On this page, we present the completed Innovation Grant projects. From the idea to the implementation to the result, you can get an overview of the successes here.
On this page, we present the completed Innovation Grant projects. From the idea to the implementation to the result, you can get an overview of the successes here.
Dr. Nevena Tomasevic
The high demand for raw materials is forcing companies to expand their exploration projects into hard-to-access and cost-intensive regions such as the deep sea or icy areas. At the same time, the fall in the price of resources is forcing companies in the oil and gas sector in particular to minimize their costs and financial risks. As part of the Innovation Grant project, Ms. Tomasevic has developed a framework that can be used to make realistic predictions about the distribution of sedimentary rocks in so-called “basins”. This framework incorporates specific knowledge about sediment erosion, transport and deposition from source to sink. This development will be helpful in narrowing down the search for hydrocarbon-bearing layers. The project was terminated prematurely after one year, as Ms. Tomasevic was offered a position at the KIT. She will continue to pursue this work as the main focus of her future working group.
Dr. Barbara Bergmann
The aim of the “Police risk screening of young offenders and prolific offenders” project was to develop a procedure to support police officers in assessing the risk of young people committing crimes. With the help of a kind of “screening sheet” of empirically proven risk and protective factors for delinquent behavior, police officers were to be given a helpful structure with which they could for the first time gain a comprehensive and balanced picture of the young person, their personality and their life background. The risk assessment based on the screening sheet can form the basis for further decisions and recommendations by the police officers and can also benefit the public prosecutor's office and youth welfare services in the further course of the juvenile criminal proceedings and the associated risk management. The project was carried out in cooperation with the criminal investigation departments of several federal states and supported by representatives of the German Association for Juvenile Courts and Juvenile Court Assistance (DVJJ). Beyond the transfer goals set in the project, Ms. Bergmann was able to successfully apply for a position at a state criminal investigation office, for which the close cooperation with police practice was very helpful.
Dr. Wolfgang Fuhl
Artificial intelligence algorithms now have countless applications, particularly in the field of automated image analysis. Annotated data serves as the basis for training deep learning methods (deep neural networks), but a great deal of effort is required to generate this data. This process is usually carried out manually. In this project, a prototype of annotation software for the automated annotation of structures in image data, which had already been developed as part of the doctorate, was extended. The extensions include automated detection, shape determination, classification, value regression and segmentation. In all fields of application, the models are optimized independently by the framework. Finally, the framework can also automatically generate real-time capable detectors, which can be integrated into any software.
Thanks to the good cooperation within the framework of an industrial collaboration, an industrial doctorate is now being funded and there will be several follow-up projects. In addition, large data sets have been made available to the research community through numerous publications.
Dr. Stefanie Maurer
Metastatic tumors are among the greatest clinical challenges and are usually not curable, which is partly due to the development of resistance to existing (chemo)therapies. The approval of new oncological preparations is declining as the development processes are costly and risky. Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor κB and its ligand (RANK/RANKL), which are the focus of the project, are primarily known for their role in bone metabolism. RANKL mediates bone resorption, and a RANKL-neutralizing antibody (denosumab) is now approved for the treatment of benign and malignant osteolysis. After activation, platelets express RANKL (platelet-derived, pRANKL) on their surface, which leads to stimulation of the receptor RANK, which is expressed by tumor cells, and induces metastasis and chemotherapy resistance of tumor cells. These effects can be prevented by neutralizing RANKL, for example with denosumab. During the course of the project, Ms. Maurer was able to carry out work to clarify the significance of RANKL, which led to two project-related publications. With the help of the data sets obtained, further investigations are being sought that could lead to an application for an extended indication for the substance denosumab. Ms. Maurer has received a DFG grant and has ended the project early for a research stay abroad.
Dr. Jacqueline Wettengel
Targeted RNA editing is one of the new technologies that enable reprogramming of genetic information at the RNA level. The aim of this project was to define the parameters that further optimize targeted A-to-I RNA editing using chemically modified guideRNAs. Optimal properties of the chemically stabilized guideRNA should be determined to achieve high editing efficiency and potency, nuclease stability as well as low toxicity and immunogenicity. A further aim was to generate solid data for an animal test application by finding and efficiently editing a suitable endogenous mouse target to show that murine ADARs can be recruited as efficiently with chemically modified guideRNAs as human ones.
