The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved the establishment of a new collaborative research center (CRC) to be coordinated by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The new CRC/Transregio Multiscale Simulation Methods for Soft-Matter Systems will focus on developing methods for computer-aided research on structural properties and processes of soft matter.

Collaborative research centers are long-term DFG projects in fundamental research; CRC/Transregio projects are special in that the application must be submitted by several universities and/or institutions jointly. In addition to Mainz University as coordinator, the Technical University of Darmstadt and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz will be participating in the new CRC/Transregio. DFG will fund the CRC/Transregio with about €7 million over the next four years.

According to DFG, the new research center will concentrate on multiscale modeling. Soft matter represents an important class of materials that ranges from simple plastics to complex biomolecular systems and materials used in organic electronics applications. Their properties are determined by a subtle interplay of energy and entropy. Small changes in molecular interactions can lead to large changes in the macroscopic properties of a system. The aim of the Center is to develop new simulation and analytical techniques that allow for the simulation of complex systems in the “real world,” such as materials composed of many components and nonequilibrium processes in materials.

German Minister of Science Doris Ahnen said, “This new research-related achievement demonstrates the exceptional potential of the Rhine-Main scientific hub and again underlines the excellence of the work being undertaken by our researchers in the field of materials science, which is—with good reason—one of the main disciplines shaping JGU’s research profile.”