In 2006 the Medical Faculty continued with the performance-based distribution of funding, applying the same evaluation criteria used in previous years. This system of funding has developed into an important instrument for assessing research performance. One result in particular should be mentioned here: in 2006 scientists at the Medical Faculty obtained about 3% more grant funding than in 2005, which was taken into account in evaluating performance-related funding. This represented increased funding from the BMBF and DFG, specifically a 10% increase in grants from the DFG. In contrast, EU funding decreased slightly.
The process of determining the main research focuses at the Medical Faculty gained more momentum in 2006, through influences such as concentrating research resources and successful grant applications in different research areas, appointments and political research decisions. The aim is to reach an optimal focus and application of research resources through critical evaluation, and if necessary, restructuring of main research themes. At the same time this will also serve to ensure long-term and continuous research activities concentrating on one main topic at the Faculty. Suggestions for changes in deciding on the main focus included proposals from referees involved in the IZKF assessment in September 2006. Also discussions between the Faculty and Clinics on joint research directions incorporating ideas for linking clinical research and medical health care played an important role. This means that not only the classical research focuses of the Faculty and the IZKF (Neurosciences, Endocrinology, Oncology, Immunology) should be redefined, but also new directions should be taken from routine clinical practice, e.g. from the areas of the locomotor apparatus and dentistry. The logic behind this is to specifically integrate the latter two areas, both important aspects in health care, but as yet not optimally developed scientifically, into main research focuses or perhaps to develop new research directions.
The overall Faculty theme of “Prevention and Regeneration” offers considerable freedom for integrating clinical research and medical health care, not just with the BMBF-funded Translations Centre for Regenerative Medicine (TRM), but also with new structural and financial opportunities over the next few years. In particular, the independent department for Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, the Clinic and Polyclinic for Psychiatry, the independent department for Social Medicine as well as the Environmental Medical Centre (Professor for Environmental Medicine and Environmental Hygiene, in collaboration with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ) have been concentrating successfully on preventative medicine in various areas for several years now. The main focuses of the IZKF (see below) are currently not only integrated into many theoretical facilities of the Faculty but also linked to research in numerous clinical establishments – such as the BMBF “Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research” funded in the 1990s.
New centres were established at the Faculty and University in clinical and application oriented sectors, such as the Innovation Centre for Computer-Assisted Surgery (ICCAS) at the Medical Faculty, and the Translation Centre for Regenerative Medicine (TRM) at the University. Both centres will continue to influence setting up the main future focuses over the long-term. The focus on cardiology will become increasingly visible in the research landscape of the Faculty due to the increasing capacity in this area of the Heart Centre and Medical Clinic and Polyclinic I. The KKSL and future Clinical Study Centre (see below) offer favourable conditions for achieving the desired symbiosis between research and medical health care, and in addition will improve conditions for carrying out clinical trials. The processes set in motion for redefining and developing joint research focuses at the Faculty and Clinics should lead to even better integration of basic, application-oriented, and clinical research, combined with the latest diagnostic and treatment methods in health care at the clinics.
A further important factor that will influence defining the main focuses in research is the integration of the Medical Faculty into the University structure and the resulting interfaculty collaborations. Profile directions selected in 2005 crystallized further in 2006 during the process of developing profile-forming research areas at the University of Leipzig. It is the responsibility of Faculty and University directors to achieve a platform for general collaborations between the humanities, social and life sciences, and human and veterinary medicine, and to link the main focuses of the Medical Faculty to these processes. The Medical Faculty is a leading participant in three of the six defined profile directions: these are listed here with examples from the latest successful grant applications:
- Molecular and cellular communication: biotechnology, bioinformatics and biomedicine in therapy and diagnostics
An outstanding new grant-funded project in this profile direction is the University-based Translation Centre for Regenerative Medicine (see below), spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Frank Emmrich, Institute for Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine.
- Brain, cognition and language
The multi-location DFG research group “Neuronal and glial P2 receptors: molecular basis and functional significance (FOR 748)”, spokesperson Prof. Dr. Dr. Peter Illes (Rudolf Boehm Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology) was approved at the beginning of 2007.
