Prof. Dr Fred Hamprecht from the Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing of Heidelberg University is receiving valuable funding from the ERC, which will support a project in the field of computational quantum chemistry. An ERC Advanced Grant also goes to Prof. Dr Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Director of the Central Institute of Mental Health and professor at the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Ruperto Carola.

VERAXA Biotech AG, an emerging leader in designing novel cancer therapies, today announced that its previously announced business combination (“Business Combination”) with Voyager Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: VACH, “Voyager”), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Voyager Acquisition Sponsor Holdco LLC, and Odeon Capital Group LLC, was closed successfully (the “Closing”)

NEURA Robotics (“NEURA”), the pioneer in cognitive robotics and creator of the Neuraverse, today announced a landmark Series C financing with a total round size of up to $1.4 billion to accelerate its mission of building the world’s leading Physical AI platform. The financing brings together global leaders across AI, robotics, compute, manufacturing and industrial infrastructure.

Experts in Heidelberg have developed an AI system that can classify brain tumors with unprecedented accuracy using standard microscopic tissue sections. Using digitized standard stains, the system identifies more than 100 molecular subtypes of central nervous system tumors, delivers results within minutes, and could accelerate the diagnosis of brain tumors worldwide.

The German Chemical Industry Fund (FCI) is supporting the course offering ‘DigiChemJN’ at the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy. DigiChemJN strengthens students’ data literacy by providing them qualifications in data-based research methods, experimental datasets, and artificial intelligence (AI).

AI is transforming science and does not stop at neuroscience. In this interview, we speak to Gabriele Lohmann about her research at the intersection of the brain and algorithms. She talks about the use of artificial intelligence as a research tool, the decoding of brain activity, and why large language models do not understand what they are doing.

The Medical Center – University of Freiburg has implemented a new system that helps nurses identify risky situations early on and provide more targeted assistance / Motion detection is performed using radar

Digital bone twin by OSORA medical - 04/05/2026

Fractures in focus: predicting rather than waiting

Bone fractures are generally healed by the body without any issues. However, there are hundreds of thousands of cases each year in which a fracture either fails to heal or only does so slowly. To reduce the number of cases where this happens, a start-up called OSORA medical has developed methods to predict the healing process and, if necessary, make preventative adjustments.

The University of Freiburg works closely with partners from various sectors including academia, business, politics and public administration through the Innovation Alliance Foundation Freiburg. The resolution that has been adopted reinforces the shared goal of establishing Freiburg as an attractive innovation hub with international appeal.

The cities of Heidelberg and Mainz want to work closely together in the future: Their aim is to further develop the Neckar-Rhine-Main region as an international innovation and biotech region. To this end, Heidelberg Mayor Würzner and Mainz Mayor Haase signed a MoU at Heidelberg City Hall on Friday, April 24, 2026. Those responsible for the central innovation and development structures of both cities also took part in the signing.

Brain-computer interfaces can read neural signals and influence brain activity. We spoke with Pascal Fries about how this technology can benefit people with neurological and psychiatric conditions, future developments, and his views on ethical boundaries.

Computer simulations and Artificial Intelligence are the main pillars of the “SIMPLAIX” collaboration, initiated by the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS). Together with colleagues from Heidelberg University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, HITS researchers are addressing challenges in the simulation of biomolecules and molecular materials by pooling their expertise in multiscale computer simulation and machine learning.

Computer simulations and Artificial Intelligence are the main pillars of the “SIMPLAIX” collaboration, initiated by the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS). Together with colleagues from Heidelberg University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, HITS researchers are addressing challenges in the simulation of biomolecules and molecular materials by pooling their expertise in multiscale computer simulation and machine learning.

The Volkswagen Foundation is supporting the Ulm scientist Professor Walter Karlen with more than 940,000 euros from the funding initiative "Momentum - funding for first-time researchers". The engineer has headed the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Ulm University since 2021. Karlen conducts research in the field of mobile health on so-called Medicine Wearables, i.e. portable technology for recording health data.

Women who have experienced a stroke or heart attack are at a higher risk of mortality than men. Fraunhofer researchers want to improve gender-specific aftercare with a customized assistance system – thus helping to prevent further heart disease.

Creating scope for innovative projects from various disciplines: That is the aim of the research incubators at Ulm University. The aim is to initiate developments and ideas that could become relevant research areas for the University. In the current call for proposals, the jury has selected two interdisciplinary projects on quantum chemistry and digital, sensor-based diabetes research.

How can artificial intelligence support medical imaging diagnostics in the future and significantly improve patient care? Researchers led by Lena Maier-Hein (German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, and NCT Heidelberg) have developed an innovative concept to address this question. The Carl Zeiss-Stiftung is funding the MEDAL* project with a total of three million euros.

AI plays a huge role in the semiconductor industry, both by facilitating more efficient development processes and as a target application in development work. This is why the Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centers HNFIZ are adding the Chip AI research and innovation center for AI chip design to their service range. The center is funded via the Dieter Schwarz Foundation.

Chemotherapy is often a central component of treatment for advanced colorectal cancer. However, not every therapy is equally effective for every patient. Researchers from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the HI-STEM* stem cell institute, and the biotech company Xilis in Utrecht, Netherlands, have now developed a new method for selecting the most effective drug before treatment begins.

In a published scientific study, researchers have succeeded in accurately diagnosing common types of brain tumors in children and adolescents based on tumor-derived genetic material in cerebrospinal fluid. Until now, these so-called liquid biopsies were not capable enough for such reliable diagnostics. The international research team has therefore optimized a sequencing technique and developed an AI-based computational method. In a later step,…

Alithea Biotechnology GmbH - 12/02/2026

Intelligent immunotherapy – safety ensured

Immunological cell fingerprints are Alithea Bio’s core expertise. The Freiburg-based company combines advanced molecular biology with cutting-edge IT and operates one of the world’s largest immunopeptidomics databases. Alithea Bio leverages this integrated platform to offer both contract research services and software-as-a-service solutions to develop safer and more precise personalised immunotherapies more quickly.

Artificial intelligence allows tracing the evolution of genetic control elements in the developing mammalian cerebellum. An international research team led by biologists from Heidelberg University as well as the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie and KU Leuven has now developed advanced AI models that can predict the activity of these elements based solely on their DNA sequence.

Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), and Mannheim University Medical Center (UMM) are presenting a method that enables artificial intelligence (AI) to learn how to transfer medical image data from animals to humans. This “xeno-learning” could help make surgical procedures safer and more precise in the future – without relying on human training data.

A research group led by the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim has confirmed for the first time within the German National Cohort an association between cigarette consumption and depression. The findings show that depression occurs more frequently over the lifetime of current and former smokers than among those who have never smoked.

The European Commission has today proposed an ambitious package of measures to improve the health of EU citizens, while ensuring the long-term resilience and competitiveness of the health sector.