With the granted funds, the call from the University of Münster to Prof Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel (Professor for Inorganic Chemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin) was rejected. Thus, among other things, a very successful collaborative research center on fluorine chemistry with about 50 scientists in 20 working groups in 5 Berlin research institutions could be successfully continued and the field of fluorine chemistry strengthened as a traditional focus at Freie Universität Berlin.
In addition to basic research, important research fields of the research group of Prof Hasenstab-Riedel with high relevance for the public include the development of SF6 substitutes for high-energy switches (SF6 has a very high global warming potential) and the development of ways to store chlorine safely and efficiently which will support the change to more renewable energies in industry.