Unifying Systems in Catalysis

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Cluster of Excellence Unifying Systems in Catalysis (UniSysCat) is an interdisciplinary research network established by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the federal and state initiative, Excellence Strategy (dutch: Exzellenzstrategie). [1] UniSysCat is the successor to the Cluster of Excellence Unifying Concepts in Catalysis (UniCat).

Contents

More about Execellence Strategy
Execellence Strategy is a federal-state agreement under Article 91b of the Basic Law for the sustainable strengthening of top-level research and the international competitiveness of German universities.The effort includes 2 projects: Clusters of Excellence (EXC) and Universities of Excellence (EXU)
The Clusters of Excellence focuses on supporting project-based funding in internationally competitive research fields at a university or university consortium.

Approximately 300 researchers from the Berlin and Potsdam areas work at UniSysCat, addressing current challenges in catalysis research. [2] The funding period runs from January 1, 2019, to December 30, 2025.

Research Focus

UniSysCat consists of around 60 research groups working on both experimental and theoretical approaches in molecular and structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics, chemical synthesis, physical and theoretical chemistry, and physics. The research focuses on understanding and controlling chemo-catalytic and bio-catalytic networks, as well as exploring how chemical and biological processes can be integrated to create catalytic systems with new functions.

Participating institutions

The participating institutions includes: [3]

Other Initiatives

BasCat

In 2011, UniSysCat partnered with BASF to establish the BasCat joint laboratory at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). BasCat focuses on basic research in heterogeneous catalysis, specifically the catalytic transformation of hydrocarbons into value-added products.

Chemical Invention Factory

The Chemical Invention Factory (CIF), also known as the John Warner Center for Start-ups in Green Chemistry, is a project at TU Berlin designed to encourage young scientists to start their own companies. Originating from the TU INKULAB program, CIF supports research in green chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology.

INKULAB

The INKULAB project, which concluded in April 2020, aimed to promote young entrepreneurs in the field of chemistry. Its primary objective was to simplify the transition from research to startup, addressing the complex infrastructure typically required for science companies. Startups were offered modular, purpose-built laboratories made from containers to facilitate this process.

Awards

The Clara Immerwahr Award, launched in 2011 by the UniCat cluster, promotes young women in catalysis research. This annual award is presented to a young female scientist (postdoctoral or early-career researcher) who has demonstrated excellence in catalysis. The award includes a €15,000 grant for a research stay within a UniSysCat research group, encouraging collaboration and strengthening ties with the network.

The Clara Immerwahr Award is named in honor of Dr. Clara Immerwahr (1870–1915), the first woman in Germany to earn a doctorate in physical chemistry, in 1900.

Related Research Articles

TU Dresden, also as the Dresden University of Technology, is a public research university in Dresden, Germany. It is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony and one of the 10 largest universities in Germany with 32,389 students as of 2018.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Potsdam</span> University in the German city of Potsdam

The University of Potsdam is a public university in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, northeastern Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technical University of Kaiserslautern</span>

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The Berlin Graduate School of Natural Sciences and Engineering (BIG-NSE) is part of the Cluster of Excellence "Unifying Concepts in Catalysis" (UniCat) founded in November 2007 by Technische Universität Berlin and five further institutions in the Berlin area within the framework of the German government‘s Excellence Initiative.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">María Escudero-Escribano</span> Spanish chemist

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Arne Thomas is a German chemist who researches porous and nanostructured materials for catalytic applications.

Janina Kneipp is a German scientist who is Professor of Physical Chemistry Humboldt University of Berlin. Her research considers surface enhanced Raman scattering and plasmonic enhancement in multi-modal micro spectroscopy.

Ulrike I. Kramm is a German chemistry professor at Technische Universität Darmstadt. Her research considers the development and characterisation of metal catalysts for fuel cells, CO2 conversion and solar fuels.

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References

  1. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung [Federal Ministry of Education and Research]. "Excellence Strategy". Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Retrieved December 7, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "UniSysCat: UniSysCat at a glance". www.unisyscat.de. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  3. "Clusters of Excellence: Complete List of Approved Projects" (PDF). German Research Foundation. 27 September 2018.