CRC/TRR 388 “Rough Analysis, Stochastic Dynamics and Related Fields” was among the newly established centers. Professor Nicolas Perokowski of Freie Universität Berlin is co-spokesperson, with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Technische Universität Berlin serving as co-applicant institutions. The research center will incorporate basic scientific research as well as applied approaches from fields such as financial mathematics. The mathematicians involved in the research will connect rough analysis to stochastic dynamics and combine this with adjacent areas in mathematics such as geometry and algebra. A key aspect of this work will be “rough paths theory,” which is not only important in mathematics, but could also pave the way for new approaches in modeling dynamic processes in the natural sciences, engineering, economics, and social sciences.

CRC/TRR 388 “Entangled States of Matter,” which was founded in 2016, has also been approved for its third and final funding period. Professor Piet Brouwer of Freie Universität Berlin is vice spokesperson, and the Weizmann Institute of Science and University of Cologne are also involved in the research center. The scientific mission of the CRC 183 “Entangled States of Matter” is to exploit the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics to engineer condensed matter systems that materialize entanglement in a tangible manner. Complex quantum systems can become entangled, meaning they exhibit simultaneous superpositions of different states of their subsystems. The theoretical investigations aim to make such entanglements usable in macroscopic systems, thereby ultimately laying the groundwork for new forms of information processing.

CRC/TRR 186 “Molecular Switches: Spatio-temporal Control of Cellular Signal Transmission,” another research center that was founded in 2016, will also continue into its third and final funding period thanks to the DFG’s approval. Professor Christian Freund of Freie Universität Berlin is its spokesperson, with Heidelberg University serving as a co-applicant institution. Biological signals are generated by molecular switches, which allow temporal and spatial coordination of a wide range of cellular processes, including membrane traffic, membrane remodeling, cell signaling, and cell differentiation and development. The overarching goal of the research center is to analyze how molecular mechanisms allow dynamic protein complexes to scaffold membranes and control cellular functions.

Freie Universität Berlin is also contributing to two other research centers that have received funding approval from the DFG. Professor Christine Knaevelsrud from the Department of Education and Psychology is a member of CRC/TRR 289 “Treatment Expectation,” which aims to gain a better understanding of the impact that expectations have on the efficacy of medical treatment and to utilize these findings to optimize said treatments. Professor Bettina Rentsch from the Department of Law at Freie Universität Berlin is also contributing to the new CRC 1671 “Home(s): Phenomena, Practices, Representations,” which is dedicated to the task of examining the current and always controversial phenomenon of “home” – particularly as it relates to the concept of “homeland” – for its historical and global relevance.