Exciting News! We Continue Our Journey into our Third Funding Period

Dresden/Bonn/Munich, May 15, 2026

We are thrilled to share that our Collaborative Research Center TRR 237 “Nucleic Acid Immunity” has been granted a third and most competitive funding period by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). This approval allows us to advance our joint research for another four years, bringing us to the full 12-year maximum duration of this funding line for Sonderforschungsbereiche.

For all of us who have poured our energy, ideas, and countless hours into this consortium since 2018, building collaborations, developing shared platforms, and professionalizing our organization, this is a deeply rewarding moment. It affirms the strength of our collaborative approach, the quality of our science, and the relevance of the questions we are pursuing together across the sites in Bonn, Munich, and Dresden.

At its core, TRR 237 explores how cells recognize and respond to nucleic acids – distinguishing “self” from “non-self,” mounting effective antiviral defenses, and preventing harmful autoimmune reactions. Through close collaboration between immunologists, biochemists, structural biologists, and clinicians, we investigate nucleic acid sensors, restriction factors, and metabolic pathways that together shape nucleic acid immunity. Our work spans fundamental mechanisms to their roles in viral infections and sterile inflammatory diseases.

This third funding period represents more than continued support — it marks a key milestone in establishing “Nucleic Acid Immunity” as a distinct and growing field within the international research landscape. Building on the foundations and discoveries of the first two phases, we will further deepen our interdisciplinary integration and address new scientific challenges with sustained momentum. At the same time, we aim to expand our international visibility and engagement, including through our continued involvement in the International Society of Nucleic Acid Immunity (NAIS), which has developed alongside the consortium.

With Min Ae Lee-Kirsch as spokesperson for the upcoming funding period, and co-speakers Gunther Hartmann at the Bonn site and Veit Hornung at the Munich site, we look forward to shaping this next phase together. We are particularly grateful for the trust placed in us by the DFG reviewers and Senate, and we extend our warmest thanks to everyone involved — our partner universities and administrative teams that support our consortium, and especially the DFG — for enabling long-term, curiosity-driven collaborative science. We look forward to delivering on the ambitious program we have proposed.

Min Ae Lee-Kirsch (TU Dresden), designated spokesperson for the upcoming funding period, emphasized the clinical perspective: “This new phase offers a unique opportunity to translate our growing understanding of nucleic acid immunity into tangible benefits for patients. By integrating insights across disciplines, we aim to advance not only fundamental mechanisms but also their application in improved diagnostics and therapeutic strategies. Ultimately, our goal is to contribute to a more precise understanding and better management of immune-mediated diseases.”

Onward to the next four years of discovery!

In spring 2025, project leaders and researchers of the TRR237 consortium met in San Servolo, Italy, to review scientific progress and discuss future research directions. The meeting laid the groundwork for the successful application for the third funding period.