The Faculty of Medicine has been successfully supporting clinician scientists since 2012. The idea is to strengthen doctors who work both clinically and scientifically as a crucial link so that research and care are closely interlinked.

The Advanced Cologne Clinician Scientist Program (Adv. CCSP) is part of the "GoAhead" module of the Faculty of Medicine's research funding strategy (see timeline above). The decisive factor for funding is scientific excellence. Specifically, funding is to be provided in a career phase in which the spin-off of an independent working group should succeed both in terms of content and in terms of acquiring external third-party funding. It is open to both scientifically active physicians who have already received funding from the Faculty of Medicine, particularly in structured clinician scientist programs, as well as physicians who come to Cologne after several years at an internationally renowned research institution.

Target group:

• Scientifically active physicians shortly before completing their medical specialty or already a medical specialist with a publication record ready for habilitation (or already habilitated)

• Publications must demonstrate an internationally visible research profile and topic with future potential (subject-specific assessment)

• Advantageous: successful acquisition of external third-party funding (no industry funding) and at least 2 years of research outside the training clinic (i.e. post-doc-equivalent research stay at an internationally renowned institute/working group in Germany or abroad)

Duration of funding: 3 years. The following funds can be applied for:

• Pro rata for own position (up to 50% release from clinical work; please derive and justify the proportion of release from clinical work)

Material resources cannot be applied for. Additional investment funds can be applied for in Cologne Fortune.