Background and Organization
Structure and governing bodies of the DKTK
The DKTK foundation was established on 18 October 2012. The supervising body of the DKTK foundation is the Board of Trustees, consisting of 8 members drawn from the DKTK’s funding bodies, i.e. one representative from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and one representative from the research ministries of each of the participating federal states.
DKTK Foundation Council
The Board of Trustees supervises the legal compliance, expediency and economic viability of the foundation’s activities. It decides on the foundation’s general research aims and its research policy and financial matters. It also takes decisions on management and performance-monitoring principles and draws up multi-year budgets, including expansion and investment programs. The Board of Trustees usually meets twice a year.
Members of the Board of Trustees:
- Anna Margarete Pluschke
Federal Ministry of Education and Research - Dr. Florian Leiner
Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts - Dr. Christine Ziegler
Hessian Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science and the Arts - Dr. Björn Maul
Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health and Long-Term Care - Dr. Beate Mueller
Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia - Dr. Karin Schwarzenbacher
Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden-Wuerttemberg - Dr. Ann-Kathrin Schatz
Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism - Dr. Andreas Gerhardt
Ministry of Science and Health of Rhineland-Palatinate
DKTK Steering Committee
As the managing board and central managing body of the foundation, the Steering Committee manages the foundation’s activities. In particular, it has to ensure that the foundation accomplishes its mission continuously and sustainably. The Steering Committee consists of the DKFZ as the core center, and spokespersons from the translation centers. The Steering Committee meets at least once a month.
DKTK Scientific Advisory Board
The consortium’s scientific work is supervised by a Scientific Advisory Board consisting of leading international experts in the field of translational cancer research.
It advises the Board of Trustees and the Steering Committee on scientific issues, regularly gives its opinion on the scientific work of the translation centers and on their draft research and development programs, and is consulted on the selection of DKTK joint funding projects. The Scientific Advisory Board meets at least once a year.
Members of the DKTK Scientific Advisory Board:
- Prof. Scott Armstrong, Boston, MA, USA
- Prof. Kevin Brindle, Cambridge, UK (Deputy SAB Chair)
- Prof. Carlos Caldas, Cambridge, UK
- Prof. Francesca Ciccarelli, London, UK
- Prof. Amato Giaccia, Oxford, UK
- Prof. Rama Khokha, Toronto; CA
- Prof. Elaine Mardis, Columbus, Ohio, USA (SAB Chair)
- Prof. Holger Moch, Zürich, CH
- Stefanie Polat, Erlangen, DE
- Prof. Licia Rivoltini, Milan, IT
- Han Steutel, Berlin; DE
DKFZ Patient Advisory Council for Cancer Research
Patients themselves can play a key role in successful research by helping to shape the conditions in which it takes place. In setting up the Patient Advisory Council, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and its translational research network DKTK aim to increase the inclusion of patient views in research projects and promote public understanding for modern cancer research.
The committee meets twice a year and advises the Management Board on the following topics from a patient perspective:
- new ideas for cancer research
- identification of unforeseen risks, obstacles and consequences of the DKFZ’s research strategies and projects
- conditions for research in Germany
- promotion of understanding and trust with regard to modern cancer research among the lay public and other non-scientific interest groups
Here you can find further, up-to-date information on the Patient Advisory Committee.