P. Langer / M. Breig, KIT

The European Research Council (ERC) is supporting Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with two “Proof of Concept” grants for medical diagnostics and materials development. The funding supports projects that aim to translate basic research into practical applications. Over the next 18 months, 150,000 euros will be provided for each project: "Detecting Multiple Disease Markers at Once" by Dr. Frank Biedermann and "Tireless Movement Thanks to New Alloys" by Professor Christian Greiner.

Markus Breig, KIT

Ob enorme Rechenleistung, ultrapräzise Sensoren oder hochmoderne Verschlüsselung: Quantentechnologien versprechen bahnbrechende Anwendungen. Ein internationales Ranking der Denkfabrik European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) setzt Karlsruhe mit dem Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) als zentralen Akteur bundesweit an die Spitze. Weltweit erreicht die Stadt den siebten und innerhalb der EU den zweiten Platz.

Christoph Wilhelm, KIT

Professor Christian Koos from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has been honored with the 2025 Karl Heinz Beckurts Award for his groundbreaking research on high-speed optical networks. The holder of a PhD (Dr.-Ing.) degree in Electrical Engineering is developing novel technologies that allow large amounts of data to be transmitted faster and more energy-efficiently – for example in data centers or when training Artificial Intelligence (AI). His research aims to make digital infrastructures more climate-friendly. Many of his inventions have already found their way into practice.

Dr. Jan Masell, KIT

A novel magnetic material with an extraordinary electronic structure might allow for the production of smaller and more efficient computer chips in the future: the p-wave magnet. Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) were involved in its development. The magnetic behavior in the interior of this material results from the way the electron spins arrange themselves – in the shape of a helix. Therefore, the electric current flowing through is deflected laterally.

Fotos: privat

Two early-career researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) convinced the expert reviewers of the Carl Zeiss Foundation with their projects. They now have five years to establish their research groups at KIT through the “CZS Nexus” funding program. Each researcher will receive approximately 1.5 million euros. Boris Karanov is developing new algorithms for digital signal processing in optical communication systems, while Frank Rhein is investigating how the CO2 emissions produced by cryptocurrency mining can be reduced by means of physical processes.

Markus Breig, KIT

Quantum networks are a key technology for secure communication and for Europe’s digital sovereignty. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), working with European partners, are establishing an important basis for quantum networks by connecting a superconducting quantum computer with a spin-based quantum memory. Their work marks a crucial step forward for high-performance quantum technologies. The project received funding from the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder program.

Zooey Braun, KIT-Fakultät für Architektur

With the launch of a digital counterpart, the materials library of the Department of Architecture at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is now also available online. The website boasts comprehensive information ranging from the origin of raw materials and their life cycle to possible applications of each material in architecture. In addition, it features high-quality photos and manufacturer-independent data sheets. The new Materials Database is integrated into the national “Materials Library of German Universities” network, which was co-initiated by KIT.

KIT, Chiara Bellamoli

A new material might contribute to a reduction of the fossil fuels consumed by aircraft engines and gas turbines in the future. A research team from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has developed a refractory metal-based alloy with properties unparalleled to date. The novel combination of chromium, molybdenum, and silicon is ductile at ambient temperature. With its melting temperature of about 2,000 degrees Celsius, it remains stable even at high temperatures and is at the same time oxidation resistant.

INT, KIT

Water is everywhere – it covers the major part of Earth, circulates in the human body, and is found even in the smallest molecular clefts. However, what happens if water cannot flow freely, but is enclosed in such structures? Researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Constructor University in Bremen proved for the first time that enclosed water can influence its surroundings and favors binding between molecules. This discovery could open new paths for the design of drugs and new materials.

Kajum Safiullin, KIT

Nuclear magnetic resonance forms the basis of both nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR spectroscopy), which is used to analyze solids or organic molecules in liquids, and magnetic resonance imaging for medical diagnostic purposes. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Leipzig University have now, for the first time, experimentally demonstrated that extended measurement techniques are possible.

