UniSysCat is the follow-up project of the Cluster of Excellence UniCat. Here, we have already learned how to combine researchers from quite diverse disciplines to work on common scientific questions. Now, we’re ready for the next challenge: Understanding how complex networks in catalysis work.

The mission of UniSysCat is to understand catalysis networks with their coupled catalytic reactions. Moreover, we’re aiming to create and control catalytic reaction networks. Our approach is to learn from nature. Biological catalysts, namely enzymes present in cells, are much more precise than any artificial human-engineered catalyst. We want to understand and retrace the complex, coupled processes driven by catalysts in nature. One of our central topics is green chemistry. For instance, we want to use catalysis to design energy-saving devices or efficient ways of energy storage.

Our vision is to revolutionize catalysis research. We’d wish to break the boundaries between chemistry, biology and physics. We’re not yet able to mimic nature. However, our vision is to learn from nature to build optimal, well-adapted coupled catalysts for many purposes in technology, industry or medicine.

Involved Institutions:

• Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (FHI)
• Max-Planck-Institut für Kolloid- und Grenzflächenforschung (MPI-KG)
• Universität Potsdam
• Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
• Freie Universität Berlin
• Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH
• Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) im Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.