Clinician Scientist Program: Inflammation-driven Diseases Program (INDEEP): inflammatory response as driver for human diseases and target for therapy

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christoph Welsch
• Subject Area: Gastroenterology ; Anatomy and Physiology ; Hematology, Oncology ; Immunology ; Cardiology, Angiology ; Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine ; Clinical Infectiology and Tropical Medicine ; Clinical Neurology; Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology ; Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ; Pharmacology ; Virology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 574157044

With INDEEP, the Medical Faculty at Goethe University Frankfurt is committed to giving clinician scientists (CS) a strategic advantage early in their residency. The program addresses the gap between the structured education provided during medical school, the short-term research support programs currently available, and those targeting more advanced stages of clinical training. INDEEP offers our faculty a unique opportunity to strategically bridge clinical and basic research, supporting a pool of highly motivated young clinicians with strong foundations in both basic and translational science. The scientific focus of INDEEP is on inflammation-driven diseases—an area of major significance for the Medical Faculty. To achieve this, INDEEP is closely linked with existing DFG-funded initiatives on campus, including Clusters of Excellence, Collaborative Research Centers, and Research Units. The program supports twelve early-career clinician scientists over a period of three years. With INDEEP, we establish a fully developed Clinician Scientist Program to sustainably strengthen the clinical research infrastructure at Goethe University. INDEEP intervenes earlier than current programs and offers significantly longer periods of protected research time. This closes the gap to advanced programs aimed at later career stages and facilitates a smoother transition between career phases. INDEEP enhances the scientific training of participating CS through a comprehensive mentoring program designed to foster academic competitiveness alongside their clinical residency. Structured evaluation steps guide participants as they prepare for entry into advanced Clinician Scientist (ACS) programs. By adding INDEEP to the existing support landscape, the Medical Faculty is now able to accompany and guide clinician scientists in the field of inflammation throughout all phases of their career development. The program equips participants to successfully compete for positions in established ACS programs. To ensure strong integration with Frankfurt’s research environment and to align with areas of greatest medical need, INDEEP focuses on the basic mechanisms that drive inflammation. Research projects are embedded in four key scientific focus areas: infectious and fibrotic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Each of these fields is already represented by excellent research at the Medical Faculty and Goethe University, particularly through novel interdisciplinary approaches. The overarching aims of INDEEP are to promote the concept of inflammation-driven disease at Frankfurt University Hospital, to create long-term career perspectives for outstanding clinician scientists by providing sufficient structured positions across different stages, and to establish a sustainable educational framework for clinician scientists at Goethe University’s Medical Faculty.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigators: Professor Dr. Christian Brandts; Professorin Dr. Sandra Ciesek; Professorin Dr. Stefanie Dimmeler; Professorin Dr. Maria J G T Vehreschild; Professor Dr. Stefan Zeuzem