Based on the results of the chemical modification patterns and guide RNA sequences, an international patent application was filed together with the technology transfer.
Dr. Maximilian Priester-Lasch
With his project Interchange - Intercultural Change Management, Mr. Priester-Lasch developed an adaptive consulting concept based on ethnological research results to support Indo-German cooperation in the private sector. The consulting concept supports companies and organizations in implementing change processes. In the course of this, intercultural misunderstandings are identified, solution strategies worked out and processes developed to prevent future problems. The project uses concepts and models of personnel, organizational and management development and expands these with ethnological findings. Employees are supported and trained to be able to deal with intercultural challenges independently. In the meantime, a successful cooperation has been established with the company MTO, which was already involved in the development of the consulting concept.
Dr. Tobias Fabian Schrodt
The aim of the Innovation Grant project was to create a prototype of a new type of artificial intelligence (AI) for controlling computer game characters and a corresponding multiplayer game for mobile devices. The special features of an AI character equipped with this AI are its multiple learning abilities, which unfold in a cognitively realistic way during gameplay. The game is intended to serve as the first showcase application for this type of AI. During the project, a prototype was developed and tested by players.
Based on the feedback, improvements were made to the game controls and game perspective and a tutorial was created. Quantum Gaming GmbH was founded in October 2020. Follow-up funding was secured through the German Computer Game Fund, among others.
Dr. Shahram Eivazi
During the funding period, work was carried out on several navigation systems for surgical microscopes in which the settings can be controlled by head and eye movements. The aim was to develop and test a surgical microscope for commercial use that works with augmented reality. Over the two years, a number of developments were made to both the software and the hardware and the project was presented at several events. Mr. Eivazi is now employed by Festo and heads an Industry on Campus project at the University of Tübingen.
Dr. Alvise Barbieri
In southwest Germany, the rivers Ach and Lone formed a spectacular landscape with numerous caves, which were repeatedly colonized by Neanderthals and later by modern humans who came to Europe (around 43,000 years ago). During excavations of the prehistoric cave deposits, archaeologists have discovered some of the oldest musical instruments and works of art in the world. These help to shed light on the origins of art, music and religion. In a groundbreaking initiative, UNESCO declared the Ach and Lone valleys, their cave sites and the deposits they contain, as well as the artifacts they contain, a World Heritage Site in January 2016. This new perspective makes it important to communicate to the public not only the significance of the earliest works of art found in the cave sites of the Ach and Lone valleys, but also the history of the landscape in which these spectacular finds were made.
The aim of this application was to create an innovative, temporary museum exhibition entitled: “Landscapes and caves from the last ice age”, which invites visitors to discover the changes that took place in these two valleys during the last ice age and to experience how these changes affected the lives of our prehistoric ancestors.
The exhibition was successfully designed and shown in the Blaubeuren Prehistoric Museum in the area for temporary exhibitions. Many interactive exhibits invited museum visitors to discover and imparted interesting knowledge.
Dr. Thomas Kübler
“Look! Drive safely”
In the Look! project, software was developed for the robust measurement and reliable analysis of eye movements while driving. The algorithms used in the process open up eye movement data as a new source of information for machine learning processes and driver assistance systems. The aim is to help optimize the training of novice drivers and thus make road traffic safer. As part of the project, eye-tracking glasses were developed which, together with a smartphone, represent a fully functional eye-tracking system. The glasses are characterized by their low weight and extremely flexible goosenecks for easy adjustment of the eye cameras. This makes it particularly easy to adjust them to different people and, if necessary, to look through the glasses to avoid reflections. The software can also use the smartphone's sensor technology to associate the gaze data with map position or driving maneuvers. In the meantime, Mr. Kübler has founded his own company called LOOK!
