Research funding
Research funding
Research funding
The Foundation for Pathobiochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics
The promotion of science and research as well as public health care is one of the core concerns of the DGKL. To make this possible, the specialist society established the “Foundation for Pathobiochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics” as a foundation with legal capacity under civil law.
Activities of the foundation
The Foundation for Pathobiochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics (SPMD) operates as a charitable foundation. The purpose of the SPMD is to promote science and research as well as public health care.
The SPMD uses its funds for research and development projects in the field of pathobiochemistry and molecular diagnostics, among other things. It also carries out measures for continuous improvement and quality assurance. The focus here is on the operation of the Reference Institute for Bioanalytics as a reference institution (hereinafter referred to as RfB) in accordance with the applicable guidelines of the German Medical Association for quality assurance in medical laboratories as a special-purpose operation. The RfB is one of the leading and accredited proficiency testing providers in Germany. In addition, the SPMD also fulfills its statutory objectives by providing financial support to the DGKL.
The aim of research funding is in particular to promote young scientists.
“Thanks to the SPMD start-up funding, I was able to advance my scientific project to the point at which I could submit a full proposal to the German Research Foundation.”
Dr. troph. Ronald Biemann,
University Hospital Leipzig
“Thanks to the SPMD start-up funding, I was able to advance my scientific project to the point at which I could submit a full proposal to the German Research Foundation.”
Dr. troph. Ronald Biemann,
University Hospital Leipzig
How SPMD fulfills the purpose of the foundation
The SPMD uses its funds to support scientific congresses, symposia or conferences that are to be held as part of research and development projects.
The SPMD grants scholarships for research and further education stays of young, qualified scientists in recognized domestic and foreign institutes.
The SPMD supports the implementation and publication of relevant research and development work, provided that corresponding, promising preliminary work already exists.
The SPMD operates the Reference Institute for Bioanalytics as a reference institution within the meaning of the applicable guidelines of the German Medical Association for quality assurance in medical laboratories.
The foundation’s funding programs
The exact content of the SPMD funding can be found in the current funding program. Both personal research projects and project-based research are funded under this program. In addition, the special funding program “Advanced Clinician Scientist” has now been launched by the SPMD.
This new funding program was created to strengthen scientific research in the field of pathobiochemistry and molecular diagnostics in a special way. The aim of the program is to promote outstanding medical research projects and to give medical specialists the opportunity to advance their research projects. More information can be found in the news article.
Suspension of the second funding round in 2025
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are very sorry to inform you that we will be suspending the second funding round in 2025 as part of the regular funding program. We therefore ask you to refrain from submitting applications for the second funding round (deadline 15.08.2025).
We hope for your understanding, so that applications for the funding round from 16.08.2025 to 15.02.2026 can only be reviewed again and funded after a positive vote, taking into account the specific financial situation that then arises.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at forschungsförderung@spmd-rfb.de or by telephone.
Background:
According to its articles of association, the mission of the non-profit “Foundation for Pathobiochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics” is to promote innovative diagnostic procedures, ensure quality and safety in laboratory medicine and establish new scientific approaches.
The statutes specify the permitted activities. In addition to the very basic purpose of operating the Reference Institute for Bioanalytics (RfB) as a reference institution , the foundation has the task of promoting “science and research” in connection with “public health care” and supporting the DGKL with financial resources.
As a foundation, we provide considerable funds for this support every year. For example, since 2008 alone, we have been able to support over 120 research projects with a total of more than €10 million as part of the foundation’s current funding program.
In 2024, we launched the special funding program Advanced Clinican Scientist Program (ACS Program). The aim of the program is to support outstanding medical research projects in the field of pathobiochemistry and molecular diagnostics.
To this end, the Foundation Board has decided to provide a one-off amount of up to € 1.6 million for the ACS program from the Foundation’s reserves. Prof. Renz, Chairman of the Foundation Board, explained during the presentation of this special funding program that with this ACS program, the Foundation offers medical specialists the opportunity to advance important scientific projects without the usual clinical interruptions. Prof. Klouche, Deputy Chairwoman of the Foundation Board, added that the Foundation’s vision is to further strengthen research in laboratory medicine and at the same time support career development in this important specialist field in conjunction with patient care.
However, the DGKL e.V. also wanted to do more for natural scientists. In 2020, the DGKL e.V. Executive Committee, together with the Continuing Education Commission and the Young Laboratory Section, therefore set up a task force to develop a postgraduate course on basic medical principles for scientists in the field of laboratory medicine, as the DGKL’s statutes stipulate that the DGKL is responsible for promoting research and teaching. These efforts ultimately resulted in the Foundation’s funding approval for the Master’s degree course in “Medical Principles in the Laboratory” at the University of Leipzig as part of the Foundation’s funding program. A large proportion of the funds available within the budget for research funding in 2025 will therefore be used for this purpose.
