Research Priority Areas (RPAs) of the TU Dresden

These research priority areas represent the for the currently strongest research fields of our University, which are characterized by publication impact and third-party funds. Especially five Clusters of Excellence and a graduate school as well as various collaborative research centers contribute to the research excellence of the TU Dresden.

The research of the TU Dresden is focused on five strategic research priority areas:

Health Sciences, Biomedicine and Bioengineering

Health Sciences, Biomedicine and Bioengineering comprises four interconnected fields at the interface of basic and translational research:

  • Interdisciplinary fundamental research of physical concepts and priciples that underlie the organisation of living matter (Cluster of Excellence: Physics of Life);
  • Stem Cells and Tissue Formation, which directly leads to Regenerative Therapies (CRTD - Center for Regenerative Therapies TU Dresden);
  • research uncovering the causes of, and developing therapeutic approaches for, major diseases of modern societies, i.e. Cancer (OncoRay), Diabetes (DZD), and Neurodegeneration (DZNE) as well as other disorders of the brain, notably those tackled by the Psychological and Behavioral Sciences; and
  • Molecular Bioengineering, which provides an interface between biology and engineering (B CUBE, BIOTEC, Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials).

In addition to these four established fields, an emerging research area is Systems Biology, where experimental and theoretical science meet. A particular strength of this RPA is the transdisciplinary networking of basic and translational researchers within TUD and its local non-university partners such as the MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics. These research foci constitute a fertile ground for the advancement of young researchers, as exemplified by the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB), awarded in the 1st program phase of the Excellence Initiative.

Examples of the reseach excellence for the priority area:

  • Cluster of Excellence: Physics of Life

  • CRTD - Center for Regenerative Therapies TU Dresden

  • Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering (DIGS-BB)

  • Paul-Langerhans-Institute of the TU Dresden

  • German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE).

  • Max-Bergmann-Center of Biomaterials

  • Centers for Innovation Competence:  B-CUBE & OncoRay

  • Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the TU Dresden

  • CRC 940 “Volition and Cognitive Control”
  • CRC/Transregio 265 "Losing and Regaining Control over Drug Intake: From Trajectories to Mechanisms to Interventions" - Locations: Berlin, Dresden, Heidelberg
  • CRC/Transregio 237 "Nucleic Acid Immunity" - Locations: Bonn, Dresden, Munich
  • CRC/Transregio 205 "The Adrenal: Central Relay in Health and Disease"- Locations: Dresden, Munich, Würzburg
  • CRC/Transregio 127 "Biology of xenogeneic cell and organ transplantation - from bench to bedside" - Locations: München, Hannover, Dresden
  • CRC/Transregio 83 "Molecular Architecture and Cellular Functions of Lipid/Protein Assemblies" - Locations: Heidelberg, Dresden, Bonn
  • CRC/Transregio 67 "Functional Biomaterials for Controlling Healing Processes in Bone and Skin - From Material Science to Clinical Application" with integrated graduate school - Locations: Leipzig, Dresden
  • FOR 5146 "FerrOs: Defining the osteohepatic axis in the context of iron homeostasis"
  • FOR 3013 "Vector- and Tensor-Valued Surface PDEs"
  • FOR 2682 "Seasonal adaptation of Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila suzukii"
  • FOR 2599 "Tissue Type 2 Responses: Mechanisms of Induction and Regulation"

  • FOR 2038 "Nanopatterned Organic Matrices in Biological Silica Mineralization"

  • SPP 2084 "µBONE - Colonization and interaction of tumor cells within the bone microenvironment"

  • Graduate Schools: European Graduate School in Addiction Research (Volkswagenstiftung), International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Cell, Developmental and Systems Biology (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft)

  • Humboldt-Professur: Prof. Jochen Guck
  • ERC Advanced Grant: "ZF-BrainReg", Prof. Michael Brand
  • ERC Advanced  Grant: „GENSURGE“, Prof. Frank Buchholz

