Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg has a distinctive profile. It aims to create a lean and sharply defined structure with its main focus of expertise in the traditional areas of engineering, natural sciences and medicine. It also views economics, management, social sciences and humanities as essential disciplines for a modern university in the information age.
The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology is concerned in engineering terms with the research, technical development and production engineering of electrically controlled devices or processes. Areas of research focus lie, for example, in medical technology, in which new and innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for future medicine are developed. In teaching, alongside electrical engineering programmes, the Faculty also offers programmes in Mechatronics and Medical Technology as well as Systems Engineering and Technical Cybernetics. Extensive integration with other disciplines enables the Faculty to face up to the challenges of a modern information society. One of the foci of the research in our faculty is on modelling of processes and as such there is also a big approach in modelling biological and human processes. We develop technology especially in the area of applications of ionising radiation.
The University Medicine Magdeburg (UMMD) is located on the second campus of the OVGU and characterized by the indissoluble link between state-of-the-art biomedical research and teaching/academic training of approx. 1.500 prospective medical doctors. At the same time, UMMD is a maximal care clinical institution in which the most severe disease cases are treated. As such, UMMD represents a major center for medical care in Saxony-Anhalt.
UMMD-researchers in the field of the interventional procedures are very well known for their expertise in all medical fields where interventions are done. This especially holds for neurovascular interventions (stroke etc.) as well as for all kinds of oncological treatments with interventions. There is also an active nuclear medical research track and many well-known approaches in various types of oncology, many of which especially based on applications of ionising radiation also as combined therapeutic approaches with other therapies.
The overall tasks of the project are to develop a strategic research agenda and corresponding roadmap for medical applications of ionising radiation. The topic is in the core field of expertise of the OvGU as our greatest strength as a university is seen in the combined efforts between medical physicists, medical technology engineers from various fields and the medical faculty. This is especially successful for medical technology in the field of applying ionizing radiation. In addition, many of the key players have extensive knowledge in developing strategic research documents like the scientific coordinator having chaired the group developing the EURAMED SRA, being in the German radiation protection board, and also contributing to the roadmap developments within CONCERT.
OvGU acts as the Scientific Coordinator for the EURAMED rocc-n-roll project, leads WP6, and contributes to all work packages. The main focus is on WP6 as the work package in which the central exploitable results of EURAMED rocc-n-roll will be developed: The strategic research agenda, the roadmap document and the interlinking document. However, OvGU will contribute based on its broad experience on many other tasks in radiation protection aspects, in clinical aspects, in infrastructure and digitization aspects, in aspects of transfer of innovation as well as in education and training. As Scientific Coordinator OvGU will be present at all workshops and as many panels as feasible and contribute basically to all work packages.
The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) is the German federal authority for the safety and protection of man and the environment against damage due to ionising and non-ionising radiation. BfS is an organizationally independent scientific-technical higher federal authority in the portfolio of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). BfS is strongly involved in radiation protection in Germany, from development and implementation of radiation protection standards to planning, coordination and execution of radiation protection research on a national and international level. BfS representatives are active in European Radiation Research platforms such as MELODI, EURADOS, NERIS and ALLIANCE as well as in ICRP, UNSCEAR, IAEA and HERCA. BfS is an internationally recognised Collaborating Centre (CC) of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Department “Medical and Occupational Radiation Protection” fulfils a wide range of tasks imposed by the German radiation protection legislation, such as nationwide approval of the use of ionising radiation in medical research, establishment of diagnostic reference levels, collection and evaluation of frequency and dose of diagnostic radiation exposures, benefit-risk analysis of new evolving technologies and practices, including screening activities in asymptomatic individuals, and scientific evaluation of reports on accidental and unintended events. In addition, staff members are involved in various research projects, related to these tasks, e.g. determination and development of state-of-the-art research and technology in the field of ionising radiation, especially in medical imaging, dosimetry in medical procedures, internal dose assessment and incorporation monitoring, as well as in the assessment of health risks after radiation exposures.
Given its strong involvement in medical radiation protection in Germany, BfS – via its Department “Medical and Occupational Radiation Protection”– contributes to WP2 (Analysis of existing approaches of SRAs and related documents in the field of medical radiation protection) and leads Task 2.6 (Evaluation of regulators’ needs and expectations relevant to medical radiation protection research).
The Faculty of Medicine is one of the most prestigious research-driven medical schools in Germany. Many of ist researchers are active in the Cluster of Excellence CIBSS (Center for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies) recently established in the German Excellence Strategy; 10 of the CIBSS Principal Investigators are researchers established at the faculty’s institutes and at various clinical departments.