Laila Tkotz, KIT

Materials science is a key discipline for numerous forward-looking initiatives, whether in the energy transition, 3D printing, or quantum computing. Since 2019, the MaterialDigital platform, coordinated primarily by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has been advancing the digitalization of materials science with the goal of systematizing and standardizing the management of materials data. Starting in October 2025, the collaborative project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education, Research and Technology (BMFTR) will enter its third funding phase.

ITCP, KIT

Synthetic fuels are considered climate-friendly when they are produced using biogenic or atmospheric CO₂. However, their combustion also generates pollutants such as formaldehyde. Despite low concentrations, these compounds are not only harmful to health, they also impair the effectiveness of traditional emission control systems. In addition, formaldehyde promotes the formation of secondary emissions such as highly toxic hydrogen cyanide. Together with partners, researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have optimized an established catalyst to reduce these harmful emissions.

KIT, Lennart Hilbert

In the human body, stem cells process genetic information in an exceptionally reliable and very fast manner.  To do this, they specifically access certain sections of the DNA in the cell nucleus. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have investigated how the DNA-based information processing system works. Their results show that this process is comparable to processes in modern computers and could therefore serve as a model for new types of DNA-based computer chips. Published in “Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.”

Liana Bauer, KIT

Until now, the early phase of drug discovery for the development of new therapeutics has been both cost- and time-intensive. Researchers at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) have now developed a platform on which extremely miniaturized nanodroplets with a volume of only 200 nanoliters per droplet – comparable to a grain of sand – and containing only 300 cells per test can be arranged. This platform enables the researchers to synthesize, characterize, and test thousands of therapeutic agents on the same chip, saving time and resources.

KIT

Smart cities, urban planning and architecture, sustainability, energy supply, mobility, and digitalization: In the course of the 200th anniversary of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), KIT Science Week goes into the third round, this year themed “City of the Future.” From October 14 to 19, 2025, it’s time once again to Engage! Participate! Research! Over 100 events will take place all over Karlsruhe. More than half of these events are specifically geared to children, adolescents, families, and school classes.

Los Romeras, Science for Impact

The visual diversity of the film unfolds from the topics of the following KIT Centers that funded it: Energy, Climate and Environment, Information | Systems | Technologies, Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics, Health Technologies, Materials in Technical and Life Sciences, Mobility Systems, and Humans and Technology. With the “Science for Impact” film, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) contributes to the 2025 Schlosslichtspiele Light Festival held from August 14 to September 14. The short feature film turns the baroque palace facade into a jungle, a futuristic city, and a vibrant surface, showcasing the broad range of research conducted at KIT. During the Light Festival, which has been established in 2015, Karlsruhe's palace becomes a giant screen for digital light art. Honoring KIT’s 200th anniversary, the 2025 event has been themed “The Shining Lights of Science.”

Lena Pilz, KIT

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are characterized by high porosity and structural versatility. They have enormous potential, for example for applications in electronics. However, their low electrical conductivity has so far greatly restricted their adoption. Using AI and robot-assisted synthesis in a self-driving laboratory, researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with colleagues in Germany and Brazil, have now succeeded in producing an MOF thin film that conducts electricity like metals. This opens up new possibilities in electronics and energy storage – from sensors and quantum materials to functional materials.

Perovskite Semiconductors and AI Are Driving the Development of Next-generation Solar Cells.

The work of a scientist and that of a detective are somewhat similar: Both search for evidence, analyze data, and follow up on clues to make groundbreaking discoveries. In KIT laboratories, researchers used this approach to develop a new technology that could revolutionize the photovoltaics market by increasing the efficiency of solar cells.

Laila Tkotz

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has been successful with two approved proposals in the final of the Clusters of Excellence funding line that is part of the Excellence Strategy competition of the Federation and the States. Based on the review by international commissions, the international committee of experts appointed by the Joint Science Conference (Gemeinsame Wissenschaftskonferenz, GWK) and the federal and state ministers responsible for science and research have selected the Clusters on Battery Research and 3D Designer Materials for funding. The funding to be granted in the two central fields of science will provide space for cutting-edge research on the highest international level. The Clusters selected will be funded with up to EUR 70 million for seven years.

