Pioneers of Future Medical Research

The labs are what the researchers are looking forward to the most. When the Helmholtz Pioneer Campus is inaugurated, this ultramodern research building in Munich Neuherberg will play the leading role: high-tech workplaces where scientists work with the latest methods - and develop ideas with which they can give unimagined momentum to medical research. Data specialists and biologists work here, as do physicists and physicians, chemists, and computer scientists. Laboratories and offices are just a few steps apart, for long distances not to slow down innovation.

The fact that there are various meeting areas for scientists to informally exchange ideas is just as much a part of the Pioneer Campus concept as the modern, flexibly equipped laboratory space. The rationale behind it: researchers from the Pioneer Campus will find the necessary environment to rapidly transform their ideas into medical innovations via synergies with scientists from Helmholtz Munich, as well as national and international cooperation partners. Innovations are known to emerge rapidly at the interfaces of expertise and scientific fields. In this sense, the scientific breadth and interdisciplinarity around the Pioneer Campus are key drivers for its success.

The first research groups are already conducting their research at the virtual Pioneer Campus for five years, and with the completion of the spectacular building in 2023, they will ultimately tap into synergies under one roof.

"With the Pioneer Campus, we have the opportunity to attract the best international talents to Munich. Our pioneer scientists naturally bridge across various disciplines, for instance, biomedicine and artificial intelligence, for their ground-breaking innovations."
_{Prof. Matthias Tschöp, CEO of Helmholtz Munich and Founding Director of Pioneer Campus}

The Bavarian diamond – a characteristic symbol that shapes the new building’s outline

200 researchers will find excellent working conditions in the new building. Their focus areas are each headed by a renowned Helmholtz Munich Head of Department to provide scientific direction: Biomedicine with Prof Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla, Bioengineering with Prof Vasilis Ntziachristos, Biomedical AI with Prof Fabian Theis. There are only a few institutions worldwide, offering comparable opportunities for specifically younger researchers. "We have already been able to attract outstanding people from renowned universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, and the EMBL-EBI in Cambridge, UK," says Dr Thomas Schwarz-Romond, administrative director of the Pioneer Campus. In addition to early independence and resources at the Pioneer Campus, Munich is very attractive because of its outstanding ecosystem: In the fields of bioengineering, stem cell research, and artificial intelligence in biomedicine, Munich is one of the world's leading locations; many research institutions, universities, and companies cluster R&D activities here. Such critical mass acts like a magnet for scientists from all over the world. Excellent minds from more than 40 nations are already working at the Pioneer Campus - and the fact that the floor plan of the new building is shaped like the Bavarian diamond is not a coincidence but a confident reference to internationality and simultaneous identification with the research location of Munich, as well as close ties to decision-makers at the federal and Bavarian levels who together enable such an outstanding research infrastructure. At Helmholtz Munich, the Pioneer Campus acts as an accelerator for scientists distinguished by novel technologies, often not yet present or just emerging in Germany or Europe and with expected potential for growth. This is where the theme of interaction and mutual inspiration comes into play: when exchanging with other scientists, novel ideas and often concrete projects emerge that can be tackled more quickly by joining forces.

A leap of faith for talent

For the Pioneer Campus, applicants whose ideas are still at an early stage are also deliberately selected. The courage to take risks - i.e. to accept that some promising approaches may not work after all - is part of the founding principle of the Pioneer Campus. Calls for proposals are aimed particularly at the younger generation. Innovative postdocs, for example, are given the opportunity to become independent principal investigators comparably early – is a leap of faith that does not exist in this form at many other institutions.

The Pioneer Campus has long since proven its function as a springboard for the most talented scientists: The majority of researchers are extremely successful in attracting internationally competitive third-party funding, such as ERC grants. In addition, three first-generation Pioneers have already been appointed to professorships both in Germany and abroad. In addition, there are not only concrete ideas but also initial funding for spin-offs of technologies developed at the Pioneer Campus.

The Pioneer Campus thus brings together what future science and innovation need most: the chance to work in a concentrated manner - and an environment of support and encouragement. A start-up atmosphere will be cultivated here with low hierarchies and open doors. And, especially important for medical research: with short distances between offices and laboratories. "It feels like walking over from the living area to an experimental kitchen," says Thomas Schwarz-Romond and smiles.

Latest update: July 2023.

Go to Helmholtz Pioneer Campus