The Research Field Energy is also trying to improvethe efficiency of existing technologies, e. g. gas-fired. power stations, as it will not be possible to do without. theseinthe immediate future. And every step we. make towards improving efficiency saves resourcesand protectsthe environment.
The greatest challenge for us is to link. sustainable, economic sources of energy with environmental protection.
The earth’s population is set to rise almost 40 per cent. by 2050 to around nine billion people, all aspiring to more prosperity. This combination of factors will lead to adramatic increasein energy requirements.
The Research Field is contributing to solving theproblem at many levels. Its programmes range from. basic research into new materials, for example, to thedevelopment of large-scale technical applications.
Many energy research projects have long development. phases and, what’s more, there is often onlya. small chance of success. A key task ofthe Research. Field Energy is to push forward promising projects incooperation with universities, other research. institutions and industry.
As apublicly funded research organisation, theHelmholtz Association is workingin five core areas to try to ensure asustainable energy supplyinthe future:Æ Renewable Energies. Æ Efficient Energy Conversion and Use. Æ Nuclear Fusion. Æ Nuclear Safety Research. Æ Technology, Innovation and Society. Research Field. Energy. 22Two examples. 01 Solar cells “madein
But their relatively high cost is ahindrance to themarketing of solar energy, asthe cost per kilowatt. hour is what ultimately counts. Two Helmholtz Centresare now making headway with new developments that. will enable asatisfactory compromise to be made. between cost and efficienc***
Duringthe 1990s, researchers atthe
für Materialien und
Energie) started looking at thepossibilities of making solar cells from layers of copper-indium-sulphide, andin 1998 they made. a breakthrough. The scientists developed aquick,energy-saving process for producing solar cells,which makes them relatively cheap. Nowthe company. Sulfurcell - aspin-off fromthe Helmholtz-Zentrum.
Energie - is usingthe technologyinthe production of solar cells.
The Forschungszentrum Jülich has also fully developed. a new technology through tothe production stage. duringthe past decade. In this casethe solar cells are. made from thin layers of silicon.
Their advantage overthe solar modules available. today is that they can be economically manufactured. using very little material andare relatively efficient,making them attractive for companies.
02 Efficient energy conversion and use. Many small steps can add up to asignificant. achievement. In today’s gas-fired power stations. around 60 per cent ofthe energy utilised is converted. into electricity, whilethe rest is released into theenvironment as waste heat. Scientists at two. Helmholtz Centres (Forschungszentrum Jülich,Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und
Raumfahrt) are. working on improving efficiency - and they mightbe able to stop as much as ten per cent being wasted.
If they succeed,the corresponding amount of resources can be saved and climate-damaging. carbon dioxide emissions reduced.
To achieve this,the temperature withinthe turbines. needs to be increased, so researchersare working. onthe development of more heat-resistant materials.
Andthe combustion processes at these higher. temperatures must be kept stable and clean. Another. step towards stoppingthe energy loss can also betaken by coupling high-temperature fuel cells with gasand steam turbines.
STRATEGIES OFthe RESEARCH FIELDS
Forschungszentrum Jülich
Energie
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (Associate Member)Æ
Prosperity can only be sustainably ensured. if economic practices pay due attention to environmental protection. Humanity is dependent on theearth’s natural resources, butin using them we cannot. afford to overburdenthe ecosystem. So that we can. assessthe impact of humankind’s sometimes drastic. interaction withthe planet, scientistsinthe Research. Field Earth and Environmentare working on thefundamental understanding of howthe System Earth. works.
Human society andthe economyare also threatened. by natural disasters, so an important part of this. research field’s work isthe investigation into how to predict such events and how to protect ourselves. when they occur.
We want to use our knowledge to make. recommendations on how humanity. can usethe earth’s resourcesina. sustainable way and deal with natural. disasters more effectively.
Environmental research can only be successful if it. considers allthe subsections of this system, i.
E. theatmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and. geosphere,in relation to one another. The centres. workingin this research field thus cover all these areasin four programmes.
This necessitates research of many different types,from application-oriented basic research to precompetitive research, from molecular investigations to field studies using large-scale facilities. thefindings of these diverse research activities allow theHelmholtz Association to give well-founded advice to political decision-makers.
To meetthe challenges effectively, this research field. addressesthe following issues:Æ Geosystem:the Changing Earth. Æ Marine, Coastal and Polar Systems. Æ Atmosphere and Climate. Æ Terrestrial Environment. Research Field. Earth and Environment. 24Two examples. 01 Growing giants and shrinking dwarves. A megacity like
7 million, needs 3
2 billion litres of water. per day and produces adaily quantity of approx. 20***
tonnes of waste. Andthe city is still expanding; theinfrastructure will not be able to keep up withouta. sustainable urban planning strategy.
