Former MPGC Focus Groups

Several MPGC Focus Groups have successfully evolved into larger, externally funded research initiatives, demonstrating how focused interdisciplinary collaboration can lead to sustained scientific impact and institutional development.

Former MPGC Focus Group “Water” → MaxWater and Max Planck Liquids Initiative

The MPGC Water Focus Group explored the complex behavior of water across disciplines, bringing together expertise from life sciences, materials science, earth system research, energy research, and physics. Its goal was to understand, predict, and ultimately engineer the behavior of complex aqueous systems by combining experimental and simulation methods across scales.

This interdisciplinary activity contributed to the launch of the MaxWater initiative - a coordinated research effort that aims to develop a molecular-level understanding of complex aqueous systems and accelerate solutions to major scientific challenges associated with water.

In July 2025, the Max Planck Campus Mainz and the Max Planck Liquids Initiative, which builds on this research, were officially launched in a collaborative event involving Max Planck Society leadership, state science representatives, and JGU leadership. The initiative focuses on aqueous systems and their complex chemical processes using experimental, theoretical, and simulation-based approaches, and is intended to strengthen interdisciplinary research on liquids, soft matter, and earth system science at the Mainz campus.

Former MPGC Focus Group “Cellular Function Driven by Polymer Concepts” → CRC 1551: Polymer Concepts in Cellular Function

The MPGC Focus Group on Cellular Function Driven by Polymer Concepts laid the groundwork for a new interdisciplinary research agenda at the interface of polymer science and molecular biology. This collaboration has contributed to the establishment of Collaborative Research Centre CRC 1551 – Polymer Concepts in Cellular Function funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

CRC 1551 brings together interdisciplinary teams from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, the Institute of Molecular Biology Mainz, the University Medical Center Mainz, the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, and the University of Stuttgart. The centre aims to expand understanding of complex biological processes through the lens of polymer chemistry and physics, studying how biopolymers such as DNA, RNA, and proteins interact dynamically to govern cellular function and contribute to phenomena such as phase separation.

Importantly, doctoral researchers within CRC 1551 continue to participate actively in the structured programme of the MPGC. Through this integration, the MPGC provides an interdisciplinary training environment that complements the scientific framework of the CRC and strengthens institutional links between the participating research organisations.

Impact

These success stories illustrate how the MPGC Focus Group model can seed sustained, externally funded research programmes that bridge disciplines and institutions. For the scientific landscape in Mainz, this model creates a structured pathway from early interdisciplinary exchange to large-scale, long-term collaborative funding.

By fostering cooperation between the Max Planck Institutes and Johannes Gutenberg University at an early stage, Focus Groups strengthen institutional integration, enhance competitiveness for major funding schemes, and increase the international visibility of the Mainz research campus. In this way, the MPGC contributes not only to doctoral training, but also to the strategic development and long-term scientific profile of Mainz as a research location.