Transcampus Initiative

In 2015, King's College London and the Technische Universität Dresden established the first official Transcampus Programme in Europe.

In March 2015, King’s College London appointed Professor Stefan Bornstein as transCampus Dean, the first role of its kind for King’s. The remit of this role is to drive forward university partnership and collaborative research initiatives between two of Europe’s leading academic institutions, King's College London and Technische Universität Dresden. 

The unique advantage of the transCampus initiative lies in the formation of a "Star Alliance" which aims to bring the resources, critical mass and individual strengths of each institution together to create an even larger, united and complementary academic and clinical campus. The joint efforts of two leading universities in Europe will create a partnership of scientific strength in Biomedicine, able to compete with other leading institutions in the United States and across the rest of the globe.

Combining the resources in a translational effort on a joined medical campus will also benefit patients, offering access to some of the best health care that may not be available in their individual countries or any other country around the world. 

The transCampus will also act as a wide academic platform from which students from both universities can move freely and benefit from the respective academic programmes.

Using the transCampus model, clinical trials for rare diseases will become more efficient as a result of looking at larger and more diverse populations. Smaller and unique transplantation and regenerative medicine programmes such as islet transplantation will serve as a role model programme for Europe and beyond. Combining bone marrow transplantation programmes in our institutions that have traditionally been one of the largest in their individual countries will form the largest programme in the world. This will allow for landmark clinical studies and is setting the standards for further treatment on a much larger scale. 

This promising endeavour has had a gradual build-up over the last 2 years, increasing in academic substance and administrative infrastructure. We have already initiated the establishment of crucial scientific liaisons, have been awarded diverse academic grants, have received support from industry and biotechnology and have launched the transCampus Student Exchange Programme.

“The transCampus we have established together bears witness to a real commitment to collaboration. It represents combined forces and synergies – across national and institutional boundaries. We are really setting an example.”

— Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen
retired Rector Technische Universität Dresden

Our vision for the future:

transCampus aims at stimulating collaborations in various fields of research and exchange as well as to sharing resources and to promoting transnational projects and knowledge transfer.

transCampus will also act as a wide academic platform from which students from both universities can move freely and benefit from the respective academic programmes. A number of successful programmes are already underway.

In health, Islet cell, kidney and bone marrow transplantation at the transCampus London-Dresden already make it one of the largest transplant centres in the world while in engineering, King's and TUD academics are working together to achieve a world standard in the development of mobile communications.

Discussions are underway to establish further links with King's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), Dental Institute and Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences.

Our advantages

Close connections

London-Dresden is now one of the largest transplant centres in the world. Engineering also has many joint research topics, such as telecommunications, where researchers are working together to achieve a world standard in the development of mobile communications. Further fields of research in physics and arts will follow.

Common spirit

London and Dresden are united by shared values and a passion for research. Together we want to drive these forward, for example in research into immunotherapy for cancer and in fighting widespread diseases. We want to make our own contribution to finding solutions for dealing with the great challenges of our time, for the benefit of all of humanity.

A win-win situation

  • Combining strengths of the two leading countries in Europe
  • Complementary portfolios and infrastructure
  • Creating world leading structures and programs
  • Economic advantages / New funding opportunities
  • Catalysing internal campus identity (e.g. KHP)
  • A novel business model
  • Attracting more non-European students
  • Enabling more flexible and attractive recruitment packages
  • Catalysing translation and transfer to society
  • A role model for all leading universities