Stellar Keys to Exoplanetary Worlds: community meeting for a DFG Priority Program proposal
Understanding how exoplanets and their atmospheres evolve is a major goal in German and international research roadmaps. It has become clear that exoplanets cannot be understood without taking into account their stellar environment. In turn, exoplanets themselves can be used as probes for stellar phenomena which would otherwise remain inaccessible. It is time for a research initiative in Germany that combines the existing deep expertise in the physics of cool stars with the pressing questions of exoplanet research.
After a one-year pause by DFG in accepting proposals for Priority Programs (Schwerpunktprogramm, SPP), we now plan to submit an SPP proposal to DFG in October 2026. The focus of this SPP is envisioned to tackle the stellar-exoplanetary connection, i.e. research questions in which the star is of fundamental importance to understand the exoplanet, or vice versa.
We have formed a programme committee for this proposal (Katja Poppenhäger, Juan Cabrera, Saskia Hekker, Laura Kreidberg, Markus Roth). We invite the exoplanetary and stellar community in Germany to a hybrid community meeting to present this envisioned scope of the SPP proposal, explain the "mechanics" of the SPP funding scheme in a talk by a DFG representative, answer community questions and prepare for project collaborations.
