Funding by European Union – European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE), funding period 2014-2020

In 2017, a new combined freeze-dryer and vacuum concentrator was purchased by the Applied Ecology & Phycology group, thanks to an EFRE grant.

Freeze-drying is a procedure to gently dry sensitive biological material by the physical process of sublimation: Here, solid ice crystals transit directely to the gaseous phase, without passing through the liquid phase. Thus, samples can be dehydrated without thawing, allowing for further delicate procedures, for example, molecular biological or various (bio)chemical analyses (analysing UV sunscreend, prigments, polyols, amino acids etc.)

With this purchase in 2017, several ongoing third-party funded projects are supported (e.g. Biological soil crusts of polar regions), and the ability to acquire future third-party grants is strengthened.

Moreover, the freeze-dryer is used for co-operations with companies in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, supporting common research activities, external research or services.