However, the Foundation’s need to support the DGKL has also increased due to the financial requirements of the modernization of the DGKL e.V. and its further development as a strong voice that speaks for laboratory medicine.
As the foundation must continue to fulfill its purpose by operating the RfB and this is also associated with considerable investment requirements in view of the challenges, the situation has now arisen due to the overall circumstances that a further increase in the research funding budget is not possible from a budgetary perspective. This decision is necessary in order to be able to fulfill the purposes of the foundation, which is a perpetual foundation, in the long term and thus also enable the DGKL to receive financial support.
Special promotion
Advanced Clinician Scientist
The special funding program Advanced Clinician Scientist (ACS) is intended to create ideal conditions for scientific work and support outstanding research projects. Specifically, the ACS program aims to further develop research projects with innovative techniques and forward-looking questions. The results achieved in this way should also make it possible for specialists in laboratory medicine who have already completed their habilitation or who can demonstrate habilitation-equivalent achievements to take up a management position (usually a W3 professorship).
Advanced Clinician Scientist Program
As special funding, the SPMD is offering up to 4 scholarships with a duration of up to three years for the Advanced Clinician Scientist Program. The ACS program is endowed with financial support in the total amount of up to € 400,000 each. The grant recipient can only be an applicant university or institution.
Application
Applications for the ACS program were only possible until 31.12.2024 by e-mail to forschungsfoerderung@spmd-rfb.de. Detailed information on the application process, which consists of two stages, can be found in the PDF.
Applications
| Leipzig University | Leipzig University | A novel role of thrombomodulin and blood coagulation in the regulation of myelination in the central nervous system through cellular interactions |
| University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) | Hamburg | Immune activation in roseolovirus infections and its influence on autoimmunity |
| Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry University Hospital Tübingen |
Tübingen | Metabolic steatotic liver disease and blood coagulation: pathophysiological mechanisms, mediators and therapeutic interventions |
| University Hospital Giessen and Marburg | Giessen | The effects of inhalation of nano- and microplastics in connection with asthma |
Personal support programs
1. doctoral scholarships
These scholarships are for highly motivated medical doctoral candidates who are at an advanced stage of their doctoral thesis after their 3rd year of study at the earliest (reliable preliminary work). Funding is provided for a maximum of 12 months, whereby the scholarship amount is made up of the basic scholarship amount of € 934 per month and the material cost allowance of € 103 per month. Applications can be submitted at any time.
Application 2025:
| University of Marburg | Marburg | Clinical benefits of external quality assurance: A systematic review on the health and economic effects. |
2. SCHERER scholarships as part of an MD/PhD program
The prerequisite for funding is that the funded doctorate is on a topic and at an institution that also serves the scientific qualification of the person receiving the scholarship in clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine. The deadlines for submitting applications are February 15 and August 15.
3rd HEINZ-BREUER scholarships for research and further education stays
The funding opportunity is aimed at qualified domestic and foreign academics in the early stages of their careers at recognized domestic and foreign institutes. Individuals are considered to be in the early stages of their academic career if no more than ten years have passed since their doctorate, measured by the year of the oral examination, at the start of the funding period applied for. In the case of maternity and parental leave, this period can be extended by a maximum of two years per child, but not beyond a total of 14 years. The applicant’s own position during a leave of absence without pay or the additional costs of living at the destination for a maximum period of one year are eligible for funding. The application deadlines are February 15 and August 15.
4. junior research groups for a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 years
The grants are designed in such a way that at least 50% of them are co-financed by the respective faculty / university / special research area and are affiliated with an Institute of Clinical Chemistry. As a rule, funding is provided for the applicant’s own position, a PhD student, a technical staff position, as well as for appropriate consumables and animal husbandry costs, etc. A concept must first be submitted that contains evidence of co-financing by the relevant faculty/university and a commitment for at least the above-mentioned academic position following a positive evaluation towards the end of the funding period. Applications are processed in two application rounds per year. The requirements and guidelines for the DFG’s Emmy Noether Program apply as a guide. The application deadlines are February 15 and August 15.
5. endowed professorships
In order to promote the establishment and continued existence of chairs of clinical chemistry at German medical faculties, start-up funding can be granted for the remuneration of chair holders in the amount of the corresponding DFG cost rates for a period of generally three years. Public calls for applications and permanent appointments are made in accordance with the usual rules of the faculty or university. A focus on scientific and subject-specific priorities within the faculty/university is supported. Details are set out in a contract with the university or university medical center.
