DFG Funds Research into Adaptive, Biologically Inspired Hydrogels
The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding the new Research Training Group “Adaptive Soft Matter through Programming Colloidal Gels with Biological Building Blocks (EMERGE)”. The Research Training Group is based at RWTH Aachen University and is being established in close cooperation with DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials. The spokesperson of the Research Training Group is Professor Andrij Pich, a member of DWI’s Scientific Board and Chair of Functional and Interactive Polymers at RWTH Aachen University.
The Research Training Group will start on 1 October 2026 and will be funded for five years. Together with researchers from chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, and medicine, EMERGE pursues an interdisciplinary approach to establish the foundations for biologically inspired materials with programmable functions.
EMERGE addresses the question of how materials can be developed that adapt to their environment in ways similar to living systems. The focus is on developing a new generation of adaptive hydrogels that mimic properties of biological systems. These materials are intended, for example, to recognise specific molecules, adhere selectively to surfaces, regenerate after damage, degrade in a controlled manner, or change their shape. In the long term, such adaptive materials open up new perspectives for applications in medicine, biotechnology, catalysis, and plant protection.
At the centre of the research are so-called colloidal hydrogels: soft, water-rich materials built from biological building blocks such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, or phospholipids. Unlike conventional colloidal hydrogels made from synthetic polymers, such biohybrid hydrogels possess a high degree of functional complexity. The researchers aim to understand how the information encoded in biological molecules can be used in a targeted way to develop materials with new adaptive properties.
The scientific challenges are considerable: biological building blocks differ significantly depending on their origin, structure, and function. Existing methods for producing nano- and microgels cannot simply be transferred to biological molecules. At the same time, little is currently known about how biologically based hydrogels are structured, how they behave dynamically, and how they respond in complex environments, for example in contact with biological systems.
The research projects within EMERGE will investigate biological molecules with different structures, dimensions, and levels of complexity in order to develop nano- and microgels for specific functions. The first project area focuses on nanogels that could, in the future, be used for targeted drug delivery or the activation of stem cells. A second area is dedicated to microgels for applications such as programmably degradable drug carriers, switchable adhesives, or scaffold structures for tissue engineering. In addition, researchers will use modern analytical methods and computer simulations to investigate the structure, dynamics, and properties of these novel materials in order to better predict and control their functions.
Alongside its scientific goals, EMERGE also has a clear training mission. The Research Training Group offers doctoral researchers a structured qualification programme, international research stays, and close collaboration with international experts. In this way, EMERGE prepares doctoral researchers for career paths in both academia and industry.
Further information can be found in the press release by RWTH Aachen University: https://www.rwth-aachen.de/go/id/bsjpry#aaaaaaaaabsjpvn