The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) has approved the establishment of nine new Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs), three of which have a materials research focus. The new CRCs will receive a total of €64.4 million for an initial period of three years and nine months and a 20% program allowance for indirect project costs. The Grants Committee also approved the extension of 23 existing CRCs for an additional funding period. As a result, the DFG will fund a total of 235 CRCs as of April 2014.

The CRC “Understanding of Oxide/Water Systems at the Molecular Scale: Structural Evolution, Interfaces and Dissolution” will be hosted by Humboldt University of Berlin, with spokesperson Prof. Dr. Christian Limberg. The Center will examine the elementary processes surrounding metal oxide–water interactions at all relevant length scales with a combination of chemical synthesis and modern experimental and theoretical methods. Metal oxides are used in both medical implants and in surface coatings and building materials. They generally form from an aqueous solution and often come into contact with water in their application areas. A detailed understanding of metal oxide–water interactions, which defines the oxide formation and dissolution processes, is therefore indispensable for the development of materials with the desired properties, as well as for ensuring their long-term stability. The other participating institutions are Free University of Berlin, Technical University of Berlin, University of Potsdam, German Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, Fritz-Haber-Institute of the Max Planck Society Berlin, and Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy GmbH.

The transregional CRC “Function-Oriented Manufacturing Based on Characteristic Process Signatures,” which will be spread across multiple research sites, will be hosted by the University of Bremen, with spokesperson Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ekkard Brinksmeier. It is possible to adjust measurements, forms, and surface geometries of components highly stressed in industrial production in a targeted manner. To date, this has hardly been possible for materials properties close to the surface, so-called fringe properties, such as residual stresses and rigidity. However, it is precisely these properties that are of decisive importance for the life span and the operating behavior of components, because stresses in the form of operating loads impact the component from the surface. It is therefore important to obtain a better understanding of the procedures involved in the manufacturing process that result in a change in materials properties. Participating institutions are RWTH Aachen University and Oklahoma State University, USA.

The transregional CRC “Tailored Nonlinear Photonics: From Fundamental Concepts to Functional Structures” will primarily concentrate on the physical principles and applications of non-linear light-matter interactions. One area of focus is the linking of promising concepts from quantum optics, coherent optics, and optoelectronics for the development of customized nonlinear photonic structures. A variety of applications in photonic information and quantum technology is planned for these new components. The host is the University of Paderborn, with spokesperson Prof. Dr. Artur Zrenner, and participating institution, Technical University of Dortmund.