Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim

The world’s first medical campus was founded in the Bergheim district of Heidelberg in the mid-1800’s – pioneering modern clinical facilities and sparking a host of innovations in medical research and teaching. More than 150 years later, life science and medical researchers and institutions in the Rhine-Neckar region are joining forces, establishing the Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim and preparing to take a major leap in innovative research, patient care and health economy.

Towards this aim, the Alliance is supported by the State of Baden-Württemberg as part of its Innovation Campus strategy.

THE INNOVATION CAMPUS

The decision of the Baden-Württemberg state government to support the Innovation Campus in the Rhine-Neckar region is an important milestone. The Innovation Campus Health + Life Science Alliance will generate the kind of value that can only be achieved through synergy – by bringing together a highly diverse range of disciplines and a cluster of top experts in their fields: together, the alliance partners plan to appoint top scientists, support junior researchers with cross-institutional programs and tap new potential, especially for the translation of research to patient care and the transfer into technological applications. In doing so, the partners aim to develop the life sciences into an innovative lighthouse discipline and lay the foundation for a new leading industry.

THE KNOWLEDGE REGION

With the Heidelberg University of Excellence, its two Medical Faculties, the University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD), the University Hospital Mannheim as well as a number of research institutions considered national and international leaders in their fields – the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (MPIMR) and the Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI) – the Rhine-Neckar region boasts a unique research and development network in the fields of medicine, life sciences and medical engineering. This network is situated at the heart of a region that is home to multinational economic powerhouses and to more than 400 small and medium sized health sector enterprises. To enrich and deepen an ecosystem for innovation, basic research, translation and transfer and make it even more competitive, the Heidelberg and Mannheim University life sciences and medical centers want to join forces with non-university partners in an alliance that is the first of its kind in Germany. 

LIFE SCIENCES AS FOUNDATION OF HEALTH SCIENCE AND INNOVATION

The life sciences will be strengthened in the alliance in all areas, from basic research, research into prevention, diagnosis and therapy of disease, as well as new technologies. The life sciences and new interdisciplinary research in molecular systems engineering offer the potential to build the basis for new and innovative technologies. The cities of Heidelberg and Mannheim expect this new alliance to create highly qualified jobs and attract new skilled experts to the region; they will especially foster start-ups in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceutical engineering and medical engineering.