University of Cologne receives 46 million for new Centre for Metabolism Research from the Federal State and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

  • Uniklinik Köln © Uniklinik/Peter Sondermann City-Luftbilder
    © Uniklinik/Peter Sondermann City-Luftbilder
11.07.2018

The science landscape in the Cologne area is well developed and a real strength of the city – also for the meeting industry. With the new Research Center for Metabolism Research (ZfS), the University of Cologne has been awarded the contract of 46.6 million euros to promote interdisciplinary research into the field and in particular of secondary diseases such as obesity and diabetes. The building will be constructed between 2019 and 2023 on the campus of the University Hospital Cologne.


The Joint Science Conference of the Federal Government and the Laender (GWK) is funding the construction. In the new research center, around 90 scientists and over 80 staff members will work together in nine working groups from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Cologne.

A major initiator of the project is the physician and scientist Professor Jens Brüning (endocrinology): ‘I am glad that we will be able to devote ourselves to even more intensive research on metabolic diseases in the future. Cologne is an ideal location with its interdisciplinary and comprehensive research activities and the connection to the top medicine of Cologne University Hospital. With the new Centre, we have the opportunity to use proven translation processes so that patients can benefit from our findings quickly.’

Obesity currently affects about 30 percent of all people in Germany. The World Health Organization predicts a decrease in average life expectancy as a result of obesity and overweight beginning in 2030. Obesity often leads to secondary diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, diabetes type 2, cancer and various orthopaedic and psychological conditions. About five percent of all health expenditure in the industrialized countries is due to obesity, amounting to about 30 billion euros annually in Germany.

With the Centre for Metabolism Research and the planned expansion of the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research as well as the interaction with the Cluster of Excellence for Aging-Associated Diseases CECAD, the Centre for Molecular Medicine, the Centre for Genomics and the Clinical Trials Centre Cologne, the campus intends to develop into an internationally competitive location for metabolism research.