transCampus / Dresden / London

With an annual call for proposals, the TU Dresden supports projects that strengthen the partnership with King's College London, and that aim at joint initiatives like workshops, publications, and applications for third party funding or the exchange of graduates and young scientists.

The transCampus funding programme at TU Dresden offers a maximum grant of EUR 15,000 per project running between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022. PIs from TUD can submit proposals by 10 September 2021. For more information, including the application form, please visit the TUD website.

Application for the funding of smaller projects (max. 3,000 EUR) is possible at any time.

Please contact our transCampus team:

TUD: Maike Heber, transCampus coordinator at the Staff Unit Internationalisation
maike.heber@tu-dresden.de

TUD, School of Medicine: Carola Dierich, Project coordinator Department for Development and International Affairs
carola.dierich@tu-dresden.de

With almost half a billion people suffering from diabetes worldwide, diabetes research is of global relevance. Since 2017, PhD students from Technische Universität Dresden and King's College London have been jointly researching new strategies and therapeutic options for the treatment of diabetes in the International Research Training Group 2251 "Immunological and Cellular Strategies in Metabolic Disease" (ICSMD). "By working together in the transCampus and the IRTG, we provide our PhD students with the unique opportunity to understand that the enormous challenges of complex diseases require teamwork across borders and the true spirit of international collaboration," says Prof. Dr. Kaomei Guan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty of TUD and Deputy Speaker of the International Research Training Group. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is now funding what it considers to be an outstanding project with international exemplary character for another four and a half years with a volume of 5.8 million Euro. Based on the knowledge gained in the first funding period, new research interests have been identified, such as the leptin receptor and its role in the onset of type 2 diabetes or the translation of islet cell transplants into pre-clinical trials. "Especially in times of Brexit, projects like this gain even more importance," says the spokesperson of the IRTG, Prof. Dr. Stefan Bornstein, founding dean of transCampus as well as director of the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic III and the Center for Internal Medicine at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital of the TUD. "In these times, our scientists and physicians also act as bridge builders."

further information

First results of a transCampus study on resilience and wellbeing

The covid-19 pandemic has significantly been affecting our lives for more than one year. Large parts of the economy are strongly concerned by the shutdowns worldwide. Especially small business owners and self-employed have to handle uncertainty about their future and livelihood. An international scientific network, coordinated by Ute Stephan at the Business School of King’s College London, has generated new theoretical and practical insights about the resilience processes that enable entrepreneurs to navigate this crises successfully:
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/supporting-entrepreneurship-covid-19-pandemic-global-study-entrepreneurs-resilience-well-being

In Germany, the study is conducted by the Chair of Work and Organisational Psychology at TU Dresden. The group has recently published a video with first results and, quite useful as the pandemic does not seem to stop very soon, some good advices to the entrepreneurs:
https://youtu.be/HrluH_cIrR4 (in German language)

The study at TU Dresden has been realised with funding provided by the transCampus initiative (funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Free State of Saxony under the Excellence Strategy of the Federal Government and the Länder).

For researchers at King’s College London and TU Dresden, transCampus has opened three different calls for proposals to support joint projects:

transCampus Research Award at King’s
This call aims to grant a total of GBP 100,000 for two projects for 12 months. It is open to all faculties and research themes within the transCampus partnership. Applications should be submitted jointly by PIs from King’s and TUD. The submission deadline is 15 July 2020. For further information please contact the Global Engangement Office, King’s College London: globalengagement@kcl.ac.uk.

transCampus funding programme at TUD
This call provides a maximum grant of EUR 10,000 for each project in 2020 (total amount of funding: EUR 60,000). It is also open to all faculties and research subjects, and the application should be submitted by PIs from TUD. The call will be closed on 15 July 2020. Further information on the funding conditions can be found on the TUD Website. Contact: Staff Unit Internationalisation, TU Dresden, Maike Heber: maike.heber@tu-dresden.de.

transCelerator funding for business ideas
The transCelerator seed funding in the field of life science aims at supporting joint project teams translating their research results into entrepreneurial activities. This transCelerator call intends to grant a total of 150,000 EUR seed funding for 2-3 projects. The number of projects is depending on how the review board judges the chances that the entrepreneurial objectives of the individual project proposal are achieved. The submission deadline is 1 September 2020. For further information please contact: transCelerator project coordination, Dr. Gregor Müller, gregor.mueller@uniklinikum-dresden.de.

