The establishment of a nationwide network of excellence in cancer medicine will build a bridge to research and will set new national and international standards.
The two oncological centers of excellence at Cologne University Hospital and Essen University Hospital will together form the Cancer Research Center Cologne Essen (CCCE). In a nationwide network of excellence, which serves to intensify cooperation in cancer research, cooperation with other university clinics, hospitals and care institutions is to be promoted.
"Cancer is one of the greatest medical and social challenges of the coming years," said Science Minister Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen. "With the close cooperation of two leading oncological sites in North Rhine-Westphalia and the nationally and internationally renowned scientists, new national and international standards can be set here".
The Ministry of Culture and Science is supporting the establishment of the CCCE and the network over the next five years to the tune of 20 million euros. The cancer centers in Cologne and Essen, which got the initiative underway, are investing a further ten million euros.
The CCCE works in oncological research fields of supra-regional significance. New research professorships and junior research groups are being established in strategically important areas of computer-assisted biology, data sciences and translation research. The partnership is intended to bring about considerable improvements for patients as well as to promote research in application-oriented cancer medicine.
