HEiKA STRATEGIC AREAS OF RESEARCH (STAR)

Daniel Reche - Pexels

The newly established HEiKA-STAR funding programme aims to strengthen sustainable research cooperation between KIT and HD University. The programme focuses on the funding of new joint research fields that will connect the two partner universities in the long term.

As part of the first call for proposals, the first three HEiKA-STARs were selected to receive funding:

DELight Demonstrator: Technological proof-of-concept and sensitivity studies for a new dark matter experiment

Speakers Uni HD: Belina von Krosigk (KIP), Christian Enss (KIP) || Speakers KIT: Sebastian Kempf (IMS), Markus Klute (ETP), Kathrin Valerius (IAP)

[DEUsAroMet] All-Metal Aromaticity: Definition, Evidence, Use

Speakers Uni HD: Lutz Greb (ACI), Rüdiger Klingeler (KIP) || Speakers KIT: Stefanie Dehnen (INT), Florian Weigend (IQMT)

PACO Physical Activity and Cognition in Middle and Late Adulthood: Insights from National Cohort Studies and Mobile Sensing Using Machine Learning

Speakers Uni HD: Cornelia Wrzus (NAR, Psychologisches Institut), Simon Steib (ISSW) || Speakers KIT: Ulrich Ebner-Priemer (IfSS), Michael Beigl (LS für Pervasive Computing Systems), Rainer Stiefelhagen (IAR)

HEiKA STARs 2025 - 2026

Enns

DELight

Cosmological and astrophysical observations provide clear evidence for the existence of a new type of matter, “dark matter” (DM), whose nature is still unknown.
The primary goal is to realize a simplified, small-scale detector, using a superfluid 4He target instrumented with a novel MMC-based calorimeter to demonstrate the readiness of such a detector for the new direct dark matter search experiment DELight.

Greb

DEUsAroMet

DEUsAroMet is an interdisciplinary project to provide experimental evidence and a theoretical framework for all-metal aromaticity for breakthroughs in nano-electronics and future technologies. It will line up internationally leading chemists with theoreticians and spectroscopists to consolidate a ground for long-term research initiatives.

Wrzus

PACO

The benefits of physical activity for cognitive and physical health across the adult lifespan and in old age are undisputed. Still, urgent questions regarding the daily neurological and behavioral processes, most suitable intervention designs, and the role of sample diversity and middle adulthood are largely open. The PACO project focuses on integrating expertise of Heidelberg University and KIT to conduct pilot projects using national cohort data sets as well as mobile and video-based sensing approaches.