Technology impulse for the Lake Constance region: The new Single Cell Centre at the University of Konstanz offers technology and expertise to study cells individually and at high resolution – for applications in medical diagnostics, medication development and basic research at universities.

Even before a tumour in the pancreas becomes discernible, an activated cancer gene actively remodels its future environment and creates an inflammatory and immune-defensive microenvironment in which the carcinoma can grow. The scientists' study opens up new possibilities for developing personalised intervention strategies - before a difficult-to-treat tumour even develops.

nanodiag BW has received approval from the BMFTR for a further three-year implementation phase under the Clusters4Future initiative. With the approval of €15 million, the innovation network will be able to continue its work on nanopore-based diagnostic methods seamlessly from April 2026 onwards. The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism is supporting the cluster management through accompanying measures.

The Fraunhofer Industrial Quantum Computing Consulting and Testing Center INQUBATOR is implementing innovative, easy access offerings to help industrial users get started with quantum computing. The aim is to identify and evaluate new application-related use cases where the use of quantum computers promises a foreseeable advantage.

Sixteen leading life science and IT companies, all-new livestreamed presentations, and an informative career panel made for a successful EMBL Industry Day in its second year

Developing replacement methods for animal testing is the main goal of the 3R network. One of three new 3R centres in Baden-Württemberg was launched at Ulm University at the beginning of the year and has now officially started work with a kick-off event. The abbreviation 3R stands for "Replace, Reduce, Refine", i.e. replace and reduce animal testing and improve the conditions for unavoidable animal experiments.

The nationwide OnkoAktiv network, founded at the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg, has been awarded the Baden-Württemberg Cancer Innovation Prize 2025. The prize recognizes OnkoAktiv for its pioneering role and groundbreaking contribution to the integration of exercise into oncological care.

The committee of the Joint Science Conference of the federal government and federal states in its meeting cleared the way for the application submitted by ZEW Mannheim for a research programme focusing on the implications of the digital transformation for the analysis and the design of digital health care markets. This paves the way for an expansion of the Institute's activities by establishing an independent health economics research unit.

On the basis of the cooperative relations that have developed over time, Heidelberg University and Harvard University are going to deepen and expand their cooperation. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to that effect. As an institutional internationalization project, the state of Baden-Württemberg is providing ten million euros to support this initiative, which is part of the state’s “Global Partnership in Science” activities.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institutes for Medical Research in Heidelberg with its new departments based in Heilbronn, and for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar in Bonn, and at the Institute for Basic Science at Yonsei University in Seoul will pool their expertise in future. The aim of the new Max Planck Center is to visualize cellular processes deep within human tissue and influence them in a targeted manner — without damaging the tissue.

How can the transformation to increase sustainability in hospitals succeed? Participants in the SustainMed project presented their answers at the closing event on 27 June 2025 in Stuttgart. The Ministry of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector Baden-Württemberg provided approximately 500,000 euros in funding to develop solutions for goals such as reducing volumes of waste in hospitals.

Medical students at Ulm University can train in a virtual shock room and practise treatment procedures regardless of time and place. Together with the company TriCAT, the Medical Faculty has created a virtual learning environment that is based on the real-life training shock room in the TTU training hospital. The benefit: through repeated training, students deepen their skills and become more confident in dealing with emergencies.

Investing in a healthier future: The HORNBACH Group is supporting the new National Cancer Prevention Center in Heidelberg with a donation of five million euros. In the future, a new laboratory will conduct research into more effective early detection and screening methods.

Diagnostic tool for people with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis - 17/06/2025

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease - using an app to sustainably improve everyday life

Keeping appointments? Planning everyday life? For people living with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), sudden and unpredictable flare-ups can severely limit their ability to participate in daily life. The start-up coreway aims to improve the quality of life for individuals affected by IBD by leveraging data-driven insights and contributing to the advancement of personalised medicine.

Tübingen achieves remarkable success and has good chance of maintaining its University of Excellence title – Top research in three areas to be sustained from other sources of support.

A building with 7400 m² of research space for robotics and artificial intelligence is being built on the Max Planck Campus in Büsnau. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) and the University of Stuttgart will be working there with partners from science and industry as well as start-ups from 2027.

On May 9, 2025, representatives from the life sciences industry in North Carolina and Baden-Württemberg met in Stuttgart for professional exchange. The goal of the event was to explore opportunities for collaboration in biotechnology, medical technology, and pharmaceutical research.

This year Furtwangen University (HFU) is launching the “HFU Skills4MedTec” project to further enhance its profile as a leading authority in medical technology and to develop targeted scientific training courses for specialists and managers in the industry.

The “Digital Integration and Innovation in Surgery” project aims to promote the transfer of new findings and research results into practice. The School of Informatics at Reutlingen University will work together with Furtwangen University, BioMedTech e.V., University Hospital Tübingen and other stakeholders to examine how intelligent digital assistance systems can contribute to improved patient care during surgical procedures.

Contact with pets reduces the risk of developing stress-related disorders in adult life in urban children. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Section for Molecular Psychosomatic Medicine at Ulm University Hospital together with other researchers from Germany and the USA. Living with animals is said to alleviate inflammatory stress reactions.

Baden-Württemberg AI Alliance - 08/04/2025

Achieving widespread use of AI

Artificial intelligence presents both opportunities and risks. The Baden-Württemberg AI Alliance is dedicated to fostering collaboration among AI stakeholders to ensure that AI solutions deliver tangible benefits to citizens and businesses across the state. The alliance will also place greater emphasis on advancing AI applications within the healthcare sector.

With the goal of creating living cells from non-living components, scientists in the field of synthetic biology work with RNA origami. This tool uses RNA biomolecule to fold new building blocks, making protein synthesis superfluous. In pursuit of the artificial cell, a research team has cleared a crucial hurdle. Using the new RNA origami technique, they succeeded in producing nanotubes that fold into cytoskeleton-like structures.

This year, the Brain Prize worth more than one million euros, honors pioneering work on nervous system-cancer interactions: Neurologist Frank Winkler, who researches at the Heidelberg University and at the German Cancer Research Center and treats patients with brain tumors at the Heidelberg University Hospital, discovered that nerve cells in the brain communicate with brain tumor cells. This causes the disease to progress.

Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, visited the Max Planck Institutes for Biology Tübingen and Biological Cybernetics. During his tour, he commended the outstanding basic research in the natural sciences. He was particularly impressed by the innovative research projects spanning developmental and evolutionary biology, as well as neuroscience.

New polymer for wound care - 09/01/2025

Thermoresponsive adhesive for pain-free removal of wound dressings

Plasters or wound dressings can only perform their intended function if they adhere securely to the skin. However, they are often painful to remove, and in some cases, damage delicate newly formed tissue. Researchers at the University of Freiburg have developed an innovative polymer that adheres reliably at body temperature but can be easily and painlessly removed, leaving no residue, after being cooled.