UPDATE 07-04-2020:
Due to the increasing dissemination of the Corona virus in Europe, we have followed the recommendation of the public authorities and cancelled the event on 20 April 2020.
At the moment, as the situation and the countermeasures keep changing, it is not possible to schedule an alternative date. We will inform you as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At the beginning of a new decade, we are facing pressing questions about the future of humanity. Digitalization and artificial intelligence, climate change and medical progress that causes ethical questions.

The transCampus is entering the debate about scientific progress with a series of public symposia. On the 20th of April, the transCampus symposium will take place for the first time in Dresden. Leading scientists from Dresden and London will give lectures on the topic of "Global Challenges: Humanity 4.0", followed by group discussions.

Full programme & more information

Date: 20 April 2020, 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Venue:
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG),
Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden

Event language: English

Please register at www.eventbrite.co.uk

On Monday, December 2^nd, a delegation from King’s College London’s Faculty of Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences arrived at Dresden’s University Clinic to discuss possible new collaborations and funding opportunities within the transCampus partnership. The symposium brought together experts from the fields of dental medicine as well as biomaterials. During these two days, they introduced the various scientific profiles of their institutions, learned about funding opportunities by the well-established transCampus, and worked in small groups to develop individual projects. At the end, the experts discussed their future strategy and plans.

The rector of TU Dresden and professor of mechanical engineering, Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. DEng/Auckland Hans Müller-Steinhagen, has been appointed honorary consul of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland in Saxony. His consular district comprises the Free State of Saxony. Müller-Steinhagen has always been a big supporter of the transCampus from early on, valuing the strategic partnership which further strengthens the bond between Germany, especially Saxony, and the United Kingdom. Professor Müller-Steinhagen is the first British Honorary Consul in Saxony.

The first TU Dresden & King’s College London Neurosymposium took place the 4th and 5th of November 2019 in Dresden at the DZNE bringing together a breath of neuroscience from developmental to regenerative neuroscience. Over the two days, King’s and TU Dresden neuroscientists shared their research themes and highlights, forming working groups for strategy and collaboration development.

This first meeting aimed at further developing current collaborations and to explore new partnerships. The workshop allowed to identify areas of strength in neuroscience across both universities to develop a focus for research funding applications and potential educational program opportunities. In a follow-up workshop in 2020 in London the neuroscientists will evaluate the progress of the collaborations and funding applications.

In July this year, Prof. Theodore Dassios of King’s College London visited the Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care at the Hospital for Children's and Youth Medicine, University Hospital Dresden. With his visit, a new transCampus project in feto-neonatal medicine is taking a more concrete shape. Scientists from both Dresden and London will be working together on clinical as well as scientific questions.

With the lowest newborn mortality rate for many years, Saxony has been a nationwide pioneer in the care of premature and sick newborns. “This makes it all the more important that we continue to work on improving the care of our little patients,” says Prof. Mario Rüdiger, head of the Department of Neonatology and Paediatric Intensive Care. “For this reason, we have established a very intensive clinical and scientific collaboration with international experts in order to jointly develop new therapeutic options.” This international cooperation is now also manifesting itself in the new transCampus project.

Technische Universität Dresden has received permanent funding as a University of Excellence! This was announced on July 22 at a press conference given by the German Council of Science and Humanities. TU Dresden is one of a total of eleven Universities of Excellence in Germany and the only University of Excellence in the eastern German federal states (except Berlin).

The transCampus will greatly profit from the funding scheme and the prestige that goes hand in hand with being a University of Excellence in Germany. TUD will be anchored as one of Germany's top universities and as an international player. The university will continue to refine its scientific profile and strengthen its emerging fields and attract the world's brightest talents at all career levels to TU Dresden where they will be able to realise their full potential.

full press release

Supported by transCampus, a group of KCL and TUD experts of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychology, and Systemic Neurosciences gathered at the medical campus of TUD for a two-day workshop to discuss project ideas and funding opportunities.

„With this workshop, we are working towards bringing together the complementary expertise and research strengths of the participating institutions“, said Professor Michael Bauer, Chair and Director of Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, who initiated the workshop.

The network aims at targeting large centre grants as well as establishing structures for the joint and interdisciplinary promotion of researchers and clinicians.

In terms of scientific, creative, and cultural collaboration, UK and Germany are each other’s second most important partner. Irrespective of the outcome of the Brexit process, universities in both the UK and Germany are committed to continue their deep and vital partnerships. This was the unambiguous message sent out by the innovative Showcase which took place at the British Embassy on May 14, 2019.