The Medical Centre – University of Freiburg is among the largest UMC in Germany, with around 12.000 employees, including 1.360 doctors and 3.050 nurses, who provide healthcare services to more than 71.500 inpatients, and 821.000 outpatients every year. It engages in research, teaching and healthcare as its core responsibilities, with the goal of offering current and future patients’ treatment informed by the latest scientific findings.
The Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical Centre – University of Freiburg is one of the largest Radiation Oncology (RO) departments in Germany. It has its own dedicated Clinical Trials Office with more than 15 years of experience in the planning and conduction of clinical trials of all characters (investigator initiated and industry) and phases (window of opportunity, I, II, III). The office currently cares for a total of 20+ radiation oncology trials.
The department is embedded in the Comprehensive Cancer Centre Freiburg (CCCF) taking part in interdisciplinary patient care and research with all other oncology-oriented departments. Key research areas are high-precision RT, imaging in RT, tumour- and radiobiology, medical physics and information technology in RO.
In the field of imaging and radiation oncology, several large multi-centre trials (PETPlan, GLIAA, HIPPORAD etc.) are led by Freiburg PIs, scientists are involved in two EU funded projects on information technology in RO. The department was elected to be one of three sites of the German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) to receive institutional funding for Radiotherapy and Imaging. Current DKTK projects address RT and imaging related to physics and radiobiology in the fields of head and neck tumours (HNSCC), brain tumours, lung cancer, GI cancers, and prostate cancer.
The Freiburg partner (Ursula Nestle, UN) is a specialist and researcher in the fields of both Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine and has furthermore been involved with radiation protection issues since 2003. UN has extensive expertise in national and international academic teaching (faculty member of several courses of the school of the European Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ESTRO) since 2009 and course director of the ESTRO course on molecular imaging in Radiation Oncology from 2014-2018). UN has participated as partner and national PI in the FP7-Project SUMMER, qualifying international young scientists in the field of IT solutions for imaging and radiation oncology, which had a broad teaching aspect. The combination of those activities allows insights and overview on practical and strategic issues of medical radiation protection (RP) amongst health professionals and how to include education and teaching in research projects and ensures the input of a healthcare and radiation protection practitioner with scientific experience into the planned guideline.
With the background of a large teaching and University hospital, UKLFR contributes knowledge in Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine issues as well as medical radiation protection to the planned guidance document. UKLFR also contributes expertise in interdisciplinary and international teaching to the planned educational activities.
More specifically, UKLFR contributes to WP3 (Task 3.1 Radiation application in oncological diseases: needs and opportunities) and to two tasks in WP7 (Task 7.1 Defining future strategy of medical application of ionising radiation and RP education/training needs in medicine & Task 7.2 Exemplary training events to pilot proposed methodology).
The Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) – the University in the heart of Munich – is recognized as one of Europe’s premier academic and research institutions. Since its founding in 1472, LMU has attracted inspired scholars and talented students from all over the world, keeping the University at the nexus of ideas that challenge and change our complex world. As one of Europe’s leading research universities, LMU looks back on 500 years of tradition and forward to the challenges and responsibilities ahead. Its excellence in teaching and research embraces a wide diversity of fields — from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social sciences to medicine and natural sciences. An intense interdisciplinary approach fosters the innovation so critical to our global future.
The university hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich is a centre of high-end medicine, medical innovation and research. The university hospital is able to provide the best possible treatment to its patients while enabling individualised and safe patient care. Employees of the Medical Center represent 90 countries, and Hospital and Medical Faculty programs support patient care and research projects in several countries around the world.
With more than 2.000 beds, the University Hospital of Munich (LMU) is a highly advanced hospital with 47 clinics, institutes and departments covering all fields of medicine. With its two campuses in Grosshadern and in the city centre, it is one of the largest hospitals in Europe. The Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich is the leading German university in the field “Clinical and health” according to the Times Higher Education World University Ranking.
Services of the Department of Internal Medicine I (Cardiology) include:
With the background of a large teaching and University hospital, UKLFR contributes knowledge in Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine issues as well as medical radiation protection to the planned guidance document. UKLFR also contributes expertise in interdisciplinary and international teaching to the planned educational activities.
More specifically, UKLFR contributes to WP3 (Task 3.1 Radiation application in oncological diseases: needs and opportunities) and to two tasks in WP7 (Task 7.1 Defining future strategy of medical application of ionising radiation and RP education/training needs in medicine & Task 7.2 Exemplary training events to pilot proposed methodology).
