New Coalition Agreement – Important Impulses for Health Research
© iStock.com/querbeet
Germany is to become a top location for health research and clinical trials. The new federal government aims to reduce bureaucratic and formal hurdles in clinical research, thereby streamlining and simplifying procedures. Cooperation between science and industry is to be strengthened.
TMF – Technology and Methods Platform for Networked Medical Research welcomes:
- Strengthening research through the further development of the Health Data Use Act and a new Research Data Act
- The planned Register Act
- The continuation of the University Medicine Network (NUM) with all stakeholders
- The creation of a leading initiative for university medicine from the German Centers for Health Research, involving the Helmholtz Association
- The creation of sector-specific exemptions for research (e.g., Value Added Tax Act, Public Procurement Law)
- Strengthening and networking of research infrastructures and activities into a cross-location and cross-actor ecosystem
- Strengthening biobanking
- Continuing the hospital reform and digitalization in healthcare
- The planned reform of emergency and rescue services
Currently, gaps and missing structures hinder transfer and translation processes. To fully unlock Germany's potential as a health hub, the TMF proposes a Translation and Transfer Strengthening Act. Research results should not end with publications—they must find their way into clinical application and product development. This can only be achieved through coordinated structures and close collaboration between health, research, and industry.
The planned further development of research infrastructures and activities into a cross-location and cross-actor ecosystem should build intelligently on existing, effective structures, such as biobanks and data integration centers. Governance should be unbureaucratic, cooperative, and science-driven. This also applies to the European Health Data Space (EHDS), for which the establishment of overarching interoperable standards between research and healthcare is essential.
The upcoming major reforms in healthcare require consistent accompanying data collection for the necessary independent scientific evaluation.
The next few years present an opportunity to position Germany as a leading location for health research and healthcare—provided that we think research, translation, and care together.