The transCampus was represented by Virginia Kamvissi-Lorenz, COO, and the IRTG students Salma Ahmed, Zuzanna Marinicova, and Antigoni Stavridou, who took the opportunity to get in touch with international stakeholders and other British-German projects groups collaborating in education and technology, such as AI, sustainable product design, and health research.

Prof. Dr. Christer Hogstrand is Professor of Molecular Ecotoxicology at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London, Academic Lead International at KCL, and a PI of the IRTG 2251: ICSMD. He will be visiting Technische Universität Dresden from May 20th to 25th 2019 for strategic discussions and project meetings. While in Dresden, he will be giving a lecture on “Zinc signalling in health and disease”.

Prof. Dr. Hogstrand’s present research interests concern functions of trace elements in health and disease and molecular toxicology of environmental contaminants. Current research projects include Zn2+signalling in pancreatic beta-cells and its involvement in Type-2-Diabetes, Zn2+signalling in regulation of developmental processes, mechanisms of toxicity to dietary contaminants, and development of in vitro methods for assessment of ecotoxicity of chemicals.

When? May 24th, 5:00 p.m.

Where? Technische Universität Dresden, Andreas-Schubert-Bau, E28

Everybody is welcome!

New collaboration in the making: the MOSAIC group from the MPI-CBG will work together with the Knight Lab from King’s on the development and VR-visualization of an agent-based simulation model for wound healing.

The collaborators are still looking for a master student to spend time at King’s College London and the MPI CBG in Dresden - all expenses covered! If interested, please contact Dr. Ivo Sblazarini.

IRTG is now recruiting new PhD students for the Joint PhD Programme with King’s College London.

We offer more than 10 PhD student positions, which will start in April 2020. Via this programme, it is possible to attain a Ph.D. jointly awarded by TU Dresden and King’s College London. PIs in Dresden are looking for excellent candidates via DIGS-BB recruitment.

The window for the current application period is open until 9th May.

More information about the recruitment:
www.tu-dresden.de/med/mf/irtg2251
www.digs-bb.de/apply/phd-positions/

If you have any question, please contact IRTG project coordinator Huiyu Mo.

When it comes to future technology, Technische Universität Dresden and King's College London always lead the way. But how will scientific progress affect our everyday life, how will it change the conditions and even the definition of being human?

With the first scientific symposium, transCampus brought scientific advancement into the public debate. Over 200 visitors, many of them students from grammar schools and universities, followed our invitation to attend this event at the Francis Crick Institute on 5th of March and gave an overall positive and enthusiastic feedback.

For those who were not able to attend, the Crick Institute shares the video registration of the event: Global Challenges of the 21st Century (password: Transcampus)

In spring next year, the symposium will be taking place in Dresden. Already confirmed speakers are: Prof Fiona Watt (Director of the Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine in London), Prof Dr Marina Münkler (Chair of Older and Early Modern German Literature and Culture at TU Dresden), and Senior Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger of the West London Synagogue.

This week, Technische Universität Dresden and the CRTD Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden welcomed His Royal Highness Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and the British Ambassador Sir Sebastian Wood. The Duke, as Chancellor of the University of Surrey, wanted to familiarise himself with the strategic partnership transCampus between London's and Dresden's researchers.

In the foyer of the CRTD, Prince Edward and Sir Sebastian Wood were cordially welcomed by Prof Hans Müller-Steinhagen, Rector of TUD, Prof Gerhard Rödel, Vice-Rector for Research, and Uwe Gaul, State Secretary of the Saxon State Ministry of Higher Education, Research and the Arts. At various exhibition stands, the Duke of Kent gained insights into the development of regenerative therapies, into models of neurodegenerative processes in the eye, into clinical diabetes research and into materials research at the “Dresden Centre for Computational Materials Science (DCMS)”. He also talked to our IRTG students Margrit Kamel and Carolin Heller about the bilateral projects between TU Dresden and King's College London on novel diabetes therapies.

Read more

From the 4th to the 7th of February 2019, students and supervisors of the International Research Training Group (IRTG) met at King's College London for the second annual retreat. The IRTG students had the opportunity to present their project progress and to gather valuable input and feedback from the PIs and fellow PhD/MD students.

