(EurekaAlert) The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is establishing 20 new Collaborative Research Centres (CRC) to further support top-level research at universities. This was decided by the relevant Grants Committee, which met by video conference due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new CRCs will receive a total of approximately €254 million for an initial period of four years beginning 1 January 2021. This includes a 22 percent programme allowance for indirect project costs. Three of the new networks are CRC/Transregios (TRR), which are distributed across multiple applicant universities.
The description of cooperativity in quantum mechanics is not yet complete. The CRC/Transregio “Quantum Cooperativity of Light and Matter – (QuCoLiMa)” will investigate cooperativity at the quantum level. In doing so, the network hopes to make a lasting contribution towards a systematic understanding of the build-up of spatio-temporal quantum correlations in mesoscopic systems in which light and matter have very strong interrelationships. The findings could be used for applications in quantum engineering such as enhanced sensing, secure communication and quantum computing. (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Joachim von Zanthier; Additional applicant university: University of Mainz and University of Saarbrücken)