ERC Synergy Grant
Award year: 2023
Category: Scholarship / Grant
Type: ERC Synergy Grant
Awarding organization: Europäischer Forschungsrat (ERC)
Kristian Franze conducts research into the growth of nerve cells. He does not focus primarily on the biochemical processes but rather on the mechanical forces that influence their growth. In earlier studies, Franze discovered that the rigidity of the surrounding brain tissue plays a considerable role in guiding growing nerve cells in the right direction. The UNFOLD project, which the physicist and veterinarian Franze is involved in together with Spanish, Belgian and French researchers, aims to intensify this work and has been awarded an ERC Synergy Grant for its research. The consortium focuses predominantly on cortical folding. It is known that mammals with higher cognitive functions have a highly folded cortex, and that anomalies are associated with various disabilities.