Priority Programme “Combinatorial Synergies” (SPP 2458)
In March 2023, the Senate of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) established the Priority Programme “Combinatorial Synergies” (SPP 2458). The programme is designed to run for six years. The present call invites proposals for the first three-year funding period.
Combinatorics is the study of finite and discrete structures. Starting from fundamental questions of ordering, decomposing and structuring finitely many objects or states, combinatorics has evolved into a nanotechnology of mathematics and its applications. Due to its interdisciplinarity, it is a highly interactive core mathematical area. Research questions are unified, and structurally related approaches are developed into unifying theories with intrinsic questions and methods.
The present availability of complex mathematical observations induces a fundamental transformation of mathematical research in the interplay of data and structure. This Priority Programme will form a combinatorics network in Germany that guides this transformation. The programme will enable breakthrough advances within and across the thematic areas described below. The accessibility and usability of research data will enable the creation of a globally visible combinatorics network.
The individual projects in this Priority Programme must concern combinatorial synergies in themes ranging from fundamental mathematics research to applications. The programme evolves around the following themes: enumeration, Dynkin classification, commutative algebra, matroids, convexity, lattice points, statistics, non-linear optimisation and mathematical physics. Important impulses are expected to evolve from innovative developments within the main themes and their interconnections. Possible synergies include: Weyl groups, face vectors, Kähler packages, combinatorial polytopes, amplituhedra, combinatorial commutative algebra, Ehrhart theory, Lorentzian polynomials, Coxeter-Catalan structures, hyperplane arrangements, the E8-lattice, positroids and many more.
Extremal combinatorics, additive combinatorics and related themes are not in the focus of this Priority Programme.
An overarching goal is to establish new connections between the programme’s themes. A particular focus is on the use of discrete data, for example involving databases and the use of machine learning techniques, sustainable knowledge (infra)structures within the network and the dissemination of the FAIR principles.
Proposals must be written in English and submitted to the DFG by 25 September 2023 (submission will open on 1 August 2023). Please note that proposals can only be submitted via elan, the DFG’s electronic proposal processing system.
Applicants must be registered in elan prior to submitting a proposal to the DFG. If you have not yet registered in elan, please note that you must do so by 8 September 2023 to submit a proposal under this call; registration requests received after this time cannot be considered. You will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day. Note that you will be asked to select the appropriate Priority Programme call during both the registration and the proposal process.
If you would like to submit a proposal for a new project within the existing Priority Programme, please go to Proposal Submission – New Project – Priority Programmes. Then start the submission and select “SPP 2458” from the current list of calls.
When preparing your proposal, please review the programme guidelines (DFG form 50.05, section B) and follow the proposal preparation instructions (DFG form 54.01) in their currently valid version. These forms can either be downloaded from our website or accessed through the elan portal. Note, in particular, the changes which were announced in “Information for Researchers No. 61” on 1 September 2022, notably with respect to the compulsory use of the DFG’s template for CVs. As usual, all documents to be uploaded as pdf files can be prepared using LaTeX, provided the document’s structure is retained.
A thematic workshop and “Rundgespräch” concerning the topics of this Priority Programme will take place in Magdeburg on 28 and 29 June 2023. Travel to and accommodation at the workshop are supported by the DFG for all potential applicants. Additional information about the programme and related activities is available on the homepage of this Priority Programme.
Further Information
More information on the Priority Programme is available at:
The elan system can be accessed at:
DFG forms 50.05 and 54.01 can be downloaded at:
For scientific enquiries please contact the Priority Programme coordinator:
- Professor Dr. Christian Stump
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Fakultät für Mathematik
Lehrstuhl Algebraische Kombinatorik
Universitätsstraße 150
44801 Bochum
phone +49 234 32-22291
steering@combinatorial-synergies.d
Questions on the DFG proposal process can be directed to:
Programme contact:
- Dr. Carsten Balleier
phone +49 228 885-2063
carsten.balleier@dfg.d
Administrative contact:
- Luka Madunic
phone +49 228 885-2883
luka.madunic@dfg.d