TMF Managing Director

Sebastian Claudius Semler is the Managing Director of TMF – Technology, Methods, and Infrastructure for Networked Medical Research, and a member of the Executive Board. In these roles, he leads projects addressing regulatory aspects of digitalization in medical research, health data use and exchange, data protection and standardization, medical registries, and genomic medicine. He is a physician with a professional certification in medical informatics and has held positions in academia and industry. He is also an author, speaker, consultant, and expert in digital health.

Since late 2024, he serves as the elected Chair of the gematik Advisory Board. The Advisory Board provides guidance to gematik on fundamental matters relating to the telematics infrastructure.

Since 2016, Mr. Semler heads the Coordination Office of the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII), funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR, formerly BMBF). The aim of the Medical Informatics Initiative is to make patient data from routine healthcare available for medical research. The resulting research findings are intended to help improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and, wherever possible, prevent them more effectively. Within this framework, TMF operates the German Research Data Portal for Health (FDPG).

In addition, Mr. Semler is actively involved in discussions on the European Health Data Space (EHDS), for example through meetings of the Coordination Group of Health Research Data Infrastructures (GFDI), co-initiated by TMF, and as a project partner in TEHDAS2, which supports preparations for the EHDS.

Since 2025, under his leadership, TMF coordinates the German Federal Ministry of Health's (BMG) funding initiative on Long COVID (LongCARE project).

Since late 2024, he serves as the elected honorary Chair of the gematik Advisory Board, having been a member of the Board since 2005. The Advisory Board provides guidance to gematik on fundamental matters relating to the telematics infrastructure.

Previously, Mr. Semler was responsible for coordinating the genomDE project (2021–2025), commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), which aimed to establish a nationwide platform for medical genome sequencing and prepare the corresponding statutory pilot programme.

From 2014 to 2025, he coordinated the Working Group on Healthcare Data at the Health Data Lab at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). This statutory working group supports and advises on the design and further development of access to healthcare data in accordance with Section 303e of Book V of the German Social Code (SGB V).

Mr. Semler has appeared on several occasions as an expert before the German Bundestag and has served as an expert reviewer for federal and state ministries as well as for the Bundestag. As a leading expert in key healthcare organisations, he makes a significant contribution to the implementation of the German government's digital strategy.