DFG Approves €12 Million for New Collaborative Research Centre BORONPro centered around the Institute for Sustainable Chemistry & Catalysis with Boron (ICB)
11/26/2025The German Research Foundation (DFG) has awarded approximately €12 million to establish the Collaborative Research Centre 1639 “Boron as Property-Determining Element” (BORONPro) at the University of Würzburg.
The new CRC will be anchored at the University’s Institute for Sustainable Chemistry & Catalysis with Boron (ICB) and Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, two centres that together represent the world’s highest concentration of expertise in boron chemistry. Under the leadership of spokesperson Prof. Maik Finze (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry), BORONPro will focus on transforming boron-containing compounds from transient synthetic reagents into core components of innovative functional materials.
The research programme is structured around three key areas: energy storage and optoelectronics (e.g. boron-based electrolytes for batteries and supercapacitors, emissive materials for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)), sustainable synthesis (reusable boron-centred catalysts for efficient and resource-saving production of fine chemicals) and biomedical applications (e.g. boron-containing biomolecules for diagnostic imaging and targeted drug delivery).
Alongside research groups from the Faculties of Chemistry & Pharmacy and Physics at the University of Würzburg, the CRC includes partners from the Universities of Bonn, Frankfurt am Main and Cologne, as well as the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC) in Würzburg. The Collaborative Research Centre BORONPro will officially begin its work in 2026.
