Project funding

Developing your own project ideas and acquiring funding for them is a crucial step in a scientific career. In our research network, doctoral researchers can independently develop and manage their own first pilot projects. Postdocs have the opportunity to apply for start-up projects, thus potentially paving the way to a project leadership role in our research network’s future funding periods. Part of the application is a short project presentation that allows all applicants to present their ideas to our committees in person.

  • Pilot projects – for doctoral researchers within our IRTG

    One example: Biology PhD student Mathis Richter has acquired funding for a pilot project. “It was a cool experience for me to carefully plan what I wanted to do in the project and with what goals – I noticed how the idea came to maturity while I was writing the proposal,” he says. He uses multiplex imaging to study how and where certain immune cells (neutrophils) develop in the bone marrow and how this process changes when inflammation is present.
    © WWU/Erk Wibberg

    Pilot projects enable doctoral researchers from our Integrated Research Training Group to independently develop and implement their own first research projects, including managing their own funding. We support innovative research ideas connected to our multiscale imaging strategy and are happy to receive proposals from individual applicants or teams of several doctoral researchers!

    Application

    Funded projects

    • PI-2022-01 – NEUTROMARROW – Multiplex imaging of neutrophil
      development and maturation in the bone marrow
      Project leader: Mathis Richter (Institute of Experimental Pathology, ZMBE, UKM)
      Project term: 04/2022 - 03/2023

  • Start-up projects – for postdoctoral researchers

    One example: Biologist Dr Samriti Sharma was successful with her proposal for a start-up project. “I learnt about the funding programme for postdocs at the CRC’s retreat and saw many opportunities for cooperation within the network – that’s how the idea for my project was born,” she says. She is using the grant to study how immune cells (neutrophils and macrophages) interact in the defence against bacterial infection and how bacteria (Yersinia pseudotuberculosis) manage to survive.
    © WWU/Erk Wibberg

    We warmly invite postdocs in the research field of "Dynamics and Imaging of Inflammation and Infection" to apply for funding for their own research ideas, thus potentially paving the way to a project leadership role in our research network’s future funding periods.

    Application

    Funded projects

    • ST-2022-01 – Unravelling the dynamic interplay between neutrophils and macrophages following Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection
      Project leader: Samriti Sharma (Institute of Infectiology, ZMBE, WWU)
      Project term: 04/2022 - 03/2023

    • ST-2022-03 – A 18F-labeled derivative of dibenzocylcooctyne (DBCO) to label artificial cholesterol analogs in cell membranes
      Project leader: Christian Paul Konken (Department of Nuclear Medicine, UKM)
      Project term: 01/2023 - 12/2023

    • ST-2022-05 – Evaluation of immunogenicity of chemo-enzymatically modified Cap 1 mRNAs
      Project leader: Melissa van Dülmen (Institute of Biochemistry, WWU)
      Project term: 01/2023 - 12/2023