The Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB) 48-Gottingen, a Special Collaborative Programme of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, was one of the first of such programmes. It was launched in 1969 under the general title "Evolution, composition and distinctive characteristics of the Earth's crus t, particularly in geosynclinal regions" ("En twickl ung, Bestand und Eigenschaften der Erdkruste, insbesondere der Geosynklinalraume"). Its activities were promoted for eleven and a half years and it came to its end at the expiration of 1980. We have he re a comprehensive report of the results it has reached, of the questions that remain open, and the new questions that have been raised. Special Collaborative Programmes ("Sonderforschungsbereiche") involve groups of scientists who have join- ed together with the approval of their university for joint research in which the university recognizes that their research has common ground deserving support for a longer period of time. Significant progress in science is increasingly dependent on the close collaboration of scientists from several disciplines.
The Special Colla- borative Programmes were created in order to provide better conditions and structures for multi- nad interdisciplinary research. It seemed prom- ising to mount special support, in terms of both material and personnei, for the geologically orientated research programme proposed from Gottin- gen, which envisaged interdisciplinary research into the nature of two different intracontinental orogens, research involving Geology-palaeon- tology, Sedimentology, Sedimentary Petrography, Geochemistry, Petrology, Geochronology and Geophysics.