Project Details
Projekt
Coordination funds for the Priority Programm SPP 2389 „Emergent Functions of Bacterial Multicellularity“
Applicant
Professor Dr. Thorsten Mascher
Subject Area
Metabolism, Biochemistry and Genetics of Microorganisms
Term
since 2022
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 503927585
The Priority Program SPP2389 aims at establishing the concept of bacteria as multicellular microorganisms that live at least transiently stable and highly organized in tissue-like populations that exhibit properties and physiological features that go beyond the single cell. This concept rests on two pillars: (i) The FORM, that is, the spatiotemporal positioning of phenotypically specialized cells in stable filaments or tissue-like aggregates. This form then provides a cellular framework for (ii) the emergence of unique and altogether multicellular FUNCTIONS that only occur and/or exclusively make sense in the multicellular context. Such a challenging endeavour will require establishing a tight and highly interactive network that brings together and coordinates a group of multidisciplinary professionals sharing a passion for the concept of bacterial multicellularity. This group of enthusiasts needs to be tightly coordinated in order to share the required technological expertise, discuss and compare concepts through organismic diversity and openly exchange knowledge and advances under the umbrella of one common platform. This priority program represents an unprecedented effort based on a high-level German network that will spearhead this topic in an internationally competitive manner. Under its umbrella, 20-30 groups of leading researchers in this field will work together and in parallel for the next six years, focusing either on the Form or the emergent Function, in order to propel the field of bacterial multicellularity forward. Through such a highly coordinated and collaborative effort, a scientific network will form both at a national and international level. Consequently, the coordination and management of the initiative is a critical task to achieve this success. This proposal describes the corresponding measures required to reach this ambitious goal. It presents the strategy for this initiative to achieve success and, most importantly, will generate the proper framework to flourish research ideas and promote communication to a broader audience. In addition to all measures that aim at establishing a successful and internationally visible scientific network, four interest groups from within this network will specifically benefit from the customized support established within the SPP 2389. (i) PhD students, (ii) junior research group leaders and early-career scientists, (iii) parents of young children, and (iv) female scientists. The strategies presented in this proposal focus on the specific needs of the defined groups.
DFG Programme
Priority Programmes
