The remit of the working group includes the question of how to improve the framework conditions for conducting clinical trials in Germany. The working group is in close collaboration with the DFG review group "Clinical Trials", whose members Prof. Dr. Andreas Neubauer, Prof. Dr. Rolf Wachter and Prof. Dr. Antonia Zapf have joined the working group.

Members of the Working Group:

• Professor Dr. Ansgar Lohse (Chair)
• Professorin Dr. Claudia Baldus
• Professor Dr. Christian Etz
• Professorin Dr. Susanne Herold
• Professor Dr. Tobias Huber
• Professorin Dr. Gabriele Meyer
• Professor Dr. Andreas Neubauer
• Professor Dr. Jörg Schulz
• Dr. Beatrix Schwörer
• Professorin Dr. Britta Siegmund
• Professorin Dr. Meike Stiesch
• Professor Dr. Rolf Wachter
• Dr. Frank Wissing
• Professorin Dr. Antonia Zapf

This working group deals with the evaluation of research performance in the medical field, for example in the context of individual funding in the DFG funding programs. As part of this, the working group looks into evaluation methods and review criteria that can contribute to the standardized assessment of academic careers of clinically active and non-clinically active researchers.

Members of the working group:

• Professor Dr. Peter Henningsen (Chair)
• Professor Dr. Tilo Biedermann
• Professorin Dr. Anja Bosserhoff
• Professor Dr. Christian Etz
• Professor Dr. Tobias B. Huber
• Professorin Dr. Eva Hummers
• Professorin Dr. Gabriele Meyer
• Professor Dr. Jörg Bernhard Schulz
• Professorin Dr. Britta Siegmund
• Professorin Dr. Meike Stiesch
• Professor Dr. Robert Thimme
• Dr. Frank Wissing

The working group “Clinician Scientists" is developing recommendations aimed at highlighting the importance of the already established structured career paths in the "Clinician Scientist" and "Advanced Clinician Scientist" programs for physician-scientists involved in clinical research in Germany. A key focus is on emphasizing the need to sustain these programs at medical faculties even after DFG funding has ended.

Furthermore, the group aims to identify opportunities for integrating Clinician Scientist funding into other support schemes and to outline possible individual career pathways. Taking into account current developments in academic medicine as well as the diverse disciplinary cultures within the medical field, the working group also plans to develop recommendations for quality standards in institutionalized qualification programs for Clinician Scientists.

Members of the working group:

• Professor Dr. Robert Thimme (Chair)
• Professorin Dr. Claudia Baldus
• Professor Dr. Tilo Biedermann
• Professorin Dr. Anja Bosserhoff
• Professorin Dr. Dagmar Führer-Sakel
• Professor Dr. Peter Henningsen
• Professorin Dr. Susanne Herold
• Professor Dr. Ansgar Lohse
• Professor Dr. Jörg Bernhard Schulz
• Professorin Dr. Britta Siegmund
• Professorin Dr. Meike Stiesch
• Professor Dr. Robert Thimme
• Dr. Frank Wissing

Looking into the ethical and legal aspects of human genome sequencing, the working group consisted of members of the SGKF, the Senate Commission on Key Questions of Genetic Research and a review board member representing the subject area of human genetics. The working group has completed its work.

Statement

Here you can find a statement of the Human Genome Sequencing Working Group on Human genome sequencing – challenges for responsible application in research, statement(Download) (in German only) from August 2016.

This working group addresses the question of how knowledge-generating trials involving small numbers of cases can be designed to facilitate progress in the development of innovative therapies for rare diseases and personalised medicine. The work of the “Small Numbers of Cases” Working Group was integrated in the 2018 statement “Clinical Trials”.

Among other things, this working group deals with the question of how the framework conditions for conducting clinical trials in Germany can be improved. This working group works in close coordination and sometimes in joint meetings with the Medical Committee of the German Council of Science.

Statement

Here you can find a statement by the “Clinical Trials” Working Group of the DFG Senate Commission on Clinical Trials – Statement on Key Questions in Clinical Research(Download) from October 2018.

Event

Please refer to the further information on the event “Clinical trials as the key to medical progress: What do we need to do better in Germany?”(interner Link) from October 2018. 

The “Research and Health Policy Framework Conditions for Clinical Research” Working Group looks into issues such as the structural development of university medicine in Germany and its impact on clinical research as well as the information technology requirements for clinical research.

Statements (available in German only)

• September 2017: Discussion paper of the Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research regarding Research and Health Policy Frameworks for Clinical Research (in German only)(Download)
• June 2015: Recommendations of the Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research on developing clinical research at German university hospitals between 2015 – 2025 (in German only)(Download)
• June 2014: Statement by the Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research on the structural conditions for clinical research at German universities (in German only)(Download)

Among other things, this working group is concerned with mapping out a continuous, structured career path for researching physicians (“Clinician Scientist", “Advanced Clinician Scientist”) at all levels of continuing medical education. Current developments in university medicine are taken into account here, as are the different “cultures” of medical disciplines and changing technical, demographic and social conditions.

Statements

• July 2024: Recommendations „Target positions for clinician scientists - prospects in university medicine“ (in German only)(Download)
• January 2023: Statement in Deutschen Ärzteblatt „Clinician Scientist Programs: Funding at Risk“ (in German only)(externer Link)
• March 2018: Recommendations of the Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research for the establishment of an academically oriented professional development programme for medical specialists in university medicine (in German only)(Download)
• February 2017: Joint statement of the SCCR and the MFT on enabling a better balance between research and speciality training through the amendment of the German Medical Association’s Model Speciality Training Regulations (in German only)(Download)
• April 2015: Recommendations by the Permanent Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research on establishing an integrated research and training programme for clinician scientists in parallel to residency training(Download)

Event

• October 2024: Symposium „Prospects for clinician scientists in university medicine - from clinician scientist programs to target positions“ (in German only)(interner Link)
• Symposium – “Structured academic qualification programmes for clinical researchers parallel to medical specialist training”(interner Link)

The “Quality in Clinical Research” Working Group addresses the DFG’s principles and requirements with regard to assessing the quality of clinical research on a subject-specific basis. Among other things, work is focused on the development of concrete recommendations for action for the implementation of quality standards in clinical research projects and the appropriate establishment of quality standards, starting in the funding proposals themselves.

Guide

Here you can find a guide for quality-promoting aspects in medicine and biomedicine(Download).

Statement

Here you can find a Statement of the Working Group “Quality in Clinical Research” of the DFG Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research(Download).

Event

At the invitation of the DFG, a workshop entitled “Quality Criteria in Patient-Oriented Research as the Foundation for Knowledge Gain” was held in Bonn in March 2015. Please refer to the webpage of the Workshop(interner Link) for more information. 

This working group undertakes a focused treatment of the topic of translation in the context of clinical research and the medicine-related life sciences.

Statement

Here you can find a statement on Recommendations for Funding of Translational Research in University Medicine(Download) (in German only) from September 2019.

Event

In October 2019 the DFG Senate Commission on Key Questions in Clinical Research and the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) joined forces to organise the symposium "Funding of Translational Research in University Medicine". Here you can find further information about the Symposium(interner Link).