Helmholtz Association funds eight international research groups

The Helmholtz Association has launched a new funding programme to support research groups carrying out joint projects with foreign partner institutions. Eight of these Helmholtz International Research Groups have been selected in the first round and more are currently applying. The teams receiving the funding will be awarded up to €50,000 per year for an initial period of three years. The foreign institutions will provide equal levels of funding for the further development of the partnerships.

These days, highly complex research topics are best explored in collaborative efforts at international level. The Helmholtz Association is in the process of expanding its cooperation with international partners in certain fields. The Association has already set up successful joint funding programmes with partners in China and Russia. The Helmholtz International Research Groups are a pilot scheme that enables joint research projects to be set up with foreign partner institutions worldwide. The current call for proposals is open until 15 March 2013. 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 groups were selected for the first round of funding for Helmholtz International Research Groups:

1.)    Helmholtz International Research Group on the aerodynamic performance of joined-wing single aisle aircrafts:
Dr Frederik Blumrich, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, and Dr Daniel New Tze How / Björn Nagel,  Nanyang University of Singapore, Singapore.

2.)    Non-classical nanophotonic circuits for ultrafast single photon manipulation on chip:
Dr Wolfram Pernice, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, 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-Zentrum Potsdam – Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, and Prof. Victor A. Ramos / Dr Ruben Somoza, CONICET, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.

4.)    Climate change-land use change interactions and feedbacks (CLUCIE):
Prof. Almut Arneth, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, and Prof. Benjamin Smith, Lund University, Sweden.

5.)    Climate change adaptation options in Santiago de Chile and other Latin American megacities – Urban vulnerability on local level:
Dr Kerstin Krellenberg, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung – UFZ, and Dr Felipe Link, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile.

6.)    Dopant mapping and side wall characterization of III-V semiconductor nanowires for solar cell applications by scanning tunneling 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 – Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt, 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 – Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt, and Prof. Ramnik Xavier, The Eli and Edythe L. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, USA.