Dr. Rosi Bissinger
Since increased suicidal erythrocyte death (eryptosis) is a major cause of anemia in various diseases (including renal failure, sickle cell anemia, and sepsis), it is imperative to therapeutically inhibit this increased eryptosis. As part of the Innovation Grant funding, Ms. Bissinger was able to identify three inhibitory substances that are effective in renal failure and sickle cell anemia, and one substance that showed moderate inhibition in sepsis. Furthermore, animal experiments demonstrated anemia caused by increased eryptosis in proteinuric renal insufficiency in a doxorubicin-induced mouse model. The Innovation Grant also enabled the identification of other diseases in which increased eryptosis occurs, including rheumatoid arthritis. The identified substances, which are effective in vitro against the various diseases, could reduce or even prevent increased eryptosis in affected patients in a therapeutic approach. In order to continue and further finance this highly successful and promising project, a DFG grant application was submitted for a period of three years.
Dr. Fabian Vogt
In recent decades, the treatment and prognosis of some forms of cancer has improved significantly through the use of chimeric and humanized antibodies. However, the therapeutic success of such substances, especially in solid tumors, remains limited to this day. Various strategies can be used to optimize antibody therapy for tumors. One possibility is the development of bispecific antibody constructs. Bispecific antibodies have a target region that acts against a tumor-associated antigen and an effector region that stimulates the T-cell receptor. Such a bispecific antibody was developed at the University of Tübingen using a newly generated PSMA antibody clone (10B3) for T-cell recruitment via CD3. This bispecific antibody was optimized in terms of key characteristics (off-target T cell activation, serum half-life). With the help of the Innovation Grant funding, important and necessary questions (in vivo model, pharmacokinetics, serum half-life) were answered, which should be used for the approval of a planned clinical study I/IIa. Among other things, the cytokine profile resulting from the activation of T cells by the bispecific antibody was characterized in more detail, and attempts were made to influence it in such a way that possible side effects could be better controlled and the bispecific antibody could be made more effective. At the end of the funding period, some of the research results obtained in this way were presented to the Paul Ehrlich Institute in a briefing book.
Dr. Julia Schmitt
The aim of the funding was to further develop preclinically evaluated radiopharmaceuticals for use in humans. Following successful production and extensive quality assurance, a manufacturing license was sought from the regional council. At the same time, the GMP-compliant radiotracers were to be preclinically revalidated in the laboratories of the Werner Siemens Imaging Center. In addition, an extensive toxicity study was to be commissioned. In collaboration with the Center for Clinical Studies (ZKS) and the Center for Pediatric Clinical Studies (CPCS) at the University Hospital of Tübingen, a clinical phase I study on the use of GD2-specific radioimmunoconjugates in patients was to be planned and prepared. Preclinical revalidation, GMP-like production, and initial imaging in patients were successfully implemented. However, due to significant deviations between the newly obtained results and the previously collected data, it was not possible to begin toxicity testing within the scope of the project and, consequently, to apply for a manufacturing license for the new tracer.
Dr. Florian Karlewski
The Linewidth Analyzer project developed an instrument for investigating the spectral line shape of lasers. The central element is an optical resonator. This allows the spectral properties of narrow-band laser sources in particular to be measured with time resolution. This requirement is crucial for the development of new laser-based sensors and in the field of quantum technologies. In the first year of the project, a fully functional prototype including the associated measurement technology and software was already built. This demonstrated the basic functionality with the desired specifications. There was potential for optimization in terms of robustness against acoustic disturbances. This free-beam variant was optimized in many respects in the second year of the project, in particular the robustness against acoustic disturbances was improved, low-noise electronics were developed, and the compactness of the system was further enhanced. Ultimately, a prototype was completed that provided the starting point for product development by a company. In cooperation with the technology transfer department, the technology was licensed to HighFinesse GmbH, where Mr. Karlewski was employed following the Innovation Grant.
Dr. Meike Hecker
Fairness and respect in personal contact increase trust in the police and willingness to cooperate. Internationally, this thesis of procedural justice theory has already been empirically proven many times. In her doctoral project, Ms. Hecker has also been able to show that citizens react sensitively to personal interactions with the police. Fair and respectful treatment can have a positive effect on both short-term interactions with the police and long-term attitudes toward the police. As part of the Innovation Grant, training materials were developed and tested in collaboration with the German Police University to raise awareness of fairness in police work. In addition, Ms. Hecker developed a card game designed to encourage players to discuss possible solutions to difficult situations between the police and citizens.
