(25.04.22) “It’s so good to finally see you again” – these words were heard again and again at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, USA, from 8 to 13 April. After a two-year pandemic break, the academic community was finally able to share the latest research findings in person, engage in networking and plan new collaborations at the world’s most important get-together in the field of cancer research.

The “Research in Germany” initiative offered plenty of support: at a joint stand entitled “Cancer Research in Germany”, a total of some 19,000 international participants were able to find out about research and funding opportunities in the field of cancer research in Germany – either on site in the exhibition hall or at an online seminar.

Together with other funding organisations as well as the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the Cluster of Excellence “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumour Therapies” (iFIT) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM), around 200 international researchers received comprehensive advice from representatives of the DFG Head Office and the DFG Office North America in the course of the four-day conference.

„Meet the Scientist at the booth“

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One particular highlight at the joint stand was the “Meet the Scientist” event. In a relaxed atmosphere and over snacks, interested early-career academics were able to take advantage of the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with scientists based in Germany from the German Cancer Research Center, the iFIT Cluster of Excellence and Fraunhofer ITEM, enabling them to make contacts and find out in detail about the research conditions in Germany. Melissa Dubbelaar, Nataša Stojanović Gužvić, Andreas Trumpp, Bernd Pichler and Lars Zender gave the 20 or so participants information about their own career paths, talked about their various research focus areas and provided background information on academic life and work in Germany.

Online Workshop „Funding opportunities for your career in cancer research in Germany”

In addition to the on-site advisory services, the international audience of specialists was also able to obtain virtual information on how to advance their own careers in cancer research in Germany through the various funding programmes offered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service and the German Research Foundation (DFG).

In a 40-minute session, representatives of the above-mentioned institutions presented the most important funding programmes for early-career international researchers as well as answering individual questions from the audience.

So hopefully it will be a case of “Good to see you again” next year, too – either at the next annual meeting of the AACR 2023 in Orlando, Florida, or preferably directly in Germany.

Further information:

Researchers involved in the “Meet the Scientist” event:

• Dr. Marissa Dubbelaar
  University of Tübingen Cluster of Excellence “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumour Therapies” (iFIT)
• Prof. Dr. Bernd Pichler
  University of Tübingen, Cluster of Excellence “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumour Therapies” (iFIT)
• Nataša Stojanović Gužvić, PhD
  Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM) Hanover
• Prof. Dr. Andreas Trumpp
  German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) Heidelberg, HI-STEM gGmbH
• Prof. Dr. Lars Zender
  University of Tübingen Cluster of Excellence “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumour Therapies” (iFIT)

Institutions involved in the presentation:

Research funding:

• American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
• German Research Foundation (DFG)

Research institutions:

• German Cancer Research Center (Heidelberg)
• Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, ITEM (Hanover)
• Cluster of Excellence 2180 “Image-Guided and Functionally Instructed Tumour Therapies”, iFIT (Tübingen)

For details of the conference, see: https://www.aacr.org/meeting/aacr-annual-meeting-2022/