- Altered environment and disease
The clinical research group “Atherobesity: lipids and blood vessels” (spokesperson: Prof. Dr. Michael Stumvoll, Medical Clinic and Polyclinic III) was approved in the summer of 2006. As of April 2007, a Helmholtz-University young research group will work at the Medical Faculty / Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle (UFZ) on the project “Leipzig Study on the Role of Indoor Pollutants in Allergy Development (LIPAD)”, thus strengthening the Centre in the area of environmental medicine.
Only sub-modules continued to be financed in the second funding phase of the NBL3 Program of the BMBF, running at the Medical Faculty Leipzig under the title “Improving the performance of clinical research particularly in the main areas of “cellular signalling networks” and “psycho-social care structures”. This affected the C4 Professorship for Biochemistry II (Endocrinology) “New aspects in the physiology and pathophysiology of G-protein coupled receptors and other membrane signal transduction components”, project leader Prof. Dr. Torsten Schöneberg, Institute for Biochemistry; the C4 Professorship for Physiology II (Neurosciences) “Mechanisms of GABA stimulus in the central nervous system: development and application of a fluorescence microscopy procedure for parallel quantification of intracellular chloride and bicarbonate homeostasis”, project leader Prof. Dr. Jens Eilers, Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology; and the C3 foundation Professorship for Health Economy “Economical evaluation of health services in the psycho-social health care sector”, project leader Prof. Dr. Hans-Helmut König, Clinik and Polyclinic for Psychiatry. The NBL3 funding by the BMBF terminated at the end of 2006. The modules mentioned above are now entirely funded by Federal State grants.
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF), established at the Medical Faculty in 1996, was assessed externally in September 2006. In the period of funding between 2004 and 2006 (the IZKF entirely funded by Federal State grants) the referees confirmed that the IZKF had achieved very positive structural and thematic developments with significant improvements compared to the previous funding period. The IZKF is today the most important instrument for promoting research at the Medical Faculty. The IZKF’s goal is to support research, excellence and young researchers, as well as creating efficient research structures. The assessment awarded particular attention and approval to:
- The research focuses of the IZKF (immunology, endocrinology, neurosciences and molecular oncology)
The main focuses of the IZKF closely reflect the profile directions of the University and the research landscape of the Medical Faculty (see research focuses of the Faculty). Important funded projects have arisen from the IZKF focus areas (graduate college Interneuro, clinical research groups, the Translation Centre for Regenerative Medicine, DFG research groups). About 50% of the grant funding received at the Faculty for refereed projects was obtained in the last year for research projects thematically linked to the IZKF’s main focuses. The opportunity to consider breaking camp and introducing new directions at the IZKF fits precisely with the discussions carried out at the Faculty and Clinics in 2006 on further strategies for developing new focuses with the goal of integrated research and patient treatment. The renewed submission of IZKF focuses in 2009 will allow all the group leaders at the Faculty another opportunity to integrate into IZKF focuses supporting the Medical Faculty.
- The new IZKF project funding program “Project duration = 2 + 1”
Following two years of funding by the IZKF, funding of the project in the third year depends on a grant application being submitted for a refereed project (DFG, BMBF, etc.). Both the referee body and the Faculty directors welcome this performance-oriented funding program of the IZKF.
- Young scientist funding by the IZKF (supplemented by the “formel.1” program of the Faculty).
In 2006, the young research group of Blüher was transformed into a clinical research group of the DFG. Moreover, 2006 saw the establishment of very good young research groups at the IZKF, complemented by the young researcher program that takes on incubator groups (external young scientist research groups funded by the BMBF, for example, that are particularly orientated towards applied research with the aim of establishing a company spin-off).
The following establishments were included in the current IZKF funding period starting on 01.01.07:
Immunology: Institute for Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Institute for Biochemistry, Institute for Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics, Institute for Medical Physics and Biophysics, Clinic for Dermatology, Allergology and Venereology, Medical Clinic and Polyclinic III and IV, University Paediatric Clinic;
Endocrinology: Institute for Anatomy, Institute for Biochemistry, Medical Clinic and Polyclinic III, KKSL;
Neurosciences: Institute for Anatomy, Institute for Biochemistry, Carl Ludwig Institute for Physiology, Institute for Clinical Pharmacology, Paul Flechsig Institute for Brain Research, Rudolf Boehm Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Clinic and Polyclinic for Ophthalmology, University Paediatric Clinic and Polyclinic, Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurosurgery, Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology, Psychiatric Clinic and Polyclinic;
Molecular Oncology: Institute for Medical Informatics, Statistics and Epidemiology, Institute for Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Interdisciplinary Centre for Bioinformatics, Clinic for Dermatology, Allergology and Venereology, Medical Clinic and Polyclinic II and III.
