08. November 2012 Helmholtz Head Office

Max Delbrück Center and Charité pool their research activities

The Federal Minister of Education and Research, Prof. Annette Schavan, announced today in the presence of the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, that researchers at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, a member of the Helmholtz Association, and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin will be working together under one roof in the future. The Helmholtz Association regards this fusion of two top-level research institutes as a major step forward in the future development of the German research system.

“The close cooperation with the Charité, combined with the great expertise of both partner organisations, will significantly boost health research in Germany and abroad,” said Prof. Jürgen Mlynek, President of the Helmholtz Association. “One of our main goals in setting up this collaboration is to foster translational research, that is, to turn findings from basic research into clinical applications more quickly so that they are of benefit to patients.”

The establishment of a joint MDC/Charité research institute reflects the Helmholtz Association’s strategy of developing suitable collaboration models between Helmholtz centres and other research institutes, particularly universities. The aim of this strategy is to put the necessary expertise and the latest research infrastructure to the most effective use in resolving the major challenges facing society today and in the future. The Helmholtz Association believes that mobilising existing potential in this way can significantly contribute to the further development of the German research system. Like the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), this collaboration model is also a perfect fit with the aims of the Helmholtz Association as set out in its strategy paper, “Helmholtz 2020 – Shaping the Future Through Partnership”.

The new organisation, the "Berlin Institute for Health" (Berliner Institut für Gesundheitsforschung, BIG), combines the MDC’s basic research on molecular medicine with the Charité’s patient-oriented research. As well as conducting research, BIG will focus on teaching, promoting young researchers and recruiting outstanding new researchers. BIG will be set up as a joint corporation of the MDC and the Charité. The BIG project follows the establishment of the "Deutsche Zentren für Gesundheitsforschung" (German centres for health research), which are co-funded by the Helmholtz Association. These centres work on common diseases and aim to translate research findings more rapidly into better preventative, diagnostic and therapeutic methods.