From Crisis Response to the Future of Health Research: The Network of University Medicine Enters a New Funding Phase

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Germany, numerous research efforts into the novel virus developed rapidly, but remained largely isolated and fragmented. In order to coordinate clinical research at a national level and enable data exchange across multiple locations, German academic medical centers joined forces in April 2020 to launch the Network of University Medicine (NUM). On July 1, 2025, the NUM seamlessly enters its third funding phase, supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) for a period of five years until December 31, 2030.

The Network of University Medicine brings together scientists from all 37 German academic medical centers to collaborate on interdisciplinary research projects as well as nationwide research and data infrastructures. Renewed funding will enable the NUM to continue pursuing its strategic goal of creating a standardized trial and data space for clinical research in Germany. The network also implements clinical projects that yield immediate practical results to improve patient care and manage future major public health crises. “Excellent, forward-looking medical research is inconceivable without digital transformation and cross-institutional collaboration. As a Research Infrastructure operator of the NUM, we welcome the decision to continue funding these pioneering projects and platforms,” notes Prof. Esther Troost, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

Dresden University Medicine (HSMD) has been actively involved in the network since the first NUM funding phase. The local NUM community currently comprises 15 scientific and medical institutions from the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden and the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital. The local NUM staff unit, based at the Center for Medical Informatic (ZMI) under Prof. Martin Sedlmayr and headed by Dr. Claudia Heine, coordinates the relevant research and infrastructure projects. "The NUM initiative is a key factor for Germany as a medical hub as it allows us to pool and advance innovative, academically driven research. We are thrilled to be able to contribute to the network through our extensive participation,” says Prof. Uwe Platzbecker, Medical Director of the University Hospital.

Over the next five years, the HSMD will play a pivotal role in the research, infrastructure, and management of the NUM 3.0. Dresden participates in eleven infrastructures (NUM-DIZ, National Study Network (NUM SN), Specialist Network for Infections, Specialist Network for Intensive Care Medicine, Specialist Network for Stroke, NUKLEUS 3.0, NUM-SAR, RACOON, QS-MB, NATON 3.0, AKTIN 3. 0) and ten research projects (NUM4Rare, ENRICH, RAPID, ELEVATE, canTEN, RACOON AI Brain Tumor, RACOON COMPARE, RACOON INCLUDED, RACOON MARDER, RACOON PAIN). Furthermore, the HSMD is leading the development of a registry for rare diseases (NUM4Rare) and providing (co-)spokespersons for four infrastructures.

With this commitment, the NUM members in Dresden are making a significant contribution to the further development of university medicine and strengthening Dresden’s position as a research hub. Martin Sedlmayr stresses, "The NUM is a strong community that is evolving into a key strategic partner for multicentric medical research. Dresden University Medicine is a leading research center with a high level of participation within the network."

Background:

The Network of University Medicine (NUM) emerged in April 2020 to coordinate clinical COVID-19 research across university medicine. Since then, researchers from all 37 German academic medical centers have been conducting interdisciplinary research projects on joint platforms under the NUM umbrella. The network has established specialized Research Infrastructures for this purpose. These methodological, technical, and organizational platforms maintained within the NUM can be used for a wide range of clinical research projects, from supporting data collection to managing data and biosamples for large-scale, multicentric clinical trials. The aim is to establish the NUM as a central contact point (“one-stop shop”) for medical research, to propel German clinical research, and to put Germany back on the map as a prominent academic and scientific hub.

Further information: https://www.netzwerk-universitaetsmedizin.de/   

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Martin Sedlmayr
Spokesperson of the Local Staff Unit Dresden
Director of the Center for Medical Informatic (ZMI)
Phone: +49 351 458 2437
Email:

Dr. Claudia Heine
Head and Spokesperson of the Local Staff Unit Dresden
Phone: +49 351 458 19311
Email: