RING Kick-off Meeting Tutzing, October 25-28, 2026

Proposal Kick-off workshop In February 2024 discussions were held at the University in Bonn how to push forward ring laser research in Germany and related applications in geodesy and geophysics. It was decided to propose a “research unit” a multipartner project  with renewal opportunity, a funding instrument of the German Research Foundation. 

How the Earth spins: New DFG research group to measure tiniest fluctuations The Earth continuously rotates constantly on its axis like a giant spinning top. However, this rotation is not constant; it is influenced by factors such as high-pressure areas in the atmosphere, the shifting of water masses by the tides, and even the melting…

In a press release the DFG announced on March 27, 2026, the funding of 14 new research units. The RING research unit is one of them. This concludes successfully two years of preparation work. Now the exciting science projects can start! Further press releases were published by LMU, UHH, and others.

To prepare the project defense at the DFG in Bonn in November 2025 we met in Bonn in July 2025 to review the project posters, homogenize formats and information content.

In February 2025 the consortium met in the Mumm Villa of the BKG Frankfurt to discuss in detail the full proposal to be submitted in May 2025 to the German Research Foundation.

On November 11, at 11am, 2025, the project review meeting took place at the DFG in Bonn with reviewers from US, France, Belgium, Germany. Oral presentations on the overall scope and the domains involved (physics, geodesy, geophysics) was followed by a poster session with project presentation. Final funding decision is expected end of March 2026.