KIT, Amadeus Bramsiepe

The 2025 Manfred Fuchs Prize has been awarded to Pascal Friederich, Tenure-Track Professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), for his groundbreaking work on applying artificial intelligence (AI) in the development of new chemical materials. The research prize, endowed with €10,000, has been awarded by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities since 2015. It recognizes outstanding scientific achievements by young researchers in Baden-Württemberg who work across disciplines and build new bridges between scientific cultures.

Abbildungen: IAM, KIT / Collage: Anja Sefrin, KIT

An international research team coordinated at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) has developed mechanical metamaterials with a high elastic energy density. Highly twisted rods that deform helically provide these metamaterials with a high stiffness and enable them to absorb and release large amounts of elastic energy. The researchers conducted simple compression experiments to confirm the initial theoretical results.

Maryna Leonidivna Meretska, KIT

Be it sensors, cameras, or displays: Metasurfaces have the potential to fundamentally improve optical systems in our everyday lives. By controlling light more precisely, they drive compact, multi-functional solutions. At Hannover Messe, which starts on Monday, March 31, 2025, researchers from KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) will present an optical component that enables highly efficient light control at steep angles of incidence, overcoming previous limitations.

Magali Hauser, KIT

How can an app recognise your emotions? How does a potato become a battery? How do you capture the sun? And what does a product developer, materials researcher or civil engineer actually do? On Girls Day 2025, Thursday, April 3, girls will find answers to these and other questions, as well as information on suitable courses of study and apprenticeships, at the North and South Campus of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Girls from the 5th class of all types of schools can inform themselves about jobs and tasks in STEM subjects at KIT.

Markus Breig, KIT

Smart interconnection and control of devices, direct recycling of battery electrodes, and sustainable cooling and heating – at Hannover Messe 2025 from March 31 to April 4, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will present solutions for a number of challenges at Future Hub (Hall 2, Stand B35), Energy Solutions (Hall 13, Stand C76), and at other stands. Moreover, promising startups will showcase their work and the commitment of KIT’s students will be highlighted.

Christian Flierl, University of Basel

The European Commission has approved the proposal submitted by Eucor – The European Campus for a new international training program for doctoral candidates in quantum science and technologies. Gen-Q will enable 51 young scientists to complete their doctorate with an international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral focus. Eleven of them conduct research at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The program is scheduled for a duration of five years and has a total budget of more than EUR 12 million.

Peter W. Roesky

Quanteninformationstechnologien sind Innovationen in der modernen Datenspeicherung und -verarbeitung, die auf Quanteneffekten basieren. Materialien, die sich für solche Anwendungen eignen, müssen unter anderem bestimmte magnetische Eigenschaften aufweisen. Forschende am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) haben nun gemeinsam mit Partnern im Fachjournal Nature Communications neue chemische Verbindungen vorgestellt, die diese Voraussetzungen erfüllen.

Daryoush Djavadi

In a networked society, secure communication is essential. Quantum physics delivers the necessary foundation by allowing practicable technologies such as quantum key distribution. With the new fiber optic test facility at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which opened on January 22, 2025, researchers aim to transmit, test and refine quantum keys. They also plan to set up a quantum network to link quantum computers.

KIT

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have synthesized a Bi5--ring, a molecule with five bismuth atoms, and stabilized it in a metal complex. Their discovery fills a gap in chemical knowledge and enables future applications in materials research, catalysis, and electronics.

S. Lehchanska/nature

An international team of researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has developed a new method for analyzing actinides. The method provides unique insights into the electronic structures and bonding properties of these heavy, radioactive elements in the bottom row of the periodic table. It could help in the development of improved radiotherapeutic products and contribute to a deeper understanding of the behaviour of actinide compounds in the environment and in nuclear waste disposal.