UKE joins PIER PLUS

17 June 2025

Photo: UKE

PIER PLUS promotes and strengthens cooperation and networking between universities and non-university research institutions in Hamburg. The Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) is now the 23rd member to formally join the network.

The PIER PLUS research platform has been growing steadily since it was founded in 2019. The Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) is now the 23rd partner to join the network, which consists of universities and research institutions in the Hamburg metropolitan region which cooperate in six research profiles and four joint fields of action of the alliance.

Members of the UKE have already been involved in individual projects to date – in particular as part of the PIER Health and Infection profile, which bundles research into infectious diseases, their development, prevention and treatment. They also made significant contributions to the PIER Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld profile.

“In a university and research landscape that is constantly changing, cooperative and interdisciplinary collaboration is more important than ever – also for us as the University of Excellence in Hamburg. Our long-term vision for PIER PLUS is clear: we want to create a collaborative and innovative environment in Hamburg as a science location that not only enables excellent research, but also addresses the most pressing challenges of our time. I am therefore all the more pleased to welcome the UKE as a partner in PIER PLUS,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Hauke Heekeren, President of the University of Hamburg.

“As a platform, PIER PLUS promotes cooperation between Hamburg’s universities and non-university research institutes. The UKE has supported this process from the outset, in the PIER Infection and Health profile and in PIER Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld, to which we also contribute with our own funds. With this in mind, I am delighted that the UKE is now also formally and visibly involved in PIER PLUS as a partner,” says Prof. Dr. Christian Gerloff, Medical Director and Chairman of the Board of the UKE.

Prof. Dr. Blanche-Schwappach-Pignataro, member of the UKE Executive Board and spokesperson of PIER Health and Infection, adds: “I am personally delighted about the formal membership of the UKE and it is also logical: UKE scientists are actively involved in PIER Health and Infection, and the activities in the common field of action PIER Innovation & Knowledge Exchange are also extensively supported by MediGate GmbH, a UKE subsidiary.”

About PIER PLUS

The “Partnership for Innovation, Education and Research PLUS”, or PIER PLUS for short, was founded in 2019 under the coordination of Universität Hamburg. The aim is to systematically strengthen cooperative research in Hamburg and create a broader platform for innovation, education and research, primarily through cooperation between universities and non-university institutions. To this end, the now 23 partners are working together in the six profiles PIER Health and Infection, PIER Climate and Coast, PIER Conflict, Cooperation and Security, PIER New Materials, PIER Climate-Friendly Mobility and PIER in Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld. These PIER PLUS profiles are supplemented by four common fields of action that are relevant to all research fields.