The DFG ('Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft') announced a new priority programme (SPP 1568) 'Design and Generic Principles of Self-Healing Materials' (2 M€/year, the programme is intended to run six years). This programme is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ulrich S. Schubert (Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena, Germany), who is also scientific chairman of the High-Throughput Experimentation programme area of the Dutch Polymer Institute (DPI). The international programme committee is completed by Prof. Dr. Peter Greil (Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nurenberg, Germany), Prof. Dr. Christoph Leyens (Technical University Dresden, Germany), and Prof. Dr. Sybrand van der Zwaag (Technical University Delft, The Netherlands), who is also very active in DPI.
The focus is on new concepts for self-healing materials and the investigation of general principles and mechanisms for self-healing processes. The priority programme embraces the main material classes: polymers, metals, ceramics, and concrete.
On October 1st 2010, an 'International Workshop on Self-healing Materials' will take place in Jena, Germany, which will bring together scientists interested in self-healing materials. The aims are to discuss the future perspectives of self-healing materials, to identify particular challenges for applications as well as for fundamental science, to initiate the formation of joint research projects, and to introduce the new SPP on the design and generic principles of self-healing materials.