Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne

CMMC´s history

The CMMC was founded in 1994.

Since then the Center has made great strides due to the federal funding program “Interdisciplinary Centers for Clinical Research - Interdisziplinäre Zentren für Klinische Forschung” by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 1995 - 2003 which amounted to approximately € 40 million. This funding enabled the CMMC to become a sustainable biomedical research center with its own organizational and research infrastructure. As the federal support gradually decreased from 70% to 0%, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia increased the funding from 30% to 100%. Since 2004, the CMMC is extensively funded by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia with an overall budget of approximately € 4.65 million per year. 

Since 2008, to ensure adequate funding of the increasing number of high quality projects with strong biomedical impact, the CMMC receives additional support from the UoC and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences since 2008.

In 2009, the CMMC opened its new research Building that has five-stories and a total floor space of 13.000 m2. The CMMC´s new building provides 6.000 m2 state-of-the-art laboratories, including isotope laboratories, a S3-unit, technological facilities, additional central core facilities and in-house service support as well as seminar rooms and a common recreation area to promote scientific communication. 

After almost 20 years the CMMC has perfectly integrated into the Faculty of Medicine and has catalyzed a number of structural scientific developments in both the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science. The CMMC has markedly helped to foster further development of biomedical research in Cologne as evidenced by the establishment of the Cluster of Excellence: Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD Cologne), the Center of Integrated Oncology (CIO), the six life-science oriented Collaborative Research Centers (CRCs), three Clinical Research Units (CRUs) and the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing - thereby adding critical mass and research momentum to the biomedical activities at the UoC.

Key milestones in the history of the CMMC

1994
Foundation of the CMMC

1995-2003
Supported by the BMBF funding program „Gesundheitsforschung“

1995
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Clinical Research

1996
Start of the 1st 3-year funding period (01/1996 - 12/1998)

1998
Implementation of the External Scientific Advisory Board

1999
Start of the 2nd 3-year funding period (01/1999 - 12/2001)

2002
Start of the 3rd 3-year funding period (01/2002 - 12/2004)

2004
Sustained funding of CMMC. „Landeszuführungsbetrag“ of the State NRW

Recruitment of three Junior Research Group Leaders

2005
Start of the 4th 3-year funding period (01/2005 - 12/2007)

2008
Additional funding provided by the University of Cologne and the Mathematics and Natural Science Faculty

2008
Start of the 5th 3-year funding period (01/2008 - 12/2010)

since 2009
Successfully operating the new CMMC-Research Building

since 2008
Growing number of competing applications (Declining success rates for CMMC funding)

01/2011 Start of the 6th 3-year funding period (01/2011 - 12/2013)

since 2011
CMMC Agenda 2020 - Advancing the Center's development

since 2012
Introducing new funding instruments

2012
Recruitment of three Junior Research Group Leaders

2012
Implementation of the first Career Advancement Groups

2014
Start of the 7th 3-year funding period (01/2014 - 12/2016)

since 2014
Successfully running the 7th CMMC funding period

since 2015
Preparation of the next funding period (2017 - 2019)