Medical Faculty

BIU

The research of BIU focuses on Cardiovascular-Renal-Metabolic Diseases, Neuroscience, Pulmonology, Immunomodulation, Eye Health, but also Research Beyond Borders and Technologies.

Boehringer Ingelheim Ulm University BioCenter (BIU)


On October 19, 2011, Prof. Dr. Gerd Schnorrenberg, at that time Senior Vice President of Boehringer Research Germany and Prof. Dr. Karl Joachim Ebeling, at that time President of Ulm University, signed the co-operation agreement of the "Public-Private-Partnership-Research Association BIU" in the presence of Theresia Bauer, at that time Minister of Research of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Barner, at that time Speaker of the Boehringer Ingelheim management.

After two successful funding phases, the “Boehringer Ingelheim Ulm University BioCenter” started its third term at the beginning of 2025 under the name BIU 3.0 and with the new spokesperson, Prof. Pamela Fischer-Posovszky, and the vice-spokesperson, Dr. Dirk Stenkamp. The partners are thus continuing their collaboration, which began in 2011, until 2030.

At the Medical Faculty of Ulm University, we focus on aging and age-related diseases - major challenges of our time. Building on these priorities, BIU3.0 focuses on translational research in the areas of Cardiovascular-Renal-Metabolic Diseases, Neuroscience, Pulmonology, Immunomodulation, Eye Health, but also Research Beyond Borders and Technologies. The goals of the newly founded research association are the identification and characterization of new biomarkers, the analysis of dysregulated signaling pathways as well as establishing new innovative preclinical and clinical concepts in translational research. The BioCenter is founded according to the structures and criteria of the well-established collaborative research centers of the German Research Foundation (DFG).

 

BIU 3.0 - Call for Project Submissions, 2027/28 funding period (main and pilot projects)


Submission deadline: October 22, 2026

Scientists from Ulm University and Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) are eligible to apply. The prerequisite for the eligibility of projects in BIU 3.0 is the joint interest. Only project proposals that are jointly designed and implemented by one (or more) representatives of both cooperation partners will be funded.

Main projects can be funded with an average of € 100,000/year for two years, extensions to ongoing main projects with an average of € 100,000 for an additional year and pilot projects with a maximum of € 40,000 for one year.

For more information, please refer to the information sheet and the guidelines.

You can download the information sheet, guidelines and other required attachments below:

Contact:
Dr. Lysann Palkowitsch
Dr. Peter Seither

Boehringer Ingelheim’s current areas of interest can be found on the following homepage Human Health Partnering Interests | Boehringer Ingelheim. 

For thematic questions, please contact the respective topic leaders. You can find them in the information sheet (please do not approach the contacts listed on the BI Human Health Partnering homepage).

Scientific Areas for the 2027/2028 funding period

Cardiovascular-Renal-Metabolic Diseases (CRMD)

Across its indications, Boehringer Ingelheim is interested in disease biology that can be translated into meaningful therapeutic concepts for patients with kidney (focus Cardiometabolic Chronic Kidney Disease, Alport syndrome, Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis), membranous nephropathy), cardiovascular (focus post-myocardial infarction, stroke), obesity, and liver diseases (focus cirrhosis).

A common priority is on human-relevant models, patient-derived data and materials, multi-omics approaches, and advanced experimental systems that improve confidence in target discovery, validation, delivery, and pathway engagement. 

Scientifically, the CRMD Research department aims to understand how parenchymal, immune, vascular, metabolic, and regenerative mechanisms drive progression and recovery in diseases such as chronic kidney disease, post-MI remodeling, stroke, obesity, and cirrhosis.

The overall ambition is to identify robust, disease-modifying mechanisms that support effective and sustainable treatments, particularly in areas where current models or therapies do not yet capture the complexity of human disease.

Neuroscience

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to developing disease-modifying, neuroprotective, and symptomatic therapies for Parkinson’s Disease, as well as for Primary and Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS and SPMS). Boehringer Ingelheim is therefore open to collaborations aimed at validating new approaches. Boehringer Ingelheim is also seeking technological innovations, such as complex human cellular models (co-culture systems, human organoids, etc.) that reflect dysfunctions derived from human pathology and thereby enable the research and development of therapeutically relevant concepts for humans. In addition, scientists are conducting multidisciplinary research into neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorders.

Pulmonology

Boehringer Ingelheim is seeking collaborations that advance the understanding and treatment of chronic lung diseases, particularly pulmonary fibrosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Key interests include the epithelial, mesenchymal, myeloid and vascular mechanisms that drive disease initiation, progression and impaired tissue repair.

A strong emphasis is placed on human-relevant translational research, including patient-derived data and materials, advanced multicellular models, organoids and cocultures. These approaches should enable the identification and validation of disease-modifying mechanisms, translational biomarkers and innovative therapeutic concepts with a clear path towards patient benefit.

Immunomodulation

The modulation of the immune system is gaining in importance as a fundamental biological principle in the pathogenesis of a large number of diseases. In order to use the underlying biological principles for a better understanding of disease, Boehringer Ingelheim focuses on the identification and research of regulatory checkpoints in the immune response in the context of respiratory, fibrotic, immunological and cardiovascular-renal-metabolic diseases which show a high probability for later translation into benefit for patients. It is therefore of high importance to integrate human data and translational studies from start.

Eye Health

Boehringer Ingelheim focuses in particular on first-in-class therapies in the field of ophthalmology. To prevent and treat vision loss in diseases such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration, geographic atrophy, diabetic eye disease, Stargardt's disease, glaucoma, and myopic macular degeneration, Boehringer Ingelheim is actively researching novel pathophysiological pathways that can positively influence disease progression. Boehringer Ingelheim is particularly interested in approaches with a high correlation to these diseases that can improve our understanding of disease progression and/or enable earlier interventions. Central pathomechanistic focuses are vascular and neuronal dysfunction, metabolic and atrophic impairments as well as (neuro-) inflammatory processes.