1st DZG Munich Day brings together researchers of all eight DZG at the Munich site

On 6th July, 2023, 140 researchers from the Munich site of all eight German Centers for Health Research (DZG) met at the 1st DZG Munich Day. Presentations, posters and a panel discussion provided participants with an overview of the structures and scientific highlights of the individual DZG and an insight into DZG-overarching collaboration.

Prof. Martin Hrabě de Angelis (DZD Board and Helmholtz Munich) opened the event on behalf of all Munich DZG site spokespersons. Minister of State Markus Blume (Bavarian State Ministry of Science and Art), Prof. Matthias Tschöp (CEO Helmholtz Munich and Vice-President of the Helmholtz Association for the Research Field Health) and Prof. Thomas Gudermann (Dean of the Medical Faculty of LMU Munich) presented the importance of the DZG in greeting speeches and underlined the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.

Overview presentations on the DZG

As this year's chair of the DZG board, Prof. Martin Hrabě de Angelis presented the structures created for DZG-wide collaboration, such as the DZG Innovation Fund for the promotion of cross-disciplinary projects, a joint office and the DZG working groups. The working groups on research IT, promotion of early career researchers, patient involvement, public relations, regulatory aspects of clinical trials, global health and biobanking each involve experts from all DZG in order to jointly advance these topics across diseases.

In short overview presentations by the Munich site spokespersons, the excellent research in the individual DZGs as well as the variety of already existing collaborations between the DZGs at the Munich site became apparent.

This was followed by exciting translational highlights ranging from promising fundamental findings in health research to novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Prof. Tobias Feuchtinger (DZIF) also presented the first results of the joint DZG Innovation Fund project "Cell and Gene Therapy", which involves scientists from DKTK, DZD, DZHK, DZIF and DZL.

Bavarian Cloud for Health Data

In his keynote lecture, Prof. Julien Gagneur (TUM) presented the pioneering concept of the "Bavarian Cloud for Health Data" for data processing. The audience showed great interest in an exchange.

Strengthening of DZG collaborations in Munich

In a concluding panel discussion of the Munich DZG site spokespersons, ideas and success factors were collected to further promote the exchange between the different DZG centers. The audience also participated actively in a survey on ideas on how to strengthen collaborations within the DZG in Munich. For example, a platform or lecture series on existing infrastructures could be established. Scientific networking events such as the DZG Munich Day were described as very profitable and for the promotion of early career scientists with regard to translational research, participation in DZG-wide events was considered to be very valuable.

The conclusion of this very successful event was that the DZG scientists consider a regular cross-DZG exchange to be very beneficial and profitable in order to strengthen the many already existing collaborations between the DZGs in Munich, to further develop synergies and to establish new contacts.