The prerequisites for such astrategyare being. investigated by scientists from five Helmholtz Centresand partners from
Theyare also studying how vulnerablethe populations. of megacitiesare tothe threats posed by nature and. man-made interventions, e. g. through settling on land. exposed to ahigh risk of landslide or flooding. Butthe expansion of megacities is notthe only challenge. facing urban planning.
Urban shrinkage, such as is occurringin
02 Flight tothe ice clouds. German atmospheric scientists will soon be able to enter an entirely new dimension withthe ultramodern. HALO (High Altitude and
It is currently being prepared for operation by. scientists and engineers at three Helmholtz Centres(FZJ, KIT and DLR) and will be put intothe service of science from mid-2009, flying at amaximum height of 15 kilometres and with arange of 11,000 kilometres.
This outstanding flying capacity will enable HALO to enter ice clouds over ten kilometres up - and not only. over central
The aircraft is equipped with air scoops and other. instruments that will enable researchers to investigatethe internal composition of these clouds more. accurately. It is believed that aerosols from anthropogenic sources encouragethe formation of icein thecloud***
This probably has an impact onthe climate, as ice. clouds influence thermal radiation into space, thus. affecting temperatures on earth. Together,the planeand other facilities likethe AIDA aerosol and cloud. chamber at KIT form aunique platform for research on. some ofthe most urgent questions related to global. climate change.
STRATEGIES OFthe RESEARCH FIELDS
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Forschungszentrum Jülich. GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ. HelmholtzZentrum München -
Although agreat deal of progress has been. madein biomedical research, weare still unable to cure most diseases. In addition, feasible methods. forthe early diagnosis and prevention of certain. diseasesare still lacking. Meeting this challenge isthe aim of this research field.
We aim to be adriving forcein nationaland international health research,and to make asignificant contribution. towards giving peoplethe possibility. of alonger, healthier life.
For this reason, applyingthe Research Field Health’s. findingsin clinical practice through our alliances with. universities and industry will become increasingly. significantinthe future. Another primary focus will beon disease patterns of frequently occurring diseases.
Chronic age-related diseases such as cancer and. cardiovascular disorders, degenerative diseases of thenervous system andthe skeleton, as well as chronic. inflammatory diseasesare gaining significance as theproportion of old peopleinthe population grows.
Atthe same time, we have witnessed asharp increasein cases of metabolic disorders like diabetes and. metabolic syndromeinthe last few years. This liesinthe altered lifestyles of our modern society,characterised by overeating and lack of exercise. in connection with this,the Research Field Health. must now also pay increased consideration to thecomplex interplay between individual genetic. predispositions, lifestyle and environmental factorsin ascertainingthe likelihood of aperson contracting. a disease.
The third primary focusinthe Helmholtz Research. Field Health isthe increasein infectious diseases.
The research programmes therefore concentrate on:Æ Cancer Research. Æ Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases. Æ Function and Dysfunction ofthe Nervous System. Æ Infection and Immunity. Æ Environmental Health. Æ Systemic Analysis of Multifactorial Diseases. 26Two examples. 01 Putting basic research into practice. Since acentral contact point for cancer sufferers was. set up atthe
The centre combines allthe disciplines involved indiagnosis, therapy and aftercare.
This approach revealed thatthe suggested therapy for. pre-diagnosed patients had to be changedin up to aquarter of cases oncethe interdisciplinary team. of doctors examinedthe patients. That was one of thefirst findings of this translational centre, which was. foundedin 2003 bythe German Cancer Research. Center,the University Hospital Heidelberg and theThorax Clinic Heidelberg-Rohrbach.
Atthe same time, research and development of new. diagnosis and treatment methods has accelerated atthe centre thanks to regular meetings of doctors and. researchers within collaborative oncological groups to work out common strategies.
Transfer centres have also been established at theHelmholtz Zentrum München - German Research. Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Centre. for Infection Research and
02 Getting tothe root causes of disease. Scientists atthe
Using acombination of both approaches, researchersare able to gain abetter understanding of all theassociations between genes, proteins and disease,enabling them to get tothe root causes of adisease.
STRATEGIES OFthe RESEARCH FIELDS
Forschungszentrum Jülich
German Centre for. Neurodegenerative Diseases
GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht
GSI Helmholtz. Centre for Heavy Ion Research
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ. Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research
HelmholtzZentrum München -
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Withinthe Research Field Key Technologies,scientists pavethe way for new technologies that. can drive forward innovationin science, industry and. society. The researchers workingin this field focus on. technologies that demand complex systems solutions,that promise new methods and solutions for other. research fields, and thatare particularly interesting. because of their potential applications for industry.