Moreover, a selection of distinguished experts, including Professor Anne Grapin-Botton (Director of the MPI-CBG Dresden) and Professor Matthias Hebrok (Director of the Diabetes Center at UCSF) contributed to the programme with scientific talks. The students highly appreciated insights and discussions on career pathways. A number of interactive skills seminars and workshops further enhanced the four-day-programme of this year's retreat.

On Friday, 18 January, the British Ambassador visited TU Dresden to learn more about the transCampus. S.E. Sir Sebastian Wood had heard about the cooperation TUD and King's College in October 2018, when Saxony's Prime Minister Kretschmer was visiting London. Now, he wanted to get a first-hand impression. Rector Prof. Hans Müller-Steinhagen and transCampus Dean Stefan Bornstein explained how this unique collaboration, starting in Medicine, has been continuously developed over the past five years. Prof. Gianaurelio Cuniberti and Prof. Frank Fitzek presented their projects in materials science and in communication networks. Despite Brexit, cooperation in joint research projects is to be broadened in the next years to the mutual benefit of both sides. On February 11, the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward, will also get a first-hand look at the CRTD.

In times where all challenges are global in essence, it is becoming even more important to strengthen international collaborative working. Scientists should take a role model in defending the values of an open society. The transCampus has established an answer to this era of global change and challenges and will host a series of talks on important topics of our time.

In this symposium, renowned speakers from King’s College London and Technische Universität Dresden will debate possible scientific advancements and their moral implications for human development.

Date: March 5, 2019
Time: 09:00 a.m. to 02:30 p.m.
Venue: Wellcome Auditorium of the Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK

details & registration

transCampus Professor and former Professor of Haemato-Oncology at TU Dresden, Prof Uwe Platzbecker, has been appointed Director of the Department for Haematology and Cell Therapy at University Hospital Leipzig.

The renowned expert for haematologic disorders, such as acute leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, is aiming to drive forward the innovative clinic for the therapy of patients suffering from cancer. To achieve this goal he is going to unite haematology and oncology under one roof in order to offer the patients the best possible treatment.

Prof Platzbecker will remain the chair of the EHA MDS working group and continue to fulfil his role as transCampus Professor for Haemato-Oncology. His new affiliation with the University Hospital Leipzig will further boost the transCampus ressources and research network, specifically strengthening the stem cell therapy research in Leipzig, Dresden and London.

Dr Alexander Kleymann, specialist for internal medicine at the Medical Clinic and Policlinic III at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, recently spent six months at the Rheumatology Department of King´s College Hospital in London as locum consultant. Previously, he spent two weeks as an observer at KCL in October 2015 and established a clinical collaboration for the transCampus between the two departments in Dresden and London.

Dr Kleymann’s duties at the hospital were very diverse and he was quickly involved in routine care for inpatients as well as outpatients. He was also engaged in clinical research for one day a week.

Overall, Dr Kleymann sums up his stay in London as a great opportunity: “I was swiftly accepted as a part of the team, met inspiring colleagues, gained additional clinical and research experience, and overall greatly enjoyed my time.”

The transCampus offers clinical exchanges for medical personnel and encourages everyone to seize that chance and gain experience in another country.

On Monday, December 3, the construction of the new Centre for Metabolic and Immunological Diseases and Therapeutic Technologies Saxony (MITS) began with the official groundbreaking ceremony. The MITS is affiliated to the Faculty of Medicine at Technische Universität Dresden and the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden.

The federal and state governments are supporting the new modern research building, which will require investments of more than 35.5 million euros.

Together, experts in internal medicine, endocrinology, immunology, surgery, transplantation medicine, cell biology, and materials science will develop new medical approaches at the centre. Their work will concentrate primarily on new methods for the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Therefore, many transCampus projects will benefit directly from the new capacities.

On November 20, Professor Stefan R. Bornstein was awarded the Federal Order of Merit for his scientific and social commitment to honour his achievements in the field of patient-oriented diabetes therapy as well as his international activities.

"The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is perhaps the highest official recognition I could have received for my work. At the same time, it is a symbol that it is right to commit oneself to society and to people," says transCampus Dean Stefan Bornstein.

Bornstein also emphasized the importance of international cooperation. "Today, science only works because we have learned to think outside the box. You will not be able to launch an innovation on your own. You have to rely on the experience of your colleagues, on networks and on cooperation."

Overseen by Saxonian Minister-President Michael Kretschmer, a Memorandum of Un-derstanding has been signed between the London based Thomas Young Centre, (a col-laboration of research groups from King’s, Imperial College, Queen Mary University London and UCL), and TU Dresden.

