The universality question for noncommutative quantum field theory

Present day physics rests on two main pillars: General relativity and quantum field theory. We discuss the deep and at the same time problematic interplay between these two theories. Based on an argument by Doplicher, Fredenhagen, and Roberts, we propose a possible universality property for noncommutative quantum field theory in the sense that any theory of quantum gravity should involve quantum field theories on noncommutative space-times as a special limit. We propose a mathematical framework to investigate such a universality property and start the discussion of its mathematical properties. The question of its connection to string theory could be a starting point for a new perspective on string theory.