German-Israeli exchange in science management
For over 25 years, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University have been maintaining a consistent and intensive exchange with Israeli scientific research institutes. Every two years, administrative representatives from various Israeli universities and the Weizmann Institute meet with representatives of Heidelberg University and the DKFZ at a conference held alternately between Israel and Heidelberg. This year, the DKFZ and Heidelberg University will be hosting the 15th Israeli-German Administrators’ Conference (IGAC) on March 16-19. Over 60 participants will be in attendance.
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The guests from Israel include representatives from Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, and the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot. At the Heidelberg conference, they will discuss current challenges in science management with their German colleagues.
“A prerequisite for successful research is successful science management,” emphasizes Heidelberg University Registrar Dr. Angela Kalous. “The long tradition of the IGAC conferences shows that we are very aware of upholding this responsibility.”
The agenda of the four-day conference encompasses workshops on increasing globalization and international collaboration in science, as well as aspects of shared infrastructure and resources. In addition, the experts in attendance will discuss ethical questions and successful compliance management: How can management help ensure that all parties involved comply with legal and ethical rules in research? Another topic is the growing role of information technology and the management of giant data sets in science. A workshop on science careers will address the question of how management can help scientists who have chosen a career in academia to balance work and family responsibilities.
“We are very pleased to welcome our guests from Israel here in Heidelberg this year, which marks the 50th anniversary of German-Israeli diplomatic relations,” says DKFZ Administrative Director Prof. Dr. Josef Puchta. “Besides the exchange of ideas among experts, it is our major objective to maintain friendships that have evolved over long years of collaboration as well as to establish new connections.”
With more than 3,000 employees, the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) is Germany’s largest biomedical research institute. DKFZ scientists identify cancer risk factors, investigate how cancer progresses and develop new cancer prevention strategies. They are also developing new methods to diagnose tumors more precisely and treat cancer patients more successfully. The DKFZ's Cancer Information Service (KID) provides patients, interested citizens and experts with individual answers to questions relating to cancer.
To transfer promising approaches from cancer research to the clinic and thus improve the prognosis of cancer patients, the DKFZ cooperates with excellent research institutions and university hospitals throughout Germany:
The DKFZ is 90 percent financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and 10 percent by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The DKFZ is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.