6. promotion of senior professorships
The aim is to bring the expertise of the person holding the professorship into the university in line with requirements. This essentially relates to tasks in the area of research and teaching (tasks in the area of patient care are not eligible for funding). The application for funding for the senior professorship must set out the university’s plans with regard to re-advertising the vacant professorship. A prerequisite for this funding is the university’s commitment that the person who is ultimately to receive the funding for the senior professorship from the university will also be commissioned to carry out professorial duties for a limited period of time. The duration of the funding is initially designed for two semesters and can be extended once for a further semester if required. The amount of funding is based on the individual’s last “salary” and the pension of the person who is ultimately to hold the senior professorship and is therefore granted in the amount of this difference as a grant including any VAT and any social security contributions due to the university. Details are set out in a contract with the university.
Project-related funding programs
7. scientific conferences
They must take place within the framework of research and development projects. Applications can be submitted at any time. The amount of funding is limited to €10,000.00 including any applicable VAT.
Application 2025:
| Leipzig University Hospital | Leipzig | Lipid Meeting: Application for a conference grant from the Foundation for Pathobiochemistry and Molecular Diagnostics XXIV Lipid Meeting Leipzig, December 10 – December 12, 2025 |
8. grants for the implementation of research and development projects.
Priority is given to start-up funding for projects by early career researchers that show potential for subsequent DFG funding. Proposals are processed in two application rounds per year. The deadlines for submitting proposals are February 15 and August 15.
Application 2025:
| Institute for Clinical Chemistry University Medical Center Göttingen |
Göttingen | Control of spleen homeostasis by endothelial Notch signaling |
9. projects for the standardization and quality assurance of laboratory diagnostic procedures.
Applications are processed in two application rounds per year. The deadlines for submitting applications are February 15 and August 15.
10. teaching research and training projects
The funding opportunity also includes measures that serve to support the implementation of the NKLM and the new medical licensing regulations. Applications are processed in two application rounds per year. The deadlines for applications are February 15 and August 15.
Application 2025:
| Leipzig University Hospital; Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics | Leipzig | Fundamentals of medicine for scientists in medical diagnostics |
The SPMD scientific panel
Independent advisors to the foundation and experts
Scientific Secretary
Prof. Dr. med. Karl Lackner
Position: Director of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Mainz University Medical Center
Main research areas:
- Laboratory diagnostics
- Tumor Markers
- Individualized medicine
Publications: Over 90 scientific papers
Citations: More than 4,000
Prof. Dr. med. Daniel Teupser
Position: Director of the Institute for Laboratory Medicine, LMU Klinikum München
Main research areas:
- Cardiovascular biomarkers
- Lipid metabolism
- Atherosclerosis
- Biobanking
- Mass spectrometry-based proteomics
Publications: Over 370 scientific papers
Citations: More than 14,000
Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Fischer
Position: Director of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Medical Center Göttingen
Main research areas:
- Clinical-chemical diagnostics
- Laboratory medical research
- Quality management in laboratory diagnostics
At least three members of the Board of Trustees and the Foundation's Executive Board
Prof. Dr. med. Harald Renz
President of the DGKL
Position: Director of the Institute for Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiochemistry, Molecular Diagnostics at the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg
Main research areas:
- Chronic inflammatory diseases (e.g. asthma, allergies)
- Immune regulation
- Molecular diagnostics
Publications: Over 340 scientific papers
Citations: More than 20,000
Prof. Dr. med. Mariam Klouche
Vice President of the DGKL
Position: Medical Director and Managing Director of the LADR Laboratory Center Bremen
Main research areas:
- Laboratory medicine
- Microbiology and infection epidemiology
- Transfusion medicine
Publications: 67 scientific papers
Prof. Dr. med. Matthias F. Bauer, MBA
Treasurer of the DGKL
Position: Chief Physician of the Institute for Laboratory Diagnostics at Ludwigshafen Hospital
Main research areas:
- Mitochondrial genetics
- Molecular diagnostics
- Laboratory management
Publications: Over 70 scientific papers
Citations: More than 4,900
Prof. Dr. med. Julie Schanz
Secretary of the DGKL
Position: Senior Consultant at the Institute of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Göttingen
Main research areas:
- Molecular hematology
- Myelodysplastic syndromes
- Leukemia diagnostics
Note: Active research and publications in the field of hematology
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Uta Ceglarek
Assessor of the DGKL
Position: Head of the Clinical Mass Spectrometry Section, Leipzig University Hospital
Main research areas:
- Mass spectrometry
- Metabolomics
- Newborn screening
Publications: Over 320 scientific papers
Citations: More than 9,700
Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Streichert
Assessor of the DGKL
Position: Director of the Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital Cologne
Main research areas:
- Clinical chemistry
- Laboratory diagnostics
- Quality management
Publications: Over 210 scientific papers
Citations: More than 5,500
Attorney Gunther Schabio
Position: Director of the Foundation for Pathobiochemistry
