Germany: DFG details new collaborative research projects

Nanophotonics: a new and hot research area. Image, courtesy Argonne National Laboratory, shows an optical funnel of silver nanowires localising light on the
100 nanometre scale.

The projects cover a range of topics, including inflammatory processes in the brain, nanoscopic structures, managing cycles in innovation processes, and the development of very bright lasers and other novel components.

The DFG has also approved the continuation of 26 existing projects for an additional funding period, and will thus fund a total of 259 collaborations as of the beginning of next year. In total, they will receive €403 million in funding in 2008, plus the 20 per cent programme overhead.

One project, “Managing Cycles in Innovation Processes – Integrated Development of Product Service Systems Based on Technical Products”, will bring together mechanical engineers, computer scientists and sociologists, as well as researchers from marketing and other areas to study how innovation cycles are affected by technical, competitive and social influences. These factors have a major influence on the development and launch of innovative products and services, sometimes acting in very negative way.

Another project, “Semiconductors – Nanophotonics: Materials, Models, Components” aims to develop novel photonic and nanophotonic components from a variety of materials. The researchers, from Berlin and Magdeburg, will combine three complementary areas of research, materials science, modelling, and production and characterisation of components.

This will allow theoreticians and experimental researchers to collaborate closely in basic and applied areas. The aim is to generate very high frequency and ultrashort pulses with laser diodes and semiconductor amplifiers as well as high-brilliance lasers in the infrared to green spectral range.