TMF Congresses

The TMF’s Annual Congress is a nationwide forum for exchanging views on current cross-cutting topics in collaborative medical research. The event is aimed at experts from science and research as well as representatives of patient organizations, professional associations, research funding bodies, public authorities, and industry. The congress facilitates interdisciplinary exchange among experts from medicine and research and contributes to the development of solutions that advance medical research. The event is organized by TMF – Technology, Methods, and Infrastructure for Networked Medical Research.

The National Digital Health Symposium serves as a platform for networking and exchange among healthcare providers, payers, and medical research, incorporating the perspectives of manufacturers as well as patients. Its goal is to accelerate the digital cultural shift in healthcare. The focus lies on realistically addressing challenges, approaching them constructively, and collaboratively shaping the healthcare system of the future. Since 2019, the TMF has organized the National Digital Health Symposium. This year, it was held in cooperation with the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and with financial support from Johnson & Johnson.

The Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) Symposium presents the latest results of the MII and perspectives for future development to the (specialist) public.

The goal of the MII is to digitally network routine data from patient care across Germany and make it available for medical research in order to treat diseases more quickly and effectively in the future. All university medical centers in Germany are working together on this with non-university hospitals, research institutions, companies, health insurance providers, and patient representatives in the four consortia: DIFUTURE, HiGHmed, MIRACUM, and SMITH.

The TMF – Technology and Methods Platform for Networked Medical Research coordinates the MII Coordination Office, which it operates together with the German Association of Medical Faculties (MFT) and the German Association of University Hospitals (VUD). The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the MII through 2026 with a total of over 480 million euros. Data protection and data security are top priorities.

The genomDE Symposium presents current scientific research findings and focuses on the exchange surrounding the model project of genome sequencing. Key topics include discussions on new therapeutic approaches, the development of data infrastructures in Germany and Europe, and the advancement of personalized medicine.

genomDE is an initiative funded by the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) and is part of the BMG’s national strategy for genomic medicine. Its goal is to help establish the use of genomic information as an innovative component of standard care in Germany.

The initiative aims to provide as many patients as possible with access to improved diagnoses, innovative therapies, and preventive measures for their respective diseases based on genetic information. By making the data generated in genomDE available, based on appropriate consents, the initiative also contributes to national and international research efforts (e.g., the EU’s Genomic Data Infrastructure, GDI), which will ultimately benefit future patients.

The Registry Days serve as an important platform for exchanging ideas and discussing current topics and challenges in registry-based research. The conference highlights future perspectives on how patient-related registries can evolve in light of new political and technological frameworks to become even more valuable for health services research.

At the event, experts from science, industry, and politics come together to share the latest insights and trends in registry research. They discuss the essential requirements registries must meet—such as data quality, harmonization, and interoperability—in order to maximize their potential for knowledge generation. In addition, the conference addresses potential solutions for the sustainable financing of medical registries.

At the National Biobanking Symposium, the German biobank community meets once a year to advance synergies for scientific, interdisciplinary exchange as well as with industry and the public. Topics include networking at regional and national levels, standardization, harmonization, quality management, IT infrastructures, and dialogue with relevant stakeholders. The symposium is organized and hosted by the Technology and Methods Platform for Networked Medical Research (TMF).