From modern livestock farming to human medicine

Laying the foundation stone of the TUM Center for Infection Prevention in Weihenstephan

The sharp increase in resistant bacteria and the associated, massively increasing risk of infections in humans and animals is one of the great challenges of our time. “TUM has outstanding strengths in microbiology, immunology, metabolism, genome engineering, bioinformatics and sensory science. The new research complex reflects the interdisciplinarity and the integration of the various disciplines,” explains ZIP founding director Dietmar Zehn, Professor of Animal Physiology and Immunology. “The number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections is steadily increasing. With the research center, TUM is creating a new and unique research platform in Germany with the aim of implementing modern prevention strategies as quickly as possible.”

Scientific expertise under one roof in Weihenstephan

With the ZIP, TUM combines disciplinary strengths that have hitherto been spread over several locations. In Weihenstephan, a new interdisciplinary research team will be set up to work on the interface between livestock animal and human health. “How humans and animals can be protected more effectively from infections in the future is of central importance in times of increasing antibiotic resistance,” says TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann. “With the new research center, we are joining forces at our university to research innovative solutions for the prevention of infections, from livestock animals to humans.”

Unique competence center completes TUM campus 

The new research center completes the infrastructure of the TUM campus in Freising-Weihenstephan. The federal government and the Free State of Bavaria share the funding for the new building. The Joint Science Conference (GWK) has approved EUR 41.4 million for the construction of the ZIP. President Hofmann, founding director Zehn and Science Minister Markus Blume laid the foundation stone in the immediate vicinity of the Hans-Eisenmann Forum for Agricultural Sciences. Minister of State Markus Blume made the following assurance during his speech: “The ZIP will be a nationally and internationally unique center of excellence in the fight against one of the great medical challenges of our time: with the rapid growth of multi-resistant bacteria, we are combining cutting-edge research from all relevant disciplines for the development of innovative strategies for infection prevention without antibiotics – both in humans and animals. This is the TUM spirit: this is where visions become innovations!”