The Cluster of Excellence Unifying Systems in Catalysis (UniSysCat) is an interdisciplinary research network funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the federal and state initiative called the Excellence Strategy of Germany, Exzellenzstrategie.[1] [2] The funding period runs from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2025.
Around 300 researchers from the Berlin and Potsdam areas work at UniSysCat, focusing on current issues in catalysis research.[3] UniSysCat is the follow-up project to the Cluster of Excellence Unifying Concepts in Catalysis (UniCat), which was funded from 2007 to 2018 as part of the federal and state excellence initiative of Germany, Exzellenzstrategie.[4]
UniSysCat focuses on research into catalytic reactions driven by biocatalysts, aiming to develop controllable reaction networks applicable to sustainable chemistry. The initiative builds upon previous research from its predecessor, UniCat, which was funded from 2007 to 2018.[5] [6] [7]
The network also aims to transfer the knowledge and results it has found for use by third-party organizations in the sustainable chemistry industry.
In 2011, the UniCat Cluster of Excellence and the chemical company BASF founded the joint laboratory BasCat (UniCat BASF JointLab), at Technische Universität Berlin. BasCat is dedicated to basic research in the field of heterogeneous catalysis.
The Chemical Invention Factory (CIF, John Warner Center for Start-ups in Green Chemistry) is a project initiated at TU Berlin that aims to encourage young scientists to become founders of their own start-ups. The Chemical Invention Factory supports research in the fields of green chemistry, materials, and nanotechnology. Plans for a new building include the presence of state-of-the-art laboratories where young scientists, accompanied by mentors, can research their own ideas with the goal of developing their results into a start-up ready for the market.
The INKULAB was a project to promote young entrepreneurs in chemistry. The project concluded in April 2020 after five years.
Spokespersons: Holger Dobbek (HU Berlin), Matthias Driess (TU Berlin), Arne Thomas (TU Berlin)
UniSysCat consists of around 60 research groups working in experimental methods and theoretical approaches in the fields of molecular and structural biology, biochemistry and biophysics, chemical synthesis, physical and theoretical chemistry, and physics. UniSysCat's research strategy is based on the previous work of the UniCat Cluster of Excellence (Unifying Concepts in Catalysis).[3]
Its research focuses on parameters that enable and control chemocatalytic and biocatalytic networks, and on how chemical and biological processes can be coupled to create catalytic systems with new functions.[8]
The Clara Immerwahr Award, launched in 2011 by the UniCat Cluster of Excellence, is an award to promote young women in catalysis research. The award is given annually to a young scientist from Germany or abroad in an early phase of her career (postdoc, young scientist) for her performance in catalysis research. It is associated with a financial grant of 15,000 euros for a research stay in a UniSysCat research group and is intended to establish close cooperation with UniSysCat working groups.[9]
The Clara Immerwahr Award is dedicated to Dr. Clara Immerwahr (1870-1915), who was the first woman in Germany to receive a doctorate in physical chemistry in 1900.[10]
A structural goal of UniSysCat is the sustainable promotion of young scientists. UniSysCat supports the so-called "EC2/BIG-NSE" doctoral program.
The term EC2/BIG-NSE is made up of the terms EC² (Einstein Center of Catalysis) and BIG-NSE (Berlin International Graduate School of Natural Sciences and Engineering). BIG-NSE was an international PhD program that was founded on May 29, 2007 at Technische Universität Berlin, and was part of the Cluster of Excellence UniCat.[11] [12] Since January 1st, 2019, the BIG-NSE doctoral program has been financed by the "Einstein Center of Catalysis" sponsored by the Einstein Foundation Berlin, prompting the renaming of the program to EC2/BIG-NSE. The mission of this doctoral program is to overcome the limits of classical disciplines in catalysis.[13]