An international committee of experts has reviewed and recommended the funding of the Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis (CTH) at the Mainz University Medical Center for an additional five years. In accordance with this recommendation, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will be providing support of approximately EUR 25 million to the CTH within its Integrated Research and Treatment Centers (IFB) program. This makes the center one of the most extensively third-party funded projects to date at the University Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). With the financial support provided by the BMBF, the Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis can continue its structural development, accelerate the translation of research results into patient care, and, at the same time, implement innovative concepts in the career development of young scientists. The expert committee made its recommendation on the basis of the previous performance of the CTH since its establishment and the start of the first BMBF funding period in 2010, its proposals for the next five-year funding period, and the results of a two-day on-site evaluation.
Vera Reiß, Minister of Education, Science, Continuing Education, and Culture of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate, emphasized the important role the CTH plays in the context of medical research: "The continued BMBF funding represents both an acknowledgment of the excellent performance of the CTH to date as well as a mark of confidence in its ability to maintain such superlative standards in the future. And, thanks to the support the Mainz University Medical Center is receiving through the Rhineland-Palatinate Research Initiative, it is now ideally placed to further develop these exemplary concepts and achieve pioneering innovations across the board from fundamental research to treatment on both national and international levels. This strengthens Mainz as a research hub."
"The extension of the BMBF funding is a notable success. I am pleased that the outstanding work of our dedicated researchers and physicians is being recognized in this way," said Professor Georg Krausch, President of Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.
"The Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis brings together theoretical research, clinical research, and patient care under a single roof - an important aspect that ensures that the results of fundamental research can more rapidly be implemented in the form of clinical treatments," added Professor Babette Simon, Chairperson and Chief Medical Officer of the Mainz University Medical Center, drawing attention to the relevance of the integration of research and treatment to university-based medicine. "And, at the same time, clinical insights motivate fundamental research. The success of the CTH is thus based, last but not least, on integration and innovation."
"The CTH does extraordinary work," confirmed Professor Ulrich Förstermann, Chief Scientific Officer of the Mainz University Medical Center. "It provides important input, particularly in the areas of promotion and mentoring of young research talents as well as translational medicine. The Mainz University Medical Center thus supports the work of the CTH by providing, for example, research space, patient clinics, and basic academic structures, including professorships. With the additional federal funding, the CTH will be able to develop even more successfully."
The Scientific Director and Speaker of the CTH, Professor Wolfram Ruf, is looking forward to the further expansion of the center as an integrated research and treatment center. "High-end research and the promotion of young researchers significantly facilitate developments in translational science and thus subsequently benefit patients. In addition, these are important factors that ensure that we, as a national reference center, are also recognized and acknowledged in the international arena. At the beginning of the second CTH funding period, we will therefore be hosting a scientific symposium on the subjects of thrombosis and inflammation. Internationally eminent guest speakers will be discussing current themes that are central to the translational research being undertaken at the CTH."
As an integrated research and treatment center, the Center for Thrombosis and Hemostasis at the Mainz University Medical Center conducts research into thrombosis- and blood coagulation-related disorders with the objective of improving the available treatments. For this purpose, the CTH concentrates on translational research, in other words, on converting the insights obtained through experimental fundamental research into clinical application. Through its sponsorship program for young researchers, the CTH also offers attractive career paths for young academics at the interface of science and clinic.
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