In a Q&A with Luxembourg magazine Delano, Frank Glod (FNR, CLINNOVA coordinator) and Markus Ollert from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) joined forces to explain CLINNNOVA’s origins and ambitions.
On December 14th and 15th the Clinnova Consortium members met at the DKFZ in Heidelberg, Germany, for their second Consortium meeting. The main topics on the agenda were the further definition of the scientific strategy of the Centre of Excellence as well as the organizational model Clinnova could have in the future.
20 participants from the NCT, CIMT, LIH, the University of Luxembourg and FNR were involved in the fruitful discussions to help further cristalize the vision of what Clinnova would look like in the future. Building on existing excellence in Luxembourg in preclinical research and bioinformatics and data analytics, Clinnova will link to the excellence in translational cancer research at DKFZ as well as the expertise of the Odense University hospital of bringing advanced digital tools to patients. Data analytics and integration of data from different sources (clinical, molecular, mobile sensors etc) will be at the core of Clinnva. The clinical focus will be on chronic diseases of the nervous system, in particular multiple sclerosis, as well as on cancers, with a focus on brain and gastrointestinal cancers.
Consortium members also met with representatives of the BioRN Cluster as well as the BioMedX incubator to get inspired by the successful economic valorisation and the development of a prospering biotech ecosystem in the Heidelberg region.
Tuesday, 26 September 2017 saw the kick-off meeting for CLINNOVA, for which the project partners, as well as stakeholders from politics, industry and research came together for fruitful discussion about various aspects of CLINNOVA.
After an introduction by FNR Secretary General Marc Schiltz, Lydia Mutsch, Luxembourg Minister for Health opened the meeting with a speech touching on the Luxembourgish Government’s diversification strategy, which encompasses the life sciences and healthcare domains, as well as the huge opportunities, especially in the field of digitalisation.
“Indeed the Clinnova project could be a next step in the Luxembourg life sciences and healthcare development and a way into a new era of connecting research and care. This work will without a doubt increase our knowledge and we will certainly identify patterns and make connections we were never able to do in the past.” – Lydia Mutsch, Luxembourg Minister for Health -Read the whole speech from Lydia Mutsch on the Luxembourg Government website
The meeting progressed with Prof Markus Ollert, Director of the Infection and Immunity Department at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, laying out the vision of the CLINNOVA project.
Prof Markus Ollert from the Luxembourg Institute of Health explains the vision of CLINNOVA
Then it came time for the international partners to present the strengths that have led to their involvement in the CLINNOVA project, beginning with Claus Duedal Pedersen, from the Region of Southern Denmark who spoke about how Denmark’s digital health landscape has evolved and what future challenges are.
Claus Duedahl Pedersen from the Region of Southern Denmark
The final speech before the afternoon group sessions was delivered by Prof Christof von Kalle from Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ).
Prof Christof von Kalle, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum
During the afternoon, the stakeholders were split into smaller groups and asked the following questions:
Where do you see the greatest opportunities?
What could be ‘showcases’ for Luxembourg?
What could be potential stumbling blocks?
Who are the key stakeholders?
After one hour to discuss the key questions, each group presented their findings and the meeting culminated in fruitful discussion about various points raised and discussed during the day.
PROJECT MANAGER for a new Center of Excellence in Digital Health and Personalized Medicine
In the context of a project funded through the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation addressing future clinical and societal needs in the Luxembourgish healthcare and biomedical research landscape, Professor Markus Ollert, Director of the Department of Infection and Immunity at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), is looking for a Project Manager.
Information on the position
The candidate will be part of a team and will mainly be in charge of providing comprehensive support to the development and writing of the final business plan for CLINNOVA, the Center of Excellence in Digital Health and Personalized Medicine.
The candidate will be involved in peer-reviewing and monitoring activities of this project, as well as in promoting it to the research and healthcare community in Luxembourg.
The position demands a high degree of interaction with relevant Luxembourg stakeholders and international partners. Together with the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the partners involved in this initiative are the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), the Luxembourg Center for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg, the Centre for Innovative Medical Technology (CIMT) of the Region of Southern Denmark (Odense, Denmark) and the German Cancer Research Center (NCT-DKFZ; Heidelberg, Germany).
Key skills, experience & qualifications
University degree in Life Sciences, Biomedicine, or other fields relevant to the subject.
A MD and/or PhD degree together with work experience in biomedical research or research management will be considered as an asset.
Knowledge of the interface between biological and clinical research is appreciated.
Strong critical thinking and experience in National or European projects writing are an advantage.
Experience of working independently and in a team-orientated, collaborative environment
Ability to effectively organize, prioritize and execute tasks in a highly dynamic environment.
Full proficiency in English; German, French and Luxembourgish are considered as an advantage.
REF.: CM/PM0817/MO/DII
2 year fixed-term contract – Full time or at least 80% part-time – Open immediately – Renewal