Millions in funding for Research Training Group on the health of the human musculoskeletal system

1 December 2025

Photo: UKE/TUHH

A scientific training project led by the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) that focuses on the health of the human musculoskeletal system will receive approximately seven million euros in funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) over the next five years. In addition to the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hamburg and the TUHH, several research institutions from Hamburg, such as DESY in Bahrenfeld and the Helmholtz Center Hereon, are participating in the research training group “Interfaces – Multiscale Imaging and Analytics of Interfaces in Musculoskeletal Health.” In terms of content, the project therefore represents a special collaboration in the metropolitan region in the field of health, visible as one of six profiles in PIER PLUS.

"I am delighted that the new Research Training Group has been approved. It underscores the high level of educational expertise at the UKE and, more generally, at the University of Hamburg and Hamburg's research institutions. The project combines medicine with engineering and natural sciences in a unique way. My congratulations go to the entire team, especially the project leaders Prof. Dr. Björn Busse and Prof. Dr. Alexander Schlaefer," says Prof. Dr. Blanche Schwappach-Pignataro, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and member of the UKE Executive Board.

"The DFG project that has now been approved marks another milestone in our strategy of specifically promoting excellent collaborative projects. We have a long tradition of working with the UKE, so it is all the more gratifying that this close cooperation has now been crowned with such impressive success. My appreciation goes to Prof. Busse's entire team and, in particular, to Prof. Schlaefer's TUHH team," said Prof. Dr. Irina Smirnova, Vice President of Research at TU Hamburg.

Challenges for diagnostics, analytics, and imaging

The various biological tissues of the musculoskeletal system, and especially their interfaces, have a decisive influence on musculoskeletal health and the physiological and pathological processes involved. Due to their different biological and physical properties, these border areas pose particular challenges for diagnostics, analysis, and imaging. "In order to better understand the complex interactions within the organism, we need state-of-the-art multimodal, correlative imaging techniques and interdisciplinary expertise," explains Prof. Dr. Björn Busse, Institute for Osteology and Biomechanics at the UKE. An important basis for the research project is therefore the Interdisciplinary Competence Center for Interface Research (ICCIR), jointly initiated by the UKE and the TUHH.

The new training program therefore takes an interdisciplinary approach: young researchers should not only gain specialist knowledge of individual organs or tissues, but also acquire an interdisciplinary understanding of biological interfaces and interactions in physiological and pathological conditions. To this end, methods from medicine, cell and tissue biology, biomedical engineering, materials science, data science, imaging, and machine learning are taught. This will result in interdisciplinary knowledge about imaging, function, and health that can be transferred from musculoskeletal interface structures to numerous other interfaces within the organism. "Hamburg offers a unique setting for this: the close cooperation between the TUHH, the UKE, the materials research of the Helmholtz Center Hereon, and the DESY synchrotron creates ideal conditions for this forward-looking project," emphasizes Prof. Dr. Alexander Schlaefer from the TUHH. Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands is also involved in the training program.

DFG funds Research Training Groups for a maximum of nine years

Research training groups (RTGs) are university institutions that promote researchers in the early stages of their careers and are supported by the DFG for a maximum of nine years. The focus is on training doctoral students within the framework of a thematically focused research program and a structured training concept. The DFG expressly encourages research training groups to take an interdisciplinary approach. The aim is to prepare doctoral students intensively for the complex "science" job market while supporting their early scientific independence. The new RTG 3144 will begin its work on April 1, 2026, and is expected to train around 30 ambitious young scientists in the coming years.