At the cornerstone laying ceremony, Bavarian State Secretary Bernd Sibler said: "Diabetes research here in Neuherberg will benefit from the future building complex. It will be more exciting, more interdisciplinary, more communicative. The new infrastructures will further strengthen the Munich location in the German Center for Diabetes Research and its role as major player among the world leaders in diabetes research."
Recent estimates demonstrate the importance of diabetes research for society: At present nearly one in thirteen individuals in Germany has diabetes – approximately six million people.
Professor Dr. Günther Wess, scientific-technical director of Helmholtz Zentrum München, pointed out in this regard: “New therapies and preventive measures must be developed as quickly as possible. The urgent need of society for interdisciplinary and systemic research approaches and the increasingly complex research work in the field of diabetes require innovative structures that promote scientific exchange.”
The new Helmholtz Diabetes Campus shall provide a unique, state-of-the-art, scientific research infrastructure with precisely these ideal conditions at the Munich location. Helmholtz Zentrum München will thus meet the increasing demands of future-oriented science and research.
Dr. Alfons Enhsen, managing director for the scientific and technical infrastructure at Helmholtz Zentrum München, pointed out in his welcome speech: “The cornerstone laying ceremony is an important milestone. Beginning with the first construction phase, a center shall be created that is a world leader in diabetes research. The further development of our center presents us with the challenge to provide a modern infrastructure that is attractive for top international scientists.”
The construction of Helmholtz Diabetes Center I – one of the three planned buildings – could only be realized through the support of the Free State of Bavaria, which is contributing to the financing with 20 million euros. Two additional buildings, the Helmholtz Diabetes Center II and der Helmholtz Pioneer Campus, are already being planned.
The latter is another special feature in the science landscape. Professor Matthias Tschöp, director of the Institute for Diabetes and Obesity and chair of the Department of Metabolic Diseases at Technische Universität München, explained on this occasion: “Here multidisciplinary teams made up of biologists, physicians, engineers, physicists and scientists from other disciplines shall jointly develop innovative solutions and products to address important medical needs.”
Through the overall concept of the Helmholtz Diabetes Campus, an internationally visible beacon is being created for diabetes research in Bavaria, which will have a strong appeal for top international researchers. This special research atmosphere will also create important synergy effects for the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD, which is located at Helmholtz Zentrum München.