The Centre for Innovation Competence, ICCAS, funded by the BMBF and SMWK since 2005, operated very successfully in 2006 and presented its results at numerous forums, including at a visit by the Federal Minister for Education and Research, Dr. Annette Schavan, in January, at the 2006 BMBF CeBit stand, in July 2006 at the Annual General Manager Meeting of the company Karl Stotz in Berlin (live transmission of a navigation controlled nasal sinus operation from the operating theatre of the Leipzig Clinic and Polyclinic for Nose Ear and Throat/Plastic Surgery), at the Informatics Week in October 2006 in Dresden (FESS Control System, surgical workflows, models) and at “MEDICA” in November in Düsseldorf. This culminated in the ICCAS founding of a company spin-off and submitting patents at the end of 2006. Also at the end of 2006, an appointment was made for the W2 innovation professorship “Computer-assisted Surgery”, provided by the Medical Faculty.
In July 2006 the Medical Faculty submitted an application to the BMBF for funding of a clinical study centre in Leipzig (KSL). The Medical Faculty already has valuable qualitative and quantitative resources in the area of carrying out clinical trials: the KKSL and IMISE represent two existing, closely cooperating establishments that as central study centre can take on and supervise the biometry, trial coordination, data bank and data management and monitoring for many large national and international study groups. Numerous clinical trials are carried out at the clinics either as contract research or self-initiated studies. The KSL should significantly extent the capacity for carrying out clinical studies by including all study oriented establishments of the Medical Faculty and University clinics as well as external clinics and practicing physicians. In November 2006 the Faculty received conformation that their KSL application had been evaluated successfully. The application for financing has now been submitted. The aim is to achieve funding of the KSL starting from 01.06.2007.
The grant for a BMBF-funded Translation Centre for Regenerative Medicine (TMR) was awarded to the University of Leipzig at the end of 2006. The BMBF is providing about € 15 million to build it up and € 5 million will come from the Federal State and the University. This gives Leipzig the opportunity to establish regenerative medicine as a modern interdisciplinary research direction closely related to the clinic and commerce, involving numerous extra-mural research establishments and companies located in Leipzig and the surrounding area.
The Medical Faculty has two C4 professorships (Cell Technologies and Applied Stem Cell Biology / Molecular Cell Therapy) and two young scientist groups at the Biotechnological Biomedical Centre. Funding for the young research groups by the SMWK (EFRE grant) ran out in 2006. The EU research project LIVEBIOMAT, with Prof. Bader taking on its coordination, was continued in 2006, and the BBZ was also successful in the second round of systems biology funded by the BMBF.
A number of projects funded by the SMWA, which concern cooperation with regional commerce in the area of tissue regeneration (Institute for Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Clinic and Polyclinic for Neurology) were continued in 2006. Added to this was a new SMWA-funded project from the Heart Centre and two prizes won in the BMBF 2006 Innovation Competition for promoting medical technology: these went to the Polyclinic for Preservative Dentistry and Parodontology and to the ICCAS. Since 2005 the IZKF has supported young scientists with the goal of founding spin-offs from a university. In the context of these so-called incubator groups, and within the initiative EXISTGo-Bio, the BMBF is now funding a phase 2 (linked to starting up companies) multi-stage project for young scientist with around € 1 million. Subsequently, patent applications coming from the Faculty increased compared to 2005.
In addition to financing the IZKF (in its entirely since 2004) the Medical Faculty further established its own support programs financed from Federal State grants: these should principally benefit young scientists. In the formel.1 program, 17 young scientists’ projects were supported in 2006 within the context of the available € 650,000 of funds. Within the program for funding medical PhD studies, 14 medical students received grants in 2006, with free semesters and funds for research materials associated with carrying out PhD research work.
Since 2004 the Medical Faculty has awarded a bonus of 10% of the DFG grant money received in the previous year to scientists who received these DFG grants.
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