Alumni Project Week Global Digital Health
“Global Digital Health – Interdisciplinary Challenges from International Perspectives” is a collaborative initiative bringing together international Research Alumni and local researchers from 6 German partner institutions (DKFZ, KIT, and the Universities of Cologne, Heidelberg, Münster, and Siegen) in Cologne and Heidelberg during 20–26 November 2025.
Target Group
International Research Alumni from the 6 partner institutions with diverse backgrounds from developing, emerging, and industrialised countries, facilitating a North-South dialogue are invited to Germany to share their expertise and take part in an interactive project week with many interdisciplinary discussions. Our Research Alumni are defined as international researchers, who studied or conducted research at one of the participating institutions and have spent at least 3 months in Germany as a part of their academic career.
Alumni from developing, emerging, and industrialised countries are invited to apply. To apply for funding to attend this project week, it is a prerequisite that you are an international alum from one of the 6 partner institutions. Successful applicants will receive support for travel and lodging costs.
Please note: The review of applications is currently underway, so the application is now closed. Abstracts can still be submitted. Please contact the DKFZ with any questions. Selected participants will be informed shortly of the outcome.
Project Goals
Bringing together international Research Alumni and researchers from the six collaborating institutions, the project week focuses on addressing the societal, developmental, and global relevance of digital advancements in disease prevention, diagnostics, medical care and therapy, bio medical informatics, ageing research as well as health policies and health education, alongside their challenges and opportunities from a global perspective.
The project aims to engage researchers from various disciplines and expertise areas, focusing on interdisciplinary dialogue and leveraging the diverse competencies of international alumni to discuss the development of global digital health and the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The interdisciplinary and international perspectives are seen as key to identify open questions and challenges in scientific discussions, with contributions from the partner institutions serving as a catalyst.
Structure and Venues
Online Kick-off
- 30 September 2025: Virtual pre-meeting
Project Week in Germany: Cologne and Heidelberg
- Interactive project week on interdisciplinary challenges from international perspectives in Cologne and Heidelberg
- 20-22 November: University of Cologne, Cologne
- 23 November: travel day between Cologne and Heidelberg
- 24-26 November: German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg
2026
- Follow up digital events to continue discussions and foster sustainable collaborations.
Funded by
The project Global “Digital Health – Interdisciplinary Challenges from International Perspectives” is supported by the DAAD with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
