Researchers at TU Darmstadt and the University of Edinburgh develop new RNA tools

Caffeine is found in coffee, energy drinks and medicines. But what if we could not only consume caffeine, but also use it as a molecular switch? This is precisely what an international research team from TU Darmstadt and the University of Edinburgh has achieved. In a recent study published in “Nucleic Acids Research”, they present a new RNA aptamer – a molecule that reacts specifically to caffeine and can be used in various synthetic RNA tools.

€450,000 in capital, ten deep-tech teams, six months until investment readiness

HIGHEST and FUTURY are launching the second phase of their joint Company Builder for technology- and science-based start-ups. The programme focuses on three key drivers of successful spin-offs: €450,000 in private early-stage funding, targeted support for ten deep-tech teams and structured access to relevant venture capital partners.

A Major Step Forward in Research on Highly Charged Ions – Publication in “Physical Review X”

Researchers at Technical University of Darmstadt and the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research have succeeded for the first time in decelerating highly charged ions from the GSI accelerator to low energies and subsequently storing them in a Penning trap. They were also successful in performing the first-ever electron cooling of highly charged ions in such a trap. The results have now been published in the journal “Physical Review X (PRX)”.

Humboldt Research Award winner Professor Gene Tsudik visits TU Darmstadt

Professor Gene Tsudik from the University of California, Irvine, has been addressing some of the most fundamental questions in cybersecurity for decades, always keeping an eye on real-world systems. This year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation honored his scientific achievements to date with a Humboldt Research Award.

Darmstadt Researchers Improve Models for How Heavy Elements are Created

Where do gold, platinum, and uranium come from? This question has fascinated astrophysicists and nuclear physicists for decades. A research team from Technische Universität Darmstadt has now taken an important step toward understanding the origin of heavy elements. Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, demonstrate for the first time how modern ab initio calculations of atomic nuclei can significantly improve predictions of r-process nucleosynthesis, the mechanism responsible for creating many of the Universe’s heaviest elements.

From Research Idea to Start-Up

From September 7 to 10, 2026, the Center for Synthetic Biology at TU Darmstadt, in collaboration with Futury, will host the interdisciplinary Start-Up Summer School in Darmstadt and Frankfurt. Students, doctoral candidates, and postdocs in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering, computer science and economics, as well as related disciplines, are invited to attend. The Start-Up Summer School offers participants the opportunity to develop scientific ideas in the field of synthetic biology into viable Start-Up concepts.

Development of Novel Chips for Rapidly Solving Complex Optimization Problems

In what order does a package delivery service route its deliveries to minimize fuel consumption and time? This type of problem – known as a combinatorial optimization problem – lies at the heart of many challenges in science, technology, and business – from logistics and drug research to financial markets and artificial intelligence. A new German-Taiwanese research project involving TU Darmstadt and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) aims to solve such problems in the future using specialized computer chips, making the process significantly faster and more energy-efficient than has been possible to date. TU Darmstadt is receiving nearly 1.2 million euros in funding for this project from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Study led by TU Darmstadt published in “Nature Communications”

The properties of ultra-thin magnets can be specifically altered by a minimal twist between two atomic monolayers. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team led by TU Darmstadt in a study that has now been published in the prestigious journal “Nature Communications”. The findings open up new prospects for future memory devices.

Insights into aerodynamics research at TU Darmstadt

Professor Martin Oberlack is dedicated to solving a problem that consumes a great deal of energy in aviation and makes the development of new aircraft a complex undertaking: chaotic air vortices, known in technical jargon as turbulence. The head of the Fluid Dynamics Department aims to understand them mathematically.

TU Darmstadt coordinates new LOEWE priority area “QuEnergy”

Through a new research consortium led by TU Darmstadt, scientists aim to lay new foundations for energy-efficient quantum technologies. The LOEWE “QuEnergy” research initiative is being funded by the State of Hesse with 4.8 million euros over four years from 2027 on. This is a close collaboration between TU Darmstadt and Philipps University of Marburg.

European University Alliance Secures 7.2 Million Euros in EU Funding

The European Commission has confirmed funding for the European university alliance Unite! for another two years starting in November 2026. This decision recognizes the alliance’s progress and reaffirms its long-term commitment to building an integrated and innovative European university.

From Darmstadt to Grenoble: One Student's Journey into the Heart of Environmental Science

Late June brought a unique gathering to Grenoble. For five days, students from across Europe converged on the Chemistry Biology Health (CBH) Graduate School to participate in “Shape the Future”, an intensive summer school focused on one of the most pressing challenges of our time: environmental contaminants and their impact on human health.

European Research Council funds TUDa projects with Proof of Concept Grants

TU Darmstadt has once again performed very well in the international competition for research funding: three researchers have been awarded Proof of Concept Grants by the European Research Council (ERC). The selected projects, which focus on electron microscopy, biomedical research and security in the exchange of chip designs, will each receive 150,000 euros over a period of 18 months. The aim of the funding is to translate research findings into practical applications.

ERC grant for TU Darmstadt Professor Thomas Burg

A success for biomedical research at TU Darmstadt: Professor Thomas Burg has been awarded a prestigious ‘Proof of Concept’ grant from the European Research Council (ERC). With funding of 150,000 euros, his team will investigate the innovative potential of a novel microscopy technology over the next 18 months. The ‘cryo-iLM’ project could provide new insights into the complex interior of cells and significantly improve medical diagnostics.