Strengthening Helmholtz Health collaboration
Helmholtz Health is one of six primary research fields of the Helmholtz Association, which is Europe's largest research organization. It is coordinating research programs into the causes of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases or infectious diseases to improve prevention, early diagnostics and treatments. Max Delbrück Center is one of six Helmholtz centers involved, along with German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Helmholtz Munich, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Helmholtz-Center for Infection and Helmholtz-Center Dresden Rossendorf and Research.
Leadership of the Helmholtz Health Research Field rotates every two years between the participating centers and in 2025, Max Delbrück Center Scientific Director Professor Maike Sander takes the reins. Caroline Schweiger-Eisbacher has recently joined Max Delbrück Center as the Scientific Advisor to the Vice President of Helmholtz Health.
Why did you want to be involved with Helmholtz Health?
Caroline Schweiger-Eisbacher: Helmholtz is Europe’s largest research network and one of the most prestigious research networks in Germany. I deeply admire the collaborative approach its centers take to advance health outcomes for all. I am genuinely passionate about contributing to initiatives. Joining Helmholtz Health offers an incredible opportunity to work alongside scientists and professionals while supporting their groundbreaking efforts to address some of the greatest health challenges of our time.
What are your responsibilities?
My role involves supporting coordination and communication between the Helmholtz Health centers to help foster effective collaboration. I assist the Vice President of Helmholtz Health in this process and ensure that necessary information and alignments are in place. Given the numbers of meetings, I will also help ensure the Vice President as well the leaders of Helmholtz Health centers are well prepared. Overall, we are working to help harmonize the efforts of the centers and ensure everyone knows what is needed to achieve our shared goals.
What are you most excited about?
I am excited to be part of the Helmholtz network and the opportunity to actively contribute to strengthening it. In early 2025, the centers will undergo evaluations for the current performance period and then set the research strategy for the next performance period. I find this process incredibly engaging and am looking forward to shaping the future direction of the Helmholtz Health network.
How will Max Delbrück Center’s relationship with Helmholtz Health change as Maike Sander takes charge of the network?
I think it is a great opportunity for researchers here to deepen their engagement with Helmholtz Health, while also giving others a chance to better understand our work here at the Max Delbrück Center. I believe we can all learn from each other, and the exchange of knowledge and perspectives will strengthen our collaborative efforts, helping us achieve our goals more effectively.
When you were at Charité, you helped coordinate a proposal to establish the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Berlin over the course of five years. What did you learn from that experience that will help in this role?
I’m truly grateful for that experience. It taught me a great deal about the importance of coordination and the approval processes, particularly when it comes to keeping an eye on timelines. I learned how crucial it is to bring people together, create space for open dialogue, and harmonize processes toward a common goal, especially between research scientists and medical doctors who have very different day-to-days. Also, even when calendars are packed, it is possible to keep programs moving forward – it’s about making the most of the time you have and staying focused on the bigger picture.
Interview: Laura Petersen