Such technologies include biotechnology, nano-technology, nano-electronics, microsystems technology,optics, advanced engineering materials and scientific.computing. Further research focuses on promising. areas so that specific practical applications can beidentified and developed.
We want to make amajor contribution tothe competitiveness of German. industry by advancingthe key. technologies useful to many other. areas of science and technology.
This research field makes use of synergies with. other research institutions, contributes to shaping. government policy on strategic researchin Germanyand Europe, and builds bridges between theoryand practice. in this way it can contribute to solvingthe major. challenges facingthe other research fields, e. g. thesustainable use of resources or promotion ofa. healthy, active old age thanks to new technologies. in order to thoroughly exploitthe potential of innovations,the research field also analysesthe politicaland social conditions for innovation andthe possible. effects of future technologies on society. This ensures. that risksare recognised early and that politicaland social processesare taken into accountin thedevelopment of new technologies.
The research activitiesare divided into seven crosscentre programmes:Æ Supercomputing. Æ Fundamentals of Future Information Technology.
NANOMICRO: Science, Technology, Systems. Æ Advanced Engineering Materials. Æ BioSoft: Macromolecular Systems and Biological. Information Processing. Æ BioInterfaces: Molecular and Cellular Interactions at Functional Interfaces. Æ Technology, Innovation & Societythe programme Technology, Innovation and Society. is conductedin collaboration withthe Research Field. Energy.
28Two examples. 01 Nanotechnology instead of lubricantsthe cogwheels atthe Karlsruhe Institute of Technology turn withoutthe use of oil. They need to be extremely smoothin order to keep frictionand wear to aminimum. This is achieved throughthe LIGA manufacturing process, which can. produce components with aroughness of less than. 50 nanometres.
Now LIGA technology is set to conquerthe mass. market. It has recently begun to appearin luxury. Swiss watches. Escapements and escape wheels,the most important components of mechanical. timepieces,are being mass produced using thetechnology. Cogwheels of this qualityare ideal for. mini or micro motors as usedin computer hard drives. inthe process X-rays from asynchroton radiation. source transfer apattern onto aplastic film usinga. mask. Whenthe mask is removed using asolvent, thespaces generated by its removal can be filled with. metal by electroforming processes.
Faster supercomputer for. independent research. Since June 2009, Forschungszentrum Jülich has. boasted Europe‘s fastest supercomputer, an IBM Blue. Gene/P that has acapability of 1 petaflop, i. E. A. quadrillion calculations per second, and acentral. memory of 144 terabytes. That means it is 50***
times more powerful thanthe average modern PC. Networked withthe other supercomputersin Jülich,it has access to amemory of approximately five. petabyte***
Scientists need these high speeds because simulation. has now become amainstay of research alongside. theory and experiment. This is true of almost all areas. of science from nanotechnology to biophysics to environmental research. Their systemsare so complex. that calculations without supercomputers would take.decades.
The Blue Gene/P acquires its enormous computing. power fromthe parallel operation of almost 300***
energy-efficient processors. This gives us exceptional.computational powerin acompact space, using only. a moderate amount of energy. The computer is used. by research groups at Helmholtz Centres and at other. German and European research institutions and. universities.
Forschungszentrum Jülich
GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
STRATEGIES OFthe RESEARCH FIELDSR
esearch Field. Structure of Matter. Æ Ithe forces holdingthe building blocks of matter. together play adecisive role not only atthe microcosmic. level; they also determinethe development of theuniverse.
This research field’s strategy is thus aimed at. understandingthe structure of matter andthe forces. which act upon itin completely different orders of magnitude. It also focuses many-particle systems. which demonstrate new, complex propertie***
We want to understandthe fundamental. laws governingthe microcosmos and. their roleinthe development ofthe universe; we want to predict theproperties of complex systems and to usethe knowledge acquired from this. basic research to trigger innovative. applications.
To achieve these goals, scientists workingin this. research field design, build and operate world-class. large-scale facilities: accelerators for elementary. particle physics; observatories for astroparticle. physics; photon, neutron and ion sources for structural. researchin physics, structural biology, geology and. chemistry. These large-scale facilitiesare essential. tools for researchers from all overthe world and. attract many scientists tothe Helmholtz Association.
The complexity of these highly technical facilitiesandthe high financial cost associated with them. means close international cooperation is required.
Researchers from aroundthe world discuss and.decide together howthe large-scale facilities can beused to benefit everyone. This research field therefore. also plays an essential rolein defining international. research objectives.
