”
CRC 1752 DYNAMO: Improving therapies for skin cancer
Researchers within the CRC “Immediate Tumor Dynamics in Melanoma Therapy (DYNAMO)” are investigating how malignant melanoma tumours respond and adapt to treatment during the first weeks of therapy. This early phase is often decisive in determining whether a treatment remains effective in the long term or whether resistance develops. The consortium therefore focuses specifically on the mechanisms that enable individual cancer cells to evade therapy.
Read More about CRC 1752 DYNAMO
TRR 332: A new perspective on underestimated immune cells
The DFG has also approved a second funding period for the Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio 332 “Neutrophils: Development, Behaviour and Function”, providing approximately €13 million in funding. Researchers from UDE’s Faculty of Medicine play a major role in the consortium coordinated by the University of Münster.
The focus is on neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cell in humans. For many years, they were regarded as short-lived standard cells of the immune system. Recent findings, however, show that they are far more diverse and play central roles in chronic inflammation, cancer, and the stabilisation of healthy tissue.
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CRC/TRR 247: High-performance catalysts for greater sustainability
The Collaborative Research Centre/Transregio 247 “Heterogeneous Oxidation Catalysis in the Liquid Phase” will likewise receive funding for a further four years. The applicants are Ruhr University Bochum and the University of Duisburg-Essen, together with additional research institutions.
The consortium is developing more sustainable high-performance catalysts based on mixed metal oxides, which are available in large quantities. Its research focuses on understanding how chemical reactions occur at interfaces between solids and liquids, and how catalyst surfaces change during operation.
Read More About TRR 247
CRC 1567 Well-Being in Virtual Lifeworlds: Student Well-Being in Higher Education
The Collaborative Research Centre 1567 “Virtual Lebenswelten”, based at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), has also been approved by the DFG for a second funding phase. In future, UDE’s Institute for Sports and Exercise Sciences (ISBW) will contribute through the subproject “Well-Being in Virtual Lifeworlds: Student Well-Being in Higher Education”. It is jointly led by Dr Caterina Schäfer, sports pedagogue at UDE, and Professor Sandra Aßmann (RUB).