Center for Research Strategy and Support

Basic Clinician Scientist Programme of the Medical Faculty (CASCADE 1.0)

The University Medicine needs Clinician Scientists

Current call for proposals

dated November 10, 2025 for the 2026/29 funding period

Application deadline: January 7, 2026
Planned start of funding: May 1, 2026

General conditions

To the application portal

The application procedure is structured in 2 stages. After reviewing the written applications (stage 1), the Clinician/Medical Scientist Board will decide which applicants will be invited to present their project (stage 2). This presentation round is expected to take place in mid-March 2026. Once a date has been set, it will be announced here.

With immediate effect applications for individual funding of projects within the Basic Clinician Scientist Programme (rotation positions, leave from clinical work) can be submitted.

The Medical Faculty will (partially) finance up to four rotation positions.

The Basic Clinician Scientist Programme is established for a period of 3 years with an interim evaluation at the end of the second year. Initial applications for one or two years can only be approved if it is a lateral entry into the second or third CSP-year.

The leave from clinical work is 50% over a period of three years (flexible organization possible over the years).

Successful Clinician Scientists of the Clinician Scientist Program have the opportunity to acquire material and/or personnel funds within the Bausteinprogramm (Module 3.2CS). Detailed information can be found on the homepage of the Bausteinprogramm.
 

Documents/Forms for downloading (in German only)

The interim evaluation takes place in the 2nd CSP year. For this purpose, the Clinician Scientist submits his/her interim report to the Coordination Office at least 3 months before the end of the 2nd CSP year. The evaluation is carried out by the Clinician/Medical Scientist Board. The interim report should be based on the milestone plan/career development plan originally submitted and prepared together with the mentors. Any deviation from the original milestone plan/career development plan should be conclusively justified. Ideally, the clinician scientist should contact the coordination office in good time (approx. 4 - 5 months before the end of the 2nd CSP year) in order to discuss/plan the course of the interim evaluation. If time permits, the interim evaluation can be extended so that the clinician scientist presents his/her project at the CSP/MSP retreat.

Interim reports from the 2026/2029 funding period onwards will be submitted via the Faculty of Medicine's application portal.

CSP participants are required to submit a final report (using the form provided) to the Center for Research Strategy and Support via e-mail to Dr. Lysann Palkowitsch within six months after the end of the funding.

Final reports from the 2026/2029 funding period onwards will be submitted via the Faculty of Medicine's application portal.

NEWS

  • On July 4, 2025 the 4th Baden-Württemberg Clinician Scientist Network Meeting will take place in Ulm (network-internal).
    Click here for the program.
  • Sarah Schröder, participant in the Clinician Scientist Program, took second place at the 4th Young Researchers' Science Day at Ulm University.
    Congratulations to her!
    Click here for the press release.

Clinician Scientist Network Baden-Württemberg

Network of Baden-Württemberg Clinician Scientist Programs Sonderlinie Hochschulmedizin (in accordance with Hochschulfinanzierungsvereinbarung, HoFV II)

The Clinician Scientist Baden-Württemberg Network connects the medical faculties of Freiburg, Heidelberg, Mannheim, Tübingen und Ulm sowie das DKFZ. The network supports clinician scientists from all partner institutions and has the common goal of promoting translational medicine through close cooperation between clinical practice and research. The clinician scientists from all institutions meet annually at the Clinician Scientist Baden-Württemberg Networking Event, this year on July 4, 2025 in Ulm.

Further information

3rd Baden Württemberg Clinician Scientist Network Meeting on June 21, 2024 at the DKFZ in Heidelberg
Contact

Dr. Lysann Palkowitsch

Center for Research Strategy and Support
Ulm University
Helmholtzstr. 22 / room 1.49
89081 Ulm, Germany

Phone: +49 (0)731/50-33634

Click here for the flyer
CSP platform

A shared, protected folder is available in the kiz CloudStore for mutual exchange and networking among the Clinician Scientists. This folder is only accessible to Clinician Scientists within the CSP. The kiz-Account is required for registration. The seminar schedule of the CSP seminar series can also be found here.