A Christmas present for PLUS: Research funding: 3 million euros
Great success for the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg. The Ministry of Education, Science and Research has now approved research funds totaling three million euros for two projects. While everything at SPOTLIGHT concentrates on cancer research, the task of the Salzburg Collaborative Computing project is clearly defined: a new high-performance computer for the universities in the Salzburg region heralds the research world of tomorrow.
Rector Hendrik Lehnert (PLUS) is visibly proud: “The funding of the two projects is of enormous importance not only for PLUS, but for all universities and cooperation partners. Through our joint appearance and our cooperation, we strengthen Salzburg as a research location immensely.”
To the SPOTLIGHT project – non-invasive imaging for cancer detection and therapy development
Approval: EUR 402,500
Responsible: PD Dr. Dirk Schmidt-Arras
Cooperation partners in the project: SCRI (Salzburg Cancer Research Institute (SCRI), LIMCR (Laboratory for Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research)
In order to improve the treatment of people with cancer, numerous scientists and researchers around the world are working to find new treatment options. Progress is made with many small steps, but every piece of the puzzle that goes into understanding cancer research is a great success. Funding for the SPOTLIGHT project is one of these.
Around 38,000 people in Austria are diagnosed with cancer each year. After cardiovascular diseases, cancer is the second most common cause of death in the country. The development of new therapeutic concepts for difficult-to-treat chronic inflammation and tumor diseases is therefore urgently needed.
With the decision of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research to fund the PLUS project SPOTLIGHT and thus to finance the acquisition of a new in vivo imaging system at the PLUS, oncological working groups at the PLUS and the LIMCR (laboratory for immunological and molecular cancer research) the Salzburg University Hospital was given the opportunity to visualize the formation and growth of tumors, but also their interaction with the immune system in model organisms. In this way, not only pathological mechanisms can be examined in detail, but also novel therapy concepts can be tested for their effectiveness.
“The approval of this project is another milestone on the way to establishing internationally excellent interdisciplinary immuno-oncological research in Salzburg,” says project manager PD Dr. Dirk Schmidt-Arras is delighted with the funding.
Mr. PD Dr. Dirk Schmidt-Arras, born on May 29, 1977 in Forchheim (Bavaria, Germany) see Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Universities of Bayreuth and Jena (Germany). His professional career has also taken him to the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France and to the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel, Germany. Since 2021, Mr. Schmidt-Arras has been an assistant professor at the Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology at PLUS. His research focus is the interaction of tumor cells with cells of the immune system and the microenvironment. In this context, his projects include the effect of cytokines, including inflammatory messengers, on the development of tumors, the role of proteases, including molecular scissors, in the microenvironment of tumors and the fight against tumors by the immune system. In his free time, you can find Mr. Schmidt-Arras in wind and weather at the edge of the soccer field watching his sons play, enjoying outdoor activities with the family or learning the Norwegian language.
KONTAKT Dirk Schmidt-Arras, PhD Assistant Professor of Tumour Immunology Fachbereich Biowissenschaften Hellbrunnerstrasse 34 , 5020 Salzburg Tel.: +43 662 8044 5553 E-Mail: [email protected]
To the project SCC – Salzburg Collaborative Computing
Approval: EUR 2,422,778 (BMBWF), EUR 400,000 (State of Salzburg)
Responsible: Univ.-Prof. dr Florian Hutzler
Cooperation partners in the project: State of Salzburg, SALK-CDK University Hospital Salzburg, FH Salzburg, University Mozarteum
Internationally competitive science requires the availability of computing capacities that go far beyond the capabilities of workstation computers. With the funding from the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research in the amount of EUR 2.4 million and the participation of the State of Salzburg in the amount of EUR 400 thousand, it is now possible for scientists from all universities to have been waiting for a long time.
“This funding is a big step towards the future of the university working world of tomorrow. The state of Salzburg is involved in the SCC project as a cooperation partner and I am very happy to support it!”, Provincial Councilor Andrea Klambauer is also pleased. Managing Director Dominik Engel of the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences also agrees: “I am very pleased that the research funds for this important cross-sectional matter – such as the Salzburg Collaborative Computing project – have been approved. This makes it possible to store more sensitive data at the location. It’s a great opportunity for all cooperation partners to work together successfully.”
“Outdated computers are a thing of the past,” summarizes Univ.-Prof. dr Florian Hutzler, head of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience (PLUS). The funding makes it possible to purchase a high-performance computer and thus give scientists in the state of Salzburg better access to processing and analysis routines. “Whether at the law faculty of PLUS tax returns or at the Salzburg University Hospital magnetic resonance imaging data are analyzed, the area of application is incredibly diverse. This funding is a real Christmas present for all of us,” adds Hutzler.
SCC creates a flexible environment for the interdisciplinary needs of the project participants PLUS, Salzburg University Hospital, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences and the Mozarteum University – a circumstance that also supports Salzburg as a science location in the long term, because there are no idle times thanks to the use and integration of Salzburg’s universities. It doesn’t matter what percentage the partners are involved in the project, explains Hutzler. “Server systems need 60% electricity, even if you don’t use them. With our project, we ensure that you can access 100% of the power regardless of whether you have a 1% or 15% share. That’s one truly collaborative, interdisciplinary use of computing power.” “With this project, PLUS is setting a milestone for the interdisciplinary further development of Salzburg as a university location,” adds Elisabeth Gutjahr (University Mozarteum).
Herr Univ.-Prof. dr Florian Hutzler, born in Munich in 1976, studied psychology at the PLUS and at the Freie Universität Berlin. Postdoc positions at the Free University of Berlin and at the University of Vienna followed. His professional life also took him to the Macquarie Center for Cognitive Science (Sydney, Australia) and the LMU Munich. Since 2010, Mr. Hutzler has been a professor of developmental psychology and neurocognition, and since 2014 he has been the coordinator of the research focus Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the PLUS. Hutzler studied normal and impaired visual word recognition using neurocognitive techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, eye tracking, and computer modeling. Most recently, he has been working on ontology-based knowledge systems that enable an objective classification of neurocognitive data sets. His most recent projects include the Digital Neuroscience Initiative (funded by the State of Salzburg) and the Austrian NeuroCloud (funded by the Ministry of Science).
KONTAKT Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian Hutzler Leiter Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience / Fachbereich Psychologie Hellbrunnerstrasse 34 , 5020 Salzburg Tel.: +43 (0) 662 / 8044 - 5114 E-Mail: [email protected]