The Memorandum will see the transCampus initiative, which builds collaborative re-search relationships between experts from Germany and the UK, broaden its scope to include materials research, which includes elements of applied physics and chemistry, as well as chemical, mechanical, civil and electrical engineering.

Read more

King’s College London President & Principal, Professor Edward Byrne, and Professor Sir Robert Lechler (King's Provost/Senior Vice President) welcomed the Minister-President of the Free State of Saxony Michael Kretschmer to Science Gallery London on Friday 5th October.

During his visit, Minister-President Michael Kretschmer interviewed medical students from TU Dresden who currently spend a practical term at King’s College as well as a Joint-PhD-student of the International Research Training Group ICSMD.

Read more

Oxford University Press recently published a book about 'Depression and Type 2 Diabetes'. Written and edited by internationally recognized clinicians, the book offers a unique perspective on the outstanding controversies of the epidemiology, mechanisms and treatment of the depression-type 2 diabetes comorbidity. The publication was developed within the framework of the DAAD-funded Thematic Network ‘International Network on Diabetes and Depression (IN2D)' and many chapters are the result of collaborations in the transCampus.

Read more

Francesco Rubino is a world-renowned expert in metabolic surgery and holds the Chair of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery at King’s College London. His work has been essential in establishing metabolic surgery as a new treatment option in the management of Type 2 Diabetes.

The Economist now published a video that features the metabolic surgery service in London and narrates the story of one of Professor Rubino’s patients. The video explains the clinical benefits of metabolic surgery as well as the research implications and how surgery may help the search of a cure of diabetes.

F. Rubino co-supervises two student projects in the IRTG 2251: ICSMD, a joint PhD student programme of King’s College London and TU Dresden.

The first twelve months of the International Research Training Group "Immunological and Cellular Strategies in Metabolic Disease" have been highly successful. To mark the occasion, the First Annual Update booklet has been released, which provides an insight into what the IRTG has achieved so far.

As of April 2018, the IRTG comprises 21 ambitious projects, each of which is being jointly supervised by renowned experts from King's College London and TU Dresden. The annual update provides information about these projects as well as information about the Steering Commitee, the External Advisory Board, achievements, and events. Moreover, an overview of selected publications of the IRTG consortium since 2017 is included.

The booklet can be downloaded here:
First Annual Update 2018

From 17 to 21 September 2018 the International Summer School on Technology Transfer in Life Sciences (ISTL) will take place in Dresden for the sixth time. As an annual event organized by the Medical Faculty of the TU Dresden, the ISTL has had great success in helping researchers to patent their ideas and bring them to the market. The event will be hosted by the Medical Faculty with experts from the fields of technology evaluation, patenting, licensing, and spin-off development. Participants will gain insight into the theoretical background just as they will get the chance to practice pitching a project with real investors.

For more information and the application form, please visit: www.summerschool-dresden.de

Based on a joint effort from representatives of TU Dresden and King’s College London, the first Summer School of the European Society for Microcirculation (ESM) and the European Vascular Biology Organization (EVBO) will take place in Dresden from July 1-5, 2018.

"We want to attract mainly early researchers - PhD and MD students in the first years of their research as well as postdocs whose PhD was obtained within the last two years." says Henning Morawietz, Head of Division of Vascular Endothelium and Microcirculation in Dresden. Abstracts can be sumitted until April 25, 2018, to Henning.Morawietz@tu-dresden.de.

Richard Siow, Vice-Dean International of the KCL Faculty of Life Science and Medicine, looks forward to welcoming the participants in Dresden, which "offers a variety of cultural highlights like the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), Royal Palace, Zwinger, Semper Opera House, Albertinum, Elbe castles, or the ‘Blue Wonder’ bridge, and therefore will be the perfect location for the first ESM/EVBO Summer School."

Find out more:
Flyer ^(PDF)
Program ^(PDF)

Students and supervisors of the International Research Training Group (IRTG) met in Dresden for the first annual retreat from the 7th to the 9th of February. The currently 21 IRTG projects are focused on "Immunological and Cellular Strategies in Metabolic Disease". Each student has a supervisor at TU Dresden and King’s College London, highly profit from the complementary expertise and resources from both partner universities.

Find out more: tu-dresden.de/med/mf/irtg2251

Numerous DRESDEN-concept (DDc) partner institutions opened their doors to a very special guest: Prof. Ed Byrne, Principal and President of King’s College London (KCL).

