Groundbreaking ceremony for the new building of Fraunhofer ITMP in Penzberg

The new research building has a usable area of approximately 1,150 m², which includes offices, laboratories, meeting rooms, and a seminar area. © HENN

Groundbreaking ceremony for the new construction of the Fraunhofer ITMP-IIP (from left): Prof. Dr. med. Michael Hoelscher (Head of the Fraunhofer ITMP site IIP Penzberg/Munich and Director of the Institute for Infectious and Tropical Diseases at LMU Klinikum Munich), Andrea Jochner-White (District Administrator of Weilheim-Schongau County), Prof. Dr. Dr. Gerd Geißlinger (Director of the Fraunhofer ITMP), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka (President of the Fraunhofer Society), Judith Gerlach, MdL (Bavarian State Minister for Health, Care and Prevention), Hubert Aiwanger, MdL (Deputy Bavarian Minister-President and Bavarian State Minister for Economy, Regional Development and Energy), Dr. Rolf-Dieter Jungk (State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space), Prof. Dr. Francesca Biagini (Vice President of Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich), Prof. Dr. Markus M. Lerch (Medical Director of LMU Klinikum), and Stefan Korpan (First Mayor of Penzberg). © Fraunhofer ITMP / Maik Kern

The Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology ITMP is researching innovative therapies to better understand and treat diseases. At the Penzberg site, diagnostic systems are to be developed together with partners Roche, the LMU Klinikum Munich, and Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (LMU) to identify and characterize pandemic pathogens, develop new therapies, and better understand the role of the immune system in infectious diseases. A new building has been initiated in the immediate vicinity of the Roche plant premises for the permanent accommodation of the new research capacities. In the presence of high-ranking guests, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new building of the Fraunhofer ITMP location for Immunology, Infection, and Pandemic Research IIP in Penzberg/Munich took place today.

An unparalleled concentration of infectious disease expertise is being established at the Penzberg site of Fraunhofer ITMP in the fields of analytics, medicine, bacteriology, virology, and protein biotechnology — combined with state-of-the-art laboratories with internationally competitive infrastructure and embedded in an excellent research landscape of universities and non-university institutions.

The current groundbreaking ceremony marks an important milestone in combating infectious diseases and developing innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. It was attended by Hubert Aiwanger, Deputy Prime Minister of Bavaria and Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy; Judith Gerlach, State Minister for Health, Care, and Prevention; and Prof. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society.

The new building will house a highly modern research center focused on immunology, infectious, and pandemic research. Through close collaboration with LMU Klinikum Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, the Technical University of Munich, the Helmholtz Center Munich, and the Institute of Microbiology of the Bundeswehr, as well as tight cooperation with Roche and other industry partners, scientific insights can be directly translated into clinical applications and industrial innovations. The goal is effective research transfer to comprehensively address the challenges of 21st-century medicine.

Health Research for the Central Challenges of Our Time

Hubert Aiwanger, Deputy Prime Minister of Bavaria and Bavarian State Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy, says: "Bavaria is a hotspot for biomedical innovations. With an ecosystem of powerful companies and startups, as well as strong research institutions and universities, we have the prerequisites needed to turn scientific insights into economic success. With the new Fraunhofer ITMP site in Penzberg, we are strengthening the ecosystem of industry and research here on site, but also throughout Bavaria. Nearly €90 million will be invested by Bavaria and the federal government in establishing the new Fraunhofer site in Penzberg and Munich, working together with Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich and companies like Roche to improve prevention, early detection, and treatment of future pandemics."

Judith Gerlach, State Minister for Health, Care, and Prevention, says: "Infectious diseases are among the greatest medical challenges of our time. The COVID-19 pandemic has recently demonstrated this. It is therefore essential to prepare our healthcare system for these global challenges and to further expand infectious and pandemic research in Germany and Bavaria. The new building of the Fraunhofer Institute in Penzberg is an important milestone in this regard. It helps anchor top-level research regionally and makes health research future-proof locally."

"Health research addresses the central challenges of our time. By developing urgently needed innovations and cost-effective procedures, it not only secures our individual health but also societal well-being and the future viability of our healthcare system," explains Prof. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer Society. "With the new Fraunhofer ITMP in Penzberg, we are creating a highly modern center for immunology, infectious, and pandemic research, where university research, clinical practice, and industrial application go hand in hand. Through this interdisciplinary networking in an internationally competitive research environment, we can quickly and effectively translate scientific findings into concrete medical innovations. A forward-looking and resilient health research system, along with strengthening biomedical expertise in Germany and Europe, is particularly in focus."

"The cooperation between Fraunhofer ITMP-IIP, LMU, and LMU Klinikum is the perfect match for rapid translation into patient application: from innovative basic research at LMU, product development by Fraunhofer in collaboration with industry, to clinical evaluation and implementation at the LMU Klinikum," summarizes Prof. Dr. med. Michael Hoelscher, site director of the Fraunhofer ITMP IIP Penzberg/Munich and director of the Institute for Infectious and Tropical Medicine at LMU Klinikum Munich.

State-of-the-Art Laboratories with Internationally Competitive Infrastructure

The new research building will be constructed on a site of approximately 9,000 m² and will feature a usable area of around 1,150 m², including offices, laboratories, meeting rooms, and a seminar area. With five floors and a height of 21 meters, the building will offer cutting-edge laboratories with internationally competitive infrastructure, including S2/S3 laboratories, high-throughput technologies, and a biobank.

The financing of the new building is provided through funding totaling €21 million, split between the federal government and the Free State of Bavaria. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2025, with occupancy planned for spring 2028. The Penzberg site will create jobs for 50 employees, contributing to strengthening the regional and national research landscape. Future additional construction phases are planned that can directly connect to the building.