  • ERC Advanced Grant: „CHIMO“, Prof. Stephan Grill

  • ERC Advanced Grant: „MacAGE“, Prof. Dr. Michael Sieweke

  • ERC Consolidator Grant: „PhaseAge“, Prof. Dr. Simon Alberti
  • ERC Consolidator Grant: „DEMETINL“, Prof. Triantafyllos Chavakis
  • ERC Consolidator Grant: „SENSOCOM“, Prof. Dr. Katharina von Kriegstein
  • ERC Starting Grant: „SLEEPCONTROL“, Prof. Dr. Henrik Bringmann
  • ERC Starting Grant: „ProNeurons“, Dr. Volker Busskamp
  • ERC Starting Grant: „ONco-Energetics_OFF“, Dr. Mohamed Elgendy
  • ERC Starting Grant: „PreventAll“, Prof. Dr. Julia Hauer
  • ERC Starting Grant: „REDOXCYCLE“, Dr. Jörg Mansfeld
  • Freigeist Fellow (VW-Stiftung): Dr. Volker Busskamp
  • Freigeist Fellow (VW-Stiftung): Dr. Ivan Minev
Information Technology and Microelectronics

Information Technology and Microelectronics is an area of utmost importance as the largest microelectronics hub in Europe is centered in Dresden, with over 1,500 companies growing at an average rate of well over 1,000 jobs/year, and currently approximately 50,000 employees. As a result of strategic appointments over the past decade, TUD´s scientific competence now covers the full spectrum from basic and applied research on information processing and communication, to developing and testing innovative materials (Nanotechnology, Bionics). There are strong ties with several regional Fraunhofer Institutes as well as multiple joint ventures with industry’s global leaders, e.g. reflected by acquiring and steering the German Leading-Edge Cluster “CoolSilicon”. The Cluster of Excellence "Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden" (cfaed) and the successful Cluster of Excellence "Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop" (CeTI) are towering examples of our cutting-edge research.

Examples of the reseach excellence for the priority area:

Materials Science and Engineering

Materials Science and Engineering is playing a decisive role in providing solutions to global mega-challenges such as energy, resources and mobility. By establishing the Cluster of Excellence „Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter (ct.qmat), physicists, chemists and material scientists from Dresden and Würzburg are going to unite their efforts to understand, control and apply fundamentally new states of quantum matter. Fundamental scientific research activities at TUD also focus on understanding the principles of structure-property relations and interactions of materials in various environments, on nanotechnology concepts, new functional and smart materials and corresponding technologies, advanced surface engineering, high performance multifunctional lightweight materials, materials for energy, and new design concepts with adapted sensors and actuators. TUD competences are complemented by intense collaboration with local Leibniz-, Fraunhofer- and Max Planck Institutes and a network of strategic cooperations with prestigious industry partners.

Examples of the reseach excellence for the priority area:

Energy, Mobility and Environment

Energy, Mobility and Environment is an emerging RPA, which is already clearly visible across the full spectrum of TUD Faculties and Institutes. A recent survey showed that 25% of the approximately 500 TUD professors are involved in this area and that 16% regard it as a focus of their research. Existing competences cover topics such as adaptation to climate change, bio-geo-chemistry, biomass, combustion engines, electrochemistry, energy economy, energy efficiency, energy law, energy systems analysis, electricity generation, environmental monitoring and geo-information techniques, forestry, hydrology, limnophysics, mobility, regenerative energy systems, risk management and water resources management. Hence, TUD is in an excellent position to tackle not only core research topics, but also inter- and transdisciplinary research themes, which increasingly are moving into the focus of large environment- and energy-related projects. In June 2011, the 30 Mio Euro research building for the new Center for Energy Technology was opened.

Examples of the reseach excellence for the priority area:

Culture and Societal Change

Culture and Societal Change focuses on the transformation of culture and society with regard to social and political systems, urban and regional developments, as well as cultural institutions, museums and libraries: In this old capital of culture, where the cultural sector also accounts for a well-above average importance in the regional economy and job market, a range of interdisciplinary research programs and intense networks has been established, in particular with

  • the Deutsches Hygiene Museum Dresden, a unique museum of science, culture, and society,
  • the prestigious Saxon State and University Library with its internationally renowned collections of manuscripts, documents, maps, and photographs,
  • the Dresden State Art Collections, one of the oldest and most important museum networks in Europe (consisting of 13 thematically different museums) that enjoys a worldwide reputation,
  • the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History, that wants to develop a multiperspective and critical perspective on the history of violence and
  • the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development.

Examples of the reseach excellence for the priority area:

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Claudia Wittmann
Last modified: May 05, 2021
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