Originating in medicine, the transCampus partnership between TUD and KCL has grown into other research areas such as telecommunications. Last year, many DDc partners accompanied the Science Exhibition to KCL, where they held tandem lectures with their London colleagues. The aim was to expand the existing collaboration to include other DRESDEN-concept partners.

During his visit in January Professor Byrne not only paid a visit to TU Dresden but also to the Dresden State Art Collections, the Leibniz IPF, the Max-Bergmann-Centre, OncoRay, CRTD and the SLUB, where he familiarised himself with Dresden-based research topics.

Based on successful previous collaborations on wrist-worn accelerometers called Parkinson’s KinetiGraph, leading neurologists from KCL and TUD are now taking on the non-motor syndrome of idiopathic Parkinson`s disease. The projects are led by Professor Ray Chaudhuri (Professor of Movement Disorders and the Medical Director of the National Parkinson Foundation Centre of Excellence) and Professor Heinz Reichmann (Chair of the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden).

In the EU funded H2020 consortium i-PROGNOSIS both institutions jointly contribute to the development of a technology platform for early detection of Parkinson’s and human intervention studies.

"Following metabolic and diabetic exchange between our two institutions I am very happy that now neurodegenerative diseases are also part of our program", says Heinz Reichmann, who is also Dean of the Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden

With two new star transCampus affiliated professors in telecommunications research, the transCampus is taking the next big step in connecting excellent and highly complementary research clusters at King’s College London and Technische Universität Dresden.

Frank Fitzek, transCampus affiliated Professor for Tactile Internet for Medicine Applications and Deutsche Telekom Chair of Communication Networks at TU Dresden, and Mischa Dohler, transCampus affiliated Professor for the Internet of Skills for Medicine Applications and Chair Professor of Wireless Communications at King’s College London, will translate their know-how on communication networks and visions of the ‘Internet of Skills’ to applications in Medicine.

"Our long-standing and successful collaboration, our combined resources and complementary expertise will enable us to implement the successful collaboration models of the transCampus in teaching and research." says Frank Fitzek.

This week, Lancet – Diabetes & Endocrinology published an article on the "transCampus London–Dresden: a new model for international collaborative research". Medical Editor Fiona Mitchell presents the transCampus partnership, highlighting the big success in terms of teaching programmes, third party funding, research environment, as well as outreach to politics and society.

For more information and the full text, please visit
www.thelancet.com

transCampus professor Dr Cynthia Andoniadou, Lecturer in Stem Cell Biology at King's College London and Lister Institute Prize Fellow 2016, will be presented the Lister Institute Research Prize on

Tuesday 18th July at 2.30pm
Tower Lecture Theatre, Tower Wing, Guy’s Hospital

The presentation of the Lister Institute Research Prize will follow a special seminar on:
"Regulation of the pituitary stem cell compartment" by Dr Andoniadou.

A drinks reception will complete the event.
Find out more about the prize and Dr Andoniadou’s research:

www.lister-institute.org.uk/dr-cynthia-adoniadou

One month after the official announcement of the German Research Foundation (DFG), the newly established transCampus International Research Training Group has started with its first kick-off meeting in London. The IRTG 2251 "Immunological and Cellular Strategies in Metabolic Disease" (ICSMD) aims at providing outstanding PhD students with a specialized but interdisciplinary programme that offers tandem supervision by two principal investigators at TU Dresden and King`s College London and the opportunity to acquire certificates from both institutions. Goal of the research efforts is yielding in-depth insights into the pathophysiology of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes and development of regenerative and interventional strategies to halt, treat and even cure these pathologies.

On 3 May, the DRESDEN-concept science exhibition was inaugurated at Guy’s Campus of the renowned King’s College London. “Right in the heart of London, exhibits from Dresden are on display that present leading research in a way which is accessible and comprehensible to everyone. The exhibition is directed at scientists and non-scientists alike, for adults as well as for children”, delights TU Dresden’s Rector and Chairman of DRESDEN-concept, Professor Hans Müller-Steinhagen during the opening event.

The opening event was also attended by Saxon State Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts, Dr Eva-Maria Stange, Mayor Dirk Hilbert, TU Dresden’s Rectorial Board and various directors of the DRESDEN-concept institutes. Numerous representatives of KCL’s management board were also in attendance.