The research field is structured around four core. topics that arein some cases closely interrelated:Æ Elementary Particle Physics. Æ Astroparticle Physics. Æ Physics of Hadrons and Nuclei. Æ Research with Photons, Neutrons and Ions. 30Two examples. 01 Unlockingthe secrets of matter. FAIR,the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research, is. a new accelerator being set up atthe Gesellschaft für. Schwerionenforschungin Darmstadtin cooperation. with international partners. It will deliver high-energy. antiproton and ion beams with an intensity and quality. never seen before.
Researchers will usethe facility to examine particlesand processes which would normally not exist on. earth, but onlyin other parts ofthe universe.
These particles include atomic nuclei that play akey. roleinthe creation ofthe chemical elements inside. stars andin stellar explosions, and quark-gluon. plasma, believed to be atthe centre of neutron star***
FAIR, therefore, is expected to provide important. insight intothe structure of matter andthe evolution. ofthe universe.
FAIR will offer unique research opportunities to over. 2,500 scientists from all overthe world. The accelerator. is scheduled to be fully operational by 2015, althoughthe first experiments could beginin
Films fromthe nanocosmosthe X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) is aEuropean. project being built atthe Deutsches ElektronenSynchrotron DESY which is set to be operational in***
The high-performance properties ofthe new. radiation source - extremely short and intensive. “flashes” with wavelengthsinthe X-ray range - will. allow researchers to film atomic processes for thevery first time.
Scientists will be able to investigate how atomic. structures change over time. For example, they will. use XFEL to watch biomolecules at work, gain an. understanding ofthe sequence of chemical processesand take three-dimensional images ofthe nanocosmos.
New user-groups have already been formed specifically. withthe XFELin mind. Forthe past year, these groups. have been gathering vital experimental experience. withthe X-ray laser’s pilot installation:the FLASH laser. for X-rays.
STRATEGIES OFthe RESEARCH FIELDS
31.deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Forschungszentrum Jülich. GKSS Research Centre Geesthacht
GSI Helmholtz Centre for. Heavy Ion Research
Energie. Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyResearch Field. Aeronautics, Space and Transport.
Mobility, communication, safety and sustainable. environmental managementare decisive factors forthe future of modern society.
The Research Field Aeronautics, Space and Transport. hasthe aim of developing concepts and technological. innovations that satisfy these needsin asustainable. way. Researchersinthe field also usethe technological. opportunities available to them to gain basic insights. into space andthe planet earth.
We want to use synergies betweenthe Aeronautics, Space and Transport. programmes to make mobility as. efficient, safe and environmentally. friendly as possible.
Prime examples of such interdisciplinary system.development tasksare concepts for applications ofthe future European satellite navigation syste***
GALILEO, projects to improve linkage between. airborne and ground traffic, and ideas for monitoring. environmental parameters.
The Aeronautics programme investigates civil aviation. concepts, coming up with technologies that make. planes and helicopters safer and more comfortableand atthe same time reducethe amount of noise. they produce andthe burden they place on theenvironment. This isin accordance withthe national. aeronautics research programme andthe European. Research Agenda.
The Space programme is devoted to earth observationand space exploration, communication, navigationand researchin zero-gravity conditions, and space. transport. The programme‘s goalsare definedin close. cooperation withthe national and European space. programmes.
The Transport programme focuses its activities on. ground-based vehicles, traffic management and. transport systems. One ofthe areas its scientistsare exploring is how to make vehicles more energyefficient and how to improve traffic safety.
Transport research andthe further development of aerospace technology have agreat many spin-offs. because theyare often closely connected to practical. applications. The research field encourages such.developments and for this reason scientistsin thefield work closely withthe manufacturing and service. industries.
STRATEGIES OFthe RESEARCH FIELDS
German Aerospace Center DLR. Two examples. 01 Next-Generation Train. A lot is expected ofthe trains ofthe future. Not onlyare they to be 25 per cent faster thanthe ICE3, theyare to consume half as much energy and be quieter,safer, more comfortable and more reliable. The NextGeneration Train (NGT) project has pooledthe DLR‘s. rail vehicle engineering resourcesin order to develop. a new double-decker high-speed train that should go. some way to fulfilling these goals.
DLR researchers hope to develop alighter structure. using new composite materials, to optimise. aerodynamics, and to initiate intelligent energy and. bogie management. For example, they hope. individually steerable wheels will improve contact. betweenthe wheels andthe tracks. To achieve their. aims they have devised new, higher-performance. simulation vehicles, experimental analysis and testing. methods, and specialised manufacturing processe***
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