DFG - Excellence strategy

In June 2016, the Federal Government and the Federal States decided to continue the Excellence Initiative in a modified form in the "Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Federal States for the Further Strengthening of Top-Level Research at Universities". Clusters of excellence in specific research fields and universities of excellence will be funded as strategic support for outstanding university locations. The funding of graduate schools of the Excellence Initiative will not be continued.

Funded Clusters and Graduate Schools of the Excellence Initiative (2006 until 2019)

Clusters of Excellence are interdisciplinary research alliances that cooperate closely with non-university research institutions and industry. As an important component of university-related strategic planning, they contribute significantly to the scientific profile of the respective university. In addition, the renowned scientists involved and the excellent research environment guarantee optimal training and career conditions for young scientists.

Cluster of Excellence 2145: SyNergy - Plaques and Parallels

SyNergy defines systems neurology as a new research approach that combines systems biology and systems neuroscience with clinical neurology to understand integratively how neurological diseases arise from the interaction of degenerative, immunological and vascular mechanisms. This continuation proposal is now, after 5 years of funding, a joint initiative of the two Munich Universities of Excellence, LMU and TUM.- SyNergy has initiated cross-disease tandem projects, the success of which is evidenced by >230 publications in journals with an impact factor >10 and an 80% increase in joint publications by cluster scientists from LMU and TUM. SyNergy has appointed top emerging researchers to fill gaps in the research spectrum and strengthen the team of cluster scientists (including 13 with ERC funding) with additional expertise in systems neuroscience. SyNergy has been instrumental in establishing a Centre for Stroke and Dementia Research (CSD), integrating research and clinical practice, and hosting 10 SyNergy research groups from both universities.- SyNergy has created a programme for researching physicians, among whose graduatestwo have secured a DFG Emmy-Noether group and are now SyNergy PIs. SyNergy has established new programmes to train young scientists from high school students to postdoctoral fellows, and has promoted equal opportunities through career guidance and support for families and parents. complement the disease-overlapping pathomechanistic tandem projects with new translational tandem projects to investigate clinical hypotheses from SyNergy research for their relevance to patients and their potential application.- create technology platforms to enable broad access to key technologies and accelerate the transfer of new results from the laboratory to the patient.- establish three pathomechanistic and two translational professorships to integrate innovative concepts and permanently structurally anchor translational research.- complement the CSD with a second research centre for neuroinflammation and neuroscience with a similar cross-border research philosophy.- continue support for researching physicians and inspire future clinical researchers through research-oriented teaching in preclinical and master's programmes.- further expand programmes to promote young scientists and equal opportunities, e.g. by supporting early independence as well as international exchange programmes, such as the new SyNergy-Washington University partnership.

Source: GEPRIS