The exhibition brings science made in Dresden closer to a broad audience and informs about the newest research results in diverse science areas such as Biomedicine & Bioengineering, Information Technology & Microelectronics, Materials & Structures and Culture & Societal Change. It is complemented by numerous scientific formats such as panel discussions, workshops and keynote lectures throughout the entire exhibition period. The series of events takes place within the existing transCampus partnership.

The opening of the science exhibition at King’s College London launches the DRESDEN-concept alliance's “international tour”. The exhibition will be on display on Guy’s Campus of the renowned King’s College London until 26 May 2017. In September, the exhibition will continue its tour in Wrocław before moving ahead to Prague in 2018.

What is DRESDEN-concept?
DRESDEN-concept is an alliance of TUD with strong partners from science and culture, among others, Max-Planck, Fraunhofer, Leibniz and Helmholtz institutions. All 24 partners share the aim of making the excellence of Dresden-based research visible and to attract globally top-ranking scientists to Dresden. In particular, this means that the partners exploit and utilise common synergy potentials in research, training, infrastructure, administration and transfer.

http://www.dresden-concept.de/en/wissenschaftsausstellung/kings-college-london.html
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/aboutkings/worldwide/newsevents/eventrecords/DRESDEN-concept-Science-Exhibition.aspx

London calling...

From 3 May to 26 May, the DRESDEN-concept science exhibition will be on display at Guy’s Campus of King’s College in London. In addition to the large stand-up displays on Biomedicine & Bioengineering, Information Technology & Microelectronics, Materials & Structures and Culture & Knowledge, two CityTrees will provide information about science in Dresden.

There will be numerous activities surrounding the exhibition, i.e. networking and study information events as well as scientific gatherings such as keynote speeches and panel discussions. The event is accompanied by renowned Dresden-based scientists.

The topics of the lectures are as diverse as the universities’ schools. Prof. Curbach, laureate of the German Future Prize (Deutscher Zukunftspreis), will present the award-winning topic of Carbon Concrete; Prof. Fitzek (TUD) and Prof. Dohler (KCL) will be discussing 5G communication during a lunchtime lecture.

Science Unlimited - event schedule

Two highly synergistic research centers are coming together within the transCampus to address the challenges of an ageing world: Ageing Research at King’s (ARK) Coordinator Dr Richard Siow and TUD Center for Healthy Aging Director Professor Lorenz Hofbauer mutually agreed to join forces and combine complementary expertise.

ARK is a cross-faculty multidisciplinary consortium of investigators which brings together scholarship and research in ageing in several complementary areas. ARK represents King’s world class excellence for research on the biology of ageing, from the basic mechanisms in biogerontology to clinical translation and the social impact of ageing.

The Center for Healthy Aging at TU Dresden was established in 2015 to implement a 'one-stop-shop' system for elderly patients to maximize patient care in terms of efficiency, convenience, and competence. By spanning the spectrum from preclinical to clinical and health-care research, the Center for Healthy Aging is at the forefront of aging research, providing state-of-the-art care for patients regarding new treatment options and preventive life style measures.

Ageing Research at King's / Center for Healthy Aging Dresden

Three members of the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden took part in a staff training programme at KCL from 28^th to 30^th November 2016.

Content of the perfectly organized meetings ranged from international student exchange concepts to curriculum development ideas and the implementation of e-learning and evaluation tools. The TU Dresden members had the chance to get insights into the work of their KCL colleagues which finally resulted in very interesting and fruitful talks and discussions.

If you are interested in a staff training programme, please contact the transCampus office.

Scientists of the Medical Faculty of the Technische Universität Dresden (TUD) and King’s College London establish joint international post-graduate programme in Diabetes. A transCampus project.

Big success for the transCampus: The german national research foundation (DFG) is funding the transCampus Network of the Technische Universität Dresden and King’s College London with an international training programme on Diabetes. The initial funding of ca. 5 milion euros will cover a 4,5 year time period followed by the possibility of an extension for another 4,5 years with additional funding. It will support the joint post-graduate programme of the International Research Training Group IRTG 2251 (ICSMD – Immunological and Cellular Strategies in Metabolic Disease).

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During the visit of Professor Professor Mathias Gautel (BHF Chair of Molecular Cardiology; Director, Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London) to Dresden ongoing and potential transCampus-projects in the fields of chemical biology, cell and tissue organization, cardiovascular diseases, pharmacology and toxicology, as well as angiology were discussed. transCampus-Dean Professor Stefan Bornstein again pointed out the importance of bringing together the brightest minds from both universities who want to shape the transCampus-initiative and stated his strong support for the project teams led by Professor Mathias Gautel and his Co-PIs.

