Prof. Dr. Christoph Rußmann is awarded an ERC Advanced Grant

Publishing Date: 23.06.2026

A major success for HAWK: Prof. Dr Christoph Rußmann has been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for the FEMTOMICS project. In FEMTOMICS, his team investigates the dynamic processes that regulate gene activity. This makes Prof. Rußmann the first scientist at a German University of Applied Sciences to receive an ERC Advanced Grant. The grant is one of the most prestigious and highly competitive research funding schemes worldwide.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Rußmann ist der erste Wissenschaftler einer Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW), der einen ERC Advanced Grant erhält.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Rußmann (rechts) und Mitglieder seiner Arbeitsgruppe am Femtosekundenlaser. Der Laser ermöglicht es, molekulare Wechselwirkungen zwischen Proteinen und DNA mit extrem hoher zeitlicher und molekularer Präzision zu erfassen.

“The ERC Advanced Grant for FEMTOMICS is a milestone for HAWK and a strong signal of the capabilities of Universities of Applied Sciences,” emphasizes Prof. Dr Jörg Lahner, Acting President and Vice President for Research and Transfer at HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen. “This award raises the international profile of our research and strengthens Lower Saxony’s position as a research hub in the long term.”
 

 


With FEMTOMICS, the research team investigates how fundamental biological processes in cells are dynamically coordinated. The focus is on understanding how genes are regulated and how these dynamic processes influence health and disease. To this end, the scientists are developing a novel technology platform that combines state-of-the-art laser technology with methods from genomics, proteomics, and artificial intelligence (AI).
The goal is to investigate gene regulation with unprecedented temporal resolution and information density. The researchers aim not only to identify the proteins involved but also to determine their precise binding sites on DNA. In addition, changes in the transcriptome (the complete set of RNA molecules) and the methylome (epigenetic modifications of DNA) will be analyzed. Together, these data will provide a comprehensive picture of the molecular processes that control gene activity.

Breast cancer serves as the biological model system. Using this example, the team investigates the dynamic mechanisms of gene regulation and their significance for the development and progression of the disease. However, the methods developed within FEMTOMICS are broadly applicable and could be used in many areas of biological, biomedical, and translational research.

“With FEMTOMICS, we aim to decipher the dynamic processes that determine when and how genes are regulated. A better understanding of these mechanisms could open up new avenues for disease research and the development of future therapies,” says Principal Investigator Prof. Dr Christoph Rußmann.

The international FEMTOMICS team includes scientists from HAWK’s Faculty of Engineering and Health as well as researchers from the University of Copenhagen in the group of Dr Michael Wierer, an internationally recognized expert in proteomics and mass spectrometry.

ERC Advanced Grants are awarded exclusively to established scientists with outstanding research achievements. Selection is carried out by international expert panels through a highly competitive multi-stage evaluation process. The grants support visionary projects with the potential to open up new scientific frontiers and transform entire fields of research.

With FEMTOMICS, HAWK is further strengthening its international research profile in photonics, life sciences, and artificial intelligence while setting new benchmarks for research at Universities of Applied Sciences.