Funding extended for Medical Scientist Programme ‘InFlame’ at the University of Münster
The Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation (EKFS) will be providing 1.1 million euros to support the University of Münster’s Medical Scientist Programme InFlame for another four years. The programme launched in 2022 is aimed at postdocs in the natural sciences working in the interdisciplinary field of inflammation research. It helps create synergies between research and clinical practice and supports candidates in setting the course for their careers.
‘Biology, chemistry, computer science and mathematics scientists bring decisive strengths to medical research through their specialisation in specific subject matter and technology,’ says Professor Frank Ulrich Müller, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. The so-called ‘medical scientists’ investigate complex cellular processes and develop innovative methods that lay the foundation for developing new strategies for medical diagnostics and therapy.
The InFlame programme supports the candidates during a phase in which they set the course for their academic careers. This includes, for example, developing their own research focus, acquiring funding for their own research projects and supervising doctoral students. ‘An important aspect of our programme is to connect researchers from natural science disciplines with their colleagues in medicine,’ explains Professor Petra Dersch, spokesperson for the programme. To be able to assess the potential of their own research for clinical applications and to orient their research projects appropriately, it is important for this professional group of medical scientists to complement their knowledge of their scientific discipline with that of medical topics and the conditions of translational research, and to work closely with physicians on interdisciplinary projects.
As the area of ‘inflammation and infection’ is a research focus at the Faculty of Medicine, the participants are integrated into a strong scientific community, where they can benefit from extensive expertise and collaborate with other early-career researchers and internationally renowned scientists from the natural sciences and medicine.
The programme in Münster is one of the first three Medical Scientist Programmes in Germany funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation. The other programmes in Essen and Tübingen have also been awarded a second funding period.