Honoured guests from King’s College London meet with TU Dresden officials to broaden transnational collaboration and initiate new projects.

To expand the strategic transCampus partnership between King’s College London and TU Dresden a delegation from London, including Professor Evelyn Welch (Vice-Principal Arts & Sciences), Dr. Joanna Newman (Vice-Principal International), Professor Luca Vigano (Vice-Dean International, Natural and Mathematical Sciences), Ruth Hogarth (Director, Cultural Partnerships & Enquiry) and Dr. Tania Lima (Director, Global Engagement), was welcomed by TU Dresden officials, Professor Hans Georg Krauthäuser (Vice-Rector for Academic and International Affairs),Professor Gerhard Rödel (Vice-Rector for Research) and Professor Stefan Bornstein (Dean for Development and International Affairs, School of Medicine, transCampus Dean).
Building on the established strong links in Medicine the King’s College representatives explored further areas of interest in computer and biomedical engineering as well as potentials in the humanities and arts. Also the Dresden concept partner Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics showed great interest in joining the partnership after the meetings. Currently, promising approaches identified during the visit are being explored.

Besides strategic meetings, the delegation delved into the cultural heritage of the region. Following their tour through the Dresden State Art Collections guided by Professor Dirk Syndram, Acting Director General, activities connecting both cutural landscapes are currently in discussion.

transCampus Lecture on Population Genetics and Genomics - Loss of functional mutations cohorts with close parenteral relatives

Professor Richard Trembath, Executive Dean for Life Sciences & Medicine and Head of the Molecular and Medical Genetics Group Division at King's College London spoke about the "Loss of functional mutations cohorts with close parenteral relatives" on 5th April 2016 at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus.

The GWT-TUD, in collaboration with and financially supported by the transCampus King’s College London – Technische Universität Dresden, welcomed numerous participants to Dresden and Radebeul on occasion of the 20th anniversary of symposia on the metabolic syndrome and associated diseases.

The 3-day event started with a presentation of new innovative therapy options and diagnostic technologies. German top scientists spoke about and discussed topics concerning risk management and individualized therapy of the metabolic syndrome.

International scientists from the UK, France, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Israel, Bulgaria, Canada, the United States contributed to the success of the lecture series “Prevention and treatment of the metabolic syndrome – a global perspective”.

The second part of the alliance meeting took place in the heart of Munich, offering the opportunity for further strategic planning for joint research. Since then, MTAs have allowed for fruitful collaborations which themselves have attracted substantial funding opportunities and have opened new scientific horizons.

In September the third International Summer School on technology transfer took place in Dresden, organized for the first time by the experienced team of the transCampus Dean Prof. Stefan Bornstein. Funded by the German Research Foundation and the German Academic Exchange Service, the high caliber summer school program attracted participants from all over the world.

It was an amazing opportunity for all participants to receive constructive criticism on their commercial ideas from a range of experts, among them patent and licensing lawyers. Opportunities have been screened for commercial value and business models have been implemented.

Altogether, the third International Summer School on technology transfer was a high-level, sophisticated and successful event. transCampus is looking forward to the Dresden Summer School in 2016. In addition a brand new pre-Med Summer School will be organized in London for the summer of 2016 (more information in spring 2016).

This one day compact symposium saw some of the most prominent MRC and DFG members in the field of Transplantation and Immunology get together, present their work and initiate discussions on joint academic projects in the field.

The visit of Prof. Sir Robert Lechler, Director of the King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre and Vice President at King's College London, marked the start of transCampus in Dresden.

During his first visit in Dresden, Professor Sir Robert Lechler gave a lecture on the „Pursuit of Clinical Transplantation Tolerance” in front of an overcrowded auditorium in the Medical Technology Centre.

Thus the English scientist kicked off the transCampus between King`s College London and Technische Universität Dresden.

The David Pyke and Peter Watkins Visiting Professor Conference in November 2014 was the first transCampus Event in diabetes.

In the heart of the Guy's campus (King's College London), Keynote speaker Professor Triantafyllos Chavakis from the University Clinic Carl Gustav Carus (Technische Universität Dresden) gave lectures on Mechanisms of vascular inflammation and Inflammation in metabolic disease. Over 40 more academics from both KCL and TUD presented their clinical and scientific work on various ongoing diabetes research areas.

see pictures here