This conference will be the sixth in a series of research conferences jointly supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF), which aim to strengthen the research ties between the United States and Germany.
It is intended to be the starting point for joint research activities between German and US researchers from academia, industry, and national laboratories.
The emphasis of the 2011 conference will be on the formation of functional synthetic materials using biological, biomimetic, and bioinspired templates, approaches or pathways. The longer-range goal is to create robust routes for the synthesis of materials with novel combinations of properties or possessing functionalities that are unachievable by conventional means. This work calls for an interdisciplinary approach involving close collaboration among scientists from a broad range of disciplines including biology, chemistry, physics, and materials science and engineering. In addition, the use of state-of-the-art genetic and computational methods and processing and characterisation approaches is essential to transferring the understanding of fundamental principles into the successful creation of novel functional materials.
The objective of the conference is to identify the relevant advances in the research communities involved and to bring these communities together across disciplinary and international boundaries. Participants are expected to have a genuine interest in cross-disciplinary interaction and to take part with the aim of setting up collaborative transnational research projects. The conference will enable both focussed scientific discussions and networking among the participants. It is not expected that collaborations will have been established prior to the conference. The funding agencies will consult with participants in terms of appropriate avenues for funding collaborative projects.
Abstracts of your presentation and a description of potential collaborative research interests are due on 15 October 2010. They will be reviewed by the Conference Steering Committee, who will announce decisions regarding participation before 24 December 2010. Participants will be invited to make oral and/or poster presentations. The expenses of the selected participants will be covered by the conference organisers. Additional information, including the conference venue and tentative schedule of events, instructions for completing and submitting abstracts, and membership of the Conference Steering Committee, are available at the conference’s website.
Kontakt
Dr.-Ing. Burkhard Jahnen, DFG
Tel.: +49 228 - 885 - 2487
E-Mail: burkhard.jahnen(at)dfg.de
Dr. Nikolai Raffler, DFG
Tel.: +49 228 - 885 - 2441
E-Mail: nikolai.raffler(at)dfg.de
Dr. David Brant, NSF
Tel.: +1 703 - 292 - 4941
E-Mail: dbrant(at)nsf.gov
Dr. Jennifer Pearl, NSF
Tel.: +1 703 - 292 - 4492
E-Mail: jslimowi(at)nsf.gov
