As one of Germany’s leading Comprehensive Cancer Centers, the NCT Heidelberg combines innovative, interdisciplinary patient care with excellent translational cancer research under one roof.
The NCT Heidelberg is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital (UKHD), the Heidelberg Medical Faculty of the Heidelberg University, and the Thoraxklinik Heidelberg. German Cancer Aid supports the NCT Heidelberg as a oncology center of excellence.
History
2026: Inauguration of the Heidelberg Cell and Liquid Biobank’s large-scale sample repository in the NCT building
2025: Move into the new building space
2023: Final announcement of four additional NCT sites by the BMBF: NCT Berlin, NCT Southwest (Tübingen/Stuttgart-Ulm), NCT WERA (Würzburg with partners in Erlangen, Regensburg, and Augsburg), and NCT West (Essen/Cologne)
2023: Establishment of the Patient Research Council at NCT Heidelberg
2022: Fifth certification as a “German Cancer Aid Center of Excellence in Oncology”
2019: As part of the Decade Against Cancer, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) announces that additional sites of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) will be established in Germany
2019: Start of expansion and new construction of the NCT building
2015: Establishment of the NCT Heidelberg Patient Advisory Board
2015: Establishment of NCT Dresden
2012: First-time award of “Self-Help-Friendly Hospital”
2010: Move into the new NCT building
2006: First-time award of “German Cancer Aid Center of Excellence in Oncology”
2004: Establishment and launch of patient and research operations
- Central Portal for All Cancer Patients at Heidelberg University Hospital
- Treatment of more than 5,000 patients with a new cancer diagnosis per year
- >73,000 outpatient visits per year
- >35,000 semi-inpatient systemic therapies in the day clinics per year
- 70 semi-inpatient treatment beds in a total of three day clinics
- Specialized oncology counseling and information services and self-help groups
- Interdisciplinary translational cancer research in the context of modern, personalized oncology
- Focus on the strategic priority “Multidimensional characterization of cancer patients for the development of individualized precision therapies”
- Comprehensive analysis of molecular, cellular, tissue, immunological, and functional tumor characteristics
- Use of modern AI-supported and data-driven analytical methods
- Identification of correlations between tumor biology, therapeutic response, and treatment success
- High-performance research infrastructures
- Active involvement of patients and consideration of ethical, legal, and social aspects
Directorate
- The Directorate of the NCT Heidelberg consists of representatives of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and representatives of the University Hospital Heidelberg (UKHD).
- The Managing Directorate of the NCT Heidelberg consists of the executive directors (Prof. Dr. Dr. Amir Abdollahi, Prof. Dr. Stefan Fröhling, Prof. Dr. Dirk Jäger, Prof. Dr. Lena Maier-Hain, Prof. Dr. Dr. Eva Winkler) and the Head of Administration at NCT Heidelberg (Dr Karolin Willmund).