Dr. Sascha Venturelli
The basis for the successful application for the Innovation Grant was the identification and characterization of the two hop constituents 6- and 8-prenylnaringenin (PN) as clinically interesting oncological agents and as immunostimulatory dietary supplements. Initially, the focus was on the production and evaluation of 6-PN and 8-PN nanomicelles to increase bioavailability, testing the active ingredients on primary tumor tissues, establishing a dermatological formulation, and preparing a clinical study. As the funding progressed, the focus shifted to the human study and the associated out-licensing and acquisition of follow-up funding. Two comprehensive patent applications were filed with the German Patent and Trademark Office as part of this project. Mr. Venturelli now heads the Department of Nutritional Biochemistry at a renowned university.
Dr. Simon Lehle
DNA damage plays an important role in the development of numerous diseases, but also in other physical processes such as cell division, energy metabolism, and aging. The detection of DNA damage and repair of genomic lesions is crucial for better research into the underlying relationships of many pathogenic developments.
The project focused on the Long-Run DNA Damage Quantification (LORD-Q) assay, which enables the detection and precise quantification of DNA damage in human or mouse cells. This technique uses the real-time PCR method. While the original assay was developed for manual sample generation, processing, and LORD-Q analysis, discussions with cooperation partners and potential customers revealed that a high-throughput screening-capable version would be desirable. This led to the development of the Crude Cell Extract (CCE)-LORD-Q variant, in which the complex DNA isolation process was replaced by lysis of the respective cell pellets and subsequent inactivation of the factors involved. The LORD-Q method was registered for a German patent in December 2012. An international PCT application was filed in 2013.The assay is made available through the University Medical Center's DNA Damage and Repair Service Unit, which has been active since January 2014, for contract research for academic and industrial cooperation partners and customers. Mr. Lehle was successfully recruited by the pharmaceutical industry during the funding phase.
Dr. Christina Schmalz
To ensure hygienic safety in swimming pools, disinfection of the water with chlorine is essential. Chlorine can react with substances in the water that are introduced into the system via the fill water or bathers to form undesirable and, in some cases, toxicologically relevant disinfection by-products such as trichloramine. Epidemiological studies show correlations between swimming pool visits and the risk of respiratory diseases. Trichloramine, an unstable, irritating, volatile compound with a typical swimming pool smell, is discussed as a possible cause. The US Environmental Protection Agency has therefore proposed setting limits for this substance, which will require easy-to-use and reliable measurement methods to determine the concentration of trichloramine in indoor swimming pool air.
The aim of the project was to develop a simple, safe, and fast-responding measurement method for the quantitative and continuous analysis of air samples for trichloramine. To this end, ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) was optimized as a sensor for field use and online monitoring in indoor swimming pool air.
At the same time, there was an exchange with partners from industry, such as a sensor company and a planning office for swimming pool and ventilation technology. Following the funding, Ms. Schmalz was successfully recruited by a company partner.
Dr. Philipp Reautschnig
Targeted A-to-I RNA editing (SDRE) is a novel approach to treating diseases by reprogramming genetic information at the RNA level. A major disadvantage of many SDRE systems is their composition of two components: a guideRNA and an overexpressed, artificial enzyme. The latter causes massive global off-target editing. During his doctoral studies, Mr. Reautschnig developed a novel in silico-optimized guideRNA design principle that improved the recruitment of endogenous ADAR enzymes by more than two orders of magnitude. From then on, the system only required the guideRNA component. During the funding period of the Innovation Grant, the technology was further developed following this breakthrough. Rules were developed for the design of optimal guideRNAs and tested in cell culture for editing both endogenous and disease-causing human transcripts. The functional restoration of mutated proteins was also demonstrated in human primary cells. The multivalent nature of these guideRNAs resulted in very few off-target edits, both globally and in the target transcript. In several rounds of optimization, a guideRNA was developed that will potentially be used in a viral vector in a murine disease model. The work resulted in two patent applications and a publication in Nature Biotechnology.
Dr. Martin Pflügler
Recently, strategies that mobilize T cells against tumor cells have achieved sensational successes in cancer treatment: For example, bispecific antibodies, which have a “target part” directed against a tumor-associated antigen and an “effector part” that stimulates the T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3 complex on T cells, can successfully activate these cells against a tumor. In 2015, the prototype of this class of substances, blinatumomab, was approved for the treatment of lymphatic leukemia under a “breakthrough designation.” However, bispecific antibodies can also cause significant side effects through “off-target” activation of T cells.
In this project, a novel format for bispecific antibodies was transferred to an FLT3xCD3 molecule, which can be used to treat not only lymphocytic but also myeloid leukemias. Compared to competing products, the bispecific format of the antibody offers a longer half-life and thus reduced manufacturing costs, as well as a more practical application for patients. The bispecific antibody (CC-2) has been optimized to the point where it is now suitable for use in humans. The molecule has been licensed to an American venture fund (Cullinan Oncology) for clinical development, and a first clinical trial was successfully launched in early 2022.
Dr. Nadine Anna Schilling
Pathogenic bacteria pose an increasing threat to human health, as many common antibiotics are no longer effective in fighting infections due to the development of resistance. The demand for new antibiotic structures is therefore enormous. In 2016, the discovery of lugdunin was published, which exhibits antimicrobial activity against numerous Gram-positive bacteria, including the multi-resistant “hospital germ” Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In initial mouse models, lugdunin showed promising effects, and no tendency toward resistance development has been observed in experiments to date. The Innovation Grant was intended to investigate the economic potential of lugdunin as a new lead structure for antibiotics. To this end, lugdunin and a more active synthetic derivative were tested in studies on solubility, stability, activity, and toxicity, including within collaborations and cooperation with the Department of Microbiology, the University Hospital of Tübingen, the University of Göttingen, and external companies. In addition, insights into the effect of lugdunin on artificial vesicles were gained. The industry's desire to modify lugdunin so that it is water-soluble and, ideally, also active against Gram-negative pathogens could not be fulfilled within the scope of this funding.
Dr. Simon Drescher
The aim of the project was to examine change processes in companies from the perspective of modern rhetoric research and to develop communicative methods for strategically promoting innovation. The theoretical starting point was formed by three approaches from modern rhetoric research: First, fundamental rhetorical considerations on evoking doubt in order to enable people to accept new views. Second, investigations into the persuasive power of narratives, which often prove to be formative for culture and communication in organizations. And third, methodological insights from conversation research, from which analytical methods for recording change processes and their effectiveness in companies can be derived. Against this backdrop, several change projects in two partner companies were initially accompanied analytically. These included the communicative rollout of a new digital strategy and the analysis of internal knowledge transfer between product development and sales.
Due to the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, strategic innovation processes in the areas of digital work and digital leadership were supported and, in some cases, redeveloped for the cooperation partners. The project focused on the topics of leadership over distance, digital ways of working, and mobile working policies. Specific formats for needs analysis were designed for these areas of innovation. This was followed by the development of strategic innovation formats for personnel and organizational development in order to promote structures and individual skills for dealing with the disruptive potential of the new world of work.
The result of the project is a comprehensive transformation approach to sustainably develop leadership, work culture, and innovation capabilities based on the specific cultural and organizational conditions of a company. This approach includes analysis formats as well as adaptable and scalable development programs. Since the completion of the project, this “disruptive rhetoric” approach has been implemented in successful development programs at other companies and systematically expanded.
Felix Schreiber
Teachers and school administrators should know what they are talking about when they discuss topics such as digitization, inclusion, or sustainability. They need tools and procedures to navigate the increasingly complex field of educational research, which is characterized by multiple perspectives. In science, systematic reviews are a matter of course for maintaining an overview. However, little has been done so far to provide teachers with similar tools for their everyday work and to prepare research overviews. The innovative potential of the project therefore lies in transferring methods for breaking down vague terms and topics in educational science and their results into a webinar, developing digital tools, and preparing further research overviews. This provides teachers and school administrators with guidance on complex terms and topics, thereby supporting their professional activities.
Philipp Beuchel
The shortage of school administrators and teachers currently poses a major challenge for the German education system. This increases the pressure to act on the growing importance of stress and resource management in education, which has become a focus of education plans and teacher training in recent years. However, there is currently a lack of professional offerings in this area. Mindfulness-based training courses are a promising and increasingly popular way of addressing this need in the private sector. However, this potential has hardly been exploited in the school sector to date. This project implements mindfulness-based formats in schools that address different levels and groups of stakeholders: a leadership seminar for school administrators and members of steering committees strengthens school development, teacher training supports this highly stressed target group, and a school project focuses on the school as a whole, including students and their parents. The innovative potential and sustainability of this project lie in its comprehensive, multi-level measures: training and projects for various stakeholder groups in schools, accompanied by digital school- and teacher-related information and training materials. All measures are scientifically evaluated, aligned with the funding criteria of health insurance companies, and prospectively certified in order to implement the measures on a broad scale.
Dr. Marius Spohn
Ristomycin A (= ristocetin A), like the emergency antibiotic vancomycin, belongs to the group of glycopeptides. It was originally used to treat staphylococcal infections. However, due to side effects such as thrombocytopenia and platelet aggregation, its clinical use was discontinued. Today, however, these therapeutically disadvantageous properties of ristomycin A are used to diagnose von Willebrand syndrome (vWS), the most common hereditary blood clotting disorder, and Bernard-Soulier syndrome (BSS).
As part of the Innovation Grant project, genetically optimized Ristomycin A producer strains were generated. In addition, the fermentation conditions were optimized. The results were to be used to achieve a more cost-efficient process for the production of ristomycin A, which would then be licensed to an external company. The particularly high yields achieved within the framework of the grant meant a much improved negotiating basis for this goal. Mr. Spohn was very successful in establishing contacts with industry and independent research institutes, where he continued his career.
Dr. Klaus Brilisauer
Shikimate biosynthesis is an essential metabolic pathway for plants and many microorganisms for the synthesis of many aromatic compounds. Since this metabolic pathway is not present in humans and animals, its enzymes are attractive targets for the development of new, selective antimicrobial and herbicidal agents. The newly discovered antimetabolite in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 acts as a selective inhibitor of shikimate biosynthesis. The chemoenzymatic synthesis newly established in the research group enables rapid and simple production of the substance. The Innovation Grant was intended to clarify the economic potential of the antimetabolite for optimal marketing. To this end, the antimicrobial, antifungal, and herbicidal properties of the substance were investigated.
The project resulted in three patent applications and one granted patent.
Dr. Boris Benkner
Understanding vision and curing visual impairments are the primary goals of vision research. Basic and preclinical research for the development of ophthalmic drugs is usually conducted on rodents. With the help of Innovation Grant funding, a reliable device for objectively measuring the visual acuity of mice and rats was developed. The aim of the application was to automate this device as much as possible so that many animals could be examined in a short time and independently of the experimenter conducting the test. The OptoDrum system automates this previously very laborious and time-consuming task and provides objective results on contrast sensitivity and spatial visual acuity. Striatech GmbH, which has since been spun off, will continue to draw on ideas and solutions from applied research and develop them into marketable products in cooperation with other parties.
Dr. Ramon Ziai
Harnessing the potential of digital transformation in education is one of the key challenges of our time. In the field of language learning, two key technologies can be identified:
i) intelligent tutoring systems that provide sustainable support for individualized learning with adaptive, direct feedback, and
ii) methods for the automatic assessment of challenging task formats.
Currently, challenging, open-ended task formats with free-text answers can only be assessed manually with great effort. Research shows that intelligent tutoring systems lead to substantially improved learning performance. Individualized, technological support for learners also enables greater educational equity, as it reduces dependence on the educational level of the parental home. Based on Ramon Ziai's dissertation and many years of internationally successful research on the automatic content assessment of answers to questions, this project aimed to realize and utilize the enormous potential of automatic language processing by developing two components in a real educational context: an automatic assessment approach for learning assessments on the one hand, and an interactive feedback module to support independent practice on the other. These should be directly integrated into the infrastructure of partner organizations and applied in schools. Following the Innovation Grant, Mr. Ziai succeeded in pursuing his project in the private sector.
