SynoSys Receives €2,3 Million Grant for High-End Long COVID Research

The Center Synergy of Systems (SynoSys) has been awarded €2,3 million in funding by the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) to lead a research project on Long COVID. The SynoSys.PC initiative, led by Professor Dirk Brockmann, founding director, and in cooperation with the University hospital Jena (UKJ), combines wearable devices, digital epidemiology, and interdisciplinary expertise to better understand the causes, mechanisms, and long-term effects of Long COVID (Post-COVID Condition, PCC).

The just started project runs until December 2028. The €3 million in funding is split between TU Dresden (€2.3 million) and the UKJ (€700,000).

Data basis: 500,000 participants of the Corona Data Donation Project
The project will use data from more than 500,000 participants of the Corona Data Donation project (2020–2022) including:

• heart rate, activity, and sleep patterns captured by wearable devices
• regular self-assessments of symptoms, quality of life, and behavior

By integrating these data with clinical studies conducted at University Hospital Jena (UKJ), the project aims to identify behavioral patterns, risk factors for symptom exacerbation, and recovery trends in Long COVID patients.

University Hospital Jena as a Central Partner for Clinical Expertise
As a leading center for Long COVID treatment, UKJ brings extensive medical expertise to the initiative under the guidance of Professor Christian Puta. This partnership highlights the innovative potential of combining wearable device data with clinical insights to advance the field of digital epidemiology.

Open Competence Center for Interdisciplinary Collaboration
SynoSys.PC also aims to establish an open competence center which:

• facilitates collaboration among researchers, clinicians, and citizen scientists,
• serves as a hub for integrating wearable data into health research,
• seeks to deliver practical, evidence-based solutions for improving patient outcomes.

Relevance for the Future of Health Research
By focusing on high-end Long COVID research, SynoSys.PC is set to make a meaningful contribution to understanding and addressing this global health challenge. The initiative highlights the potential of wearable technologies to reform patient care and public health strategies.

About SynoSys
The Center Synergy of Systems (SynoSys), which was founded by Prof. Dirk Brockmann in October 2023 at the TUD Technical University of Dresden, develops transdisciplinary approaches and methods in the fields of network science, data science, digital science and citizen science with the aim of conducting integrative research into complex phenomena at the interfaces between biomedicine, social sciences and life sciences. The focus is on dynamic phenomena such as pandemics, chronic diseases, mental health or planetary health. SynoSys is not only a think tank – it’s also a “link tank” that teaches early career researchers about complexity research and science beyond disciplinary boundaries. Find out more.

Contact:
Prof. Dirk Brockmann, Director Center Synergy of Systems (SynoSys), Chair Biology of Complex Systems
E-Mail:
Telefon: +49 351 463 40918