Priority Programme „CodeChi – Chitin, chitosan and chito-oligosaccharides and their interaction with proteins of the extracellular matrix and cellular signaling” (SPP 2416)
DFG's CodeChi programme funds interdisciplinary research to decode how chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligosaccharides function as molecular information systems in biology and enable new material and biomedical applications.
Funder: German Research Foundation
Due Dates: April 10, 2026 (Preparatory meeting registration & outline recommended) | June 17, 2026 (elan portal registration deadline) | June 24, 2026 (Full proposal deadline)
Funding Amounts: Typically 3-year project funding; budgets based on justified needs per DFG rules; no explicit upper limit stated.
Summary: Supports interdisciplinary research to decode the molecular "CodeChi" of chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligosaccharides, advancing their understanding in biological systems and enabling novel functional material design.
Key Information: Registration in DFG elan portal is required before proposal submission (if first-time applicant).
Description
This Priority Programme (SPP 2416, "CodeChi") is designed to advance the mechanistic understanding of chitin, chitosan, and chito-oligosaccharides (C/CS/COS) as molecular information systems in biological systems. The programme integrates fundamental biology, chemistry, and materials science to elucidate how the fine structure of these polymers encodes biological information and governs interactions in extracellular matrices and cellular signaling. Building on the first funding period, the second period seeks research that clarifies the biological significance of CodeChi in established and novel systems, expands structure-function analyses, and leverages this knowledge for innovative applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and plant protection. Projects are encouraged to go beyond descriptive studies, focusing on higher-order roles of CodeChi, such as extracellular matrix remodeling, immune response regulation, and systems biology approaches.
