Press release: Three ERC Proof of Concept grants awarded to Göttingen University
No. 115 - 14.07.2025
Innovation to benefit green technology, drug development, biomedical imaging, materials science
University of Göttingen Professors – Lutz Ackermann, Timo Betz and Jörg Enderlein – have each been awarded Proof of Concept (PoC) grants by the European Research Council (ERC). These grants provide top-up funding of €150,000 over 18 months to outstanding researchers, who have already received ERC funding, so that they can build on the innovation potential of their findings. This enables Europe’s top scientists to develop initiatives that boost the economy and society.
Professor Lutz Ackermann: “Design of Flow-Photoelectrolyzer” (PhotoElectroFlow): The planet urgently needs green solutions. In particular, achieving climate neutrality in the chemical industries is a great challenge. Innovative resource and energy-saving technologies to harvest renewable forms of energy and prevent chemical waste need to be developed. New research has demonstrated the unique potential of harnessing both solar and electrical energy for sustainable synthesis of chemicals. In this way, chemical waste can be minimized. However, this is still only possible on a small scale, which means this cutting-edge research cannot be applied in industry, a major limitation in harnessing its full potential.
The objective of PhotoElectroFlow is to devise a continuous electrolyzer for photoelectrochemical molecular synthesis that would be safe and reliable at different scales – from the lab to the production line. “The new project builds on our expertise of the ERCAddv grant and will enable our team – in close collaboration with industry – to develop user-friendly technology to harness the unique synergy of light and electricity,” explains Ackermann. “Our PhotoElectroFlow will be the foundation for an initiative working towards carbon-neutral industries.” The new device will be evaluated in synthesising molecules of practical importance in academic research as well as in business and its development would represent a major step forward in chemical, agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Professor Timo Betz: “Biomedical Image Quantification by a Scalable and Open Cloud Solution” (BiQ-Cloud): Researchers generate millions of microscope pictures, yet converting these into reliable data still demands expensive commercial software and specialist computers. This puts the technology out of reach for smaller labs, start-up companies and even some larger institutions, hampering progress - from basic cell biology to new-drug discovery. BiQ-Cloud sweeps those obstacles aside by moving the work to a secure cloud. The planned platform will make it possible for researchers to simply open a browser, drag their images onto the site and choose an analysis method; the platform rents exactly the computing power required, finishes the calculations in the background and returns the results, while users pay only for processing time actually used. Because the software is online, no installation or IT expertise is needed, and every user automatically benefits from the latest artificial-intelligence algorithms the moment they are released. This should bring immediate and far-reaching results in drug-development, biomedical imaging and healthcare.
The system is currently being used to analyse lab-grown heart and skeletal muscle. Eighteen months of ERC support will transform the existing software prototype and lay the foundation for a dedicated spin-out company, ensuring that BiQ-Cloud reaches researchers worldwide with the reliability and customer support they need. “We want scientists to focus on their research, not their IT,” explains Professor Timo Betz, “BiQ-Cloud will make sophisticated biomedical image analysis as simple as streaming a film: anyone, anywhere will be able to turn raw microscope images into answers in minutes – without a huge bill.”
Professor Jörg Enderlein “Plasmonic microchip for absolute and calibration-free luminescence quantum yield measurements” (QYieldChip): The “quantum yield of luminescence” refers to the ratio of photons emitted to photons absorbed by a substance, typically in the context of fluorescence, phosphorescence, or photochemical reactions. This is an important indicator in both the lab and industry, providing essential insights into the efficiency of many processes – whether chemical or physical – that rely on light. Accurate measurements are essential for assessing the performance of molecules, materials, and devices – from lasers to solar cells – across a wide range of fields. However, conventional quantum yield measurements are often bulky, complex, and prone to errors, particularly when the sample primarily absorbs photons rather than emitting – an issue commonly encountered in systems that rely on certain types of semiconductors, graphene nanoparticles, and organic dyes.
Researchers at Göttingen University have developed a new method for quantum yield measurement that only requires small samples for analysis. This method works whether the sample emits light or not and allows for the precise and reliable measurement of absolute quantum yields in any luminescent system. “The technique that we have developed offers a highly convenient and accurate tool for measuring quantum yield luminescence,” explains Enderlein. “However, this isn’t yet easily and widely available. We plan to develop a compact, affordable, and user-friendly microchip – QyieldChip – for rapid, accurate measurements using very small samples. This will have far-reaching applications in bioimaging, materials science, agriculture, and environmental sensing.”
Contact:
Professor Lutz Ackermann (PhotoElectroFlow)
University of Göttingen
Faculty of Chemistry
Institute of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry / Friedrich Wöhler Research Institute
Tammannstraße 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)551 39-23201
Email: lutz.ackermann@chemie.uni-goettingen.de
www.ackermann.chemie.uni-goettingen.de
Professor Timo Betz (BiQ-Cloud)
University of Göttingen
Faculty of Physics – Biophysics Institute
Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 551 39 26921
Email: timo.betz@phys.uni-goettingen.de
www.betzlab.uni-goettingen.de/
Professor Jörg Enderlein (QYieldChip)
University of Göttingen
Faculty of Physics – Biophysics Institute
Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
Tel: +49 (0) 551 39 26908
Email: jenderl@gwdg.de