Berlin, 28/01/2022. Deutsche Hochschulmedizin (DHM - German University Medicine) and Technologie- und Methodenplattform für die vernetzte medizinische Forschung e.V. (TMF - Technology, Methods and Infrastructure for Networked Medical Research) welcome the decision of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to further support and promote the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) in close connection with the Netzwerk Universitätsmedizin (NUM - German Network of University Medicine). BMBF is providing around 200 million euros for the upcoming stage of funding running from 2023-2026.
The DHM and TMF consider the creation of a nationwide digital infrastructure for the exchange of medical research and care data to be a core ingredient of an efficient healthcare system. The continuation of MII funding by the BMBF is also an important political signal for Germany as a research location.
"The MII", says Professor Matthias Frosch, President of the German Association of Medical Faculties (MFT), “is putting the potential of digitilisation in medicine in the spotlight. Developing this further in collaboration with NUM, which is also financed by the BMBF, will be an important task during the next stage of funding. University medical facilities have all the expertise needed to implement a digital data infrastructure project of this kind, from generating and standardising data to using it for research and patient care”.
The upcoming stage of funding aims to expand and extend the initiative launched in 2018. "The MII", says Professor Jens Scholz, 1st Chairman of the Verband der Universitätsklinika Deutschlands (VUD - German Association of Academic Medical Centres), "has laid the foundation for a nationwide research data infrastructure that will enable research results to be directly transferred to care scenarios, thereby directly improving patient treatment. This is a huge step forward for our health care system".
The goal of the MII is to enable data from medical research and patient care to be used to improve patient care by linking all areas of university medicine and other partners.
This exchange of information has already proven its worth in improving data related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The action plans, diagnostic strategies and treatment strategies of all German university hospitals will be collated and evaluated within the framework of the NUM. Structures and processes will be created to support the care of COVID-19 sufferers.
MII participants include all medical faculties and university hospitals in Germany, various research institutions, companies, health insurance companies and patient representatives. The data integration centres are the core of the initiative. Here, the conditions are created for linking research and healthcare data across sites in a manner that complies with data protection requirements. Since 2018, four consortia have been developing innovative IT solutions for specific applications. Successful MII solutions are now also being distributed in the form of “Digital Hubs: Advances in Research and Health Care”. These pilot projects are intended to further the cross-sector use of health-related data.
Press contact:
Deutsche Hochschulmedizin e.V.
Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Dr. Christiane Weidenfeld / Stephanie Strehl-Dohmen
Alt-Moabit 96, 10559 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 3940517-25
E-Mail: strehl-dohmen@uniklinika.de; weidenfeld@mft-online.de
www.deutsche-hochschulmedizin.de
TMF – Technologie- und Methodenplattform für die vernetzte medizinische Forschung e.V.
Presse- & Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Sophie Haderer
Charlottenstraße 42, 10117 Berlin
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 − 22 00 24 732
E-Mail: presse@tmf-ev.de
Über die Deutsche Hochschulmedizin e.V.
Der Verband der Universitätsklinika Deutschlands (VUD) und der Medizinische Fakultätentag (MFT) vertreten die Interessen der 35 Universitätsklinika sowie der 39 Medizinischen Fakultäten in Deutschland. Ihr Dachverband ist die Deutsche Hochschulmedizin e.V. Gemeinsam stehen die Verbände für Spitzenmedizin, erstklassige Forschung sowie die international beachtete Medizinerausbildung und Weiterbildung.
Über die TMF
Die TMF – Technologie- und Methodenplattform für die vernetzte medizinische Forschung e.V. steht für Forschung, Vernetzung und Digitalisierung in der Medizin. Sie ist die Dachorganisation der medizinischen Verbundforschung in Deutschland, im Rahmen derer Spitzenforscherinnen und -forscher Wissen austauschen, gemeinsam Ideen und Konzepte entwickeln und die Zukunft der medizinischen Forschung im digitalen Zeitalter gestalten.