Bernstein members involved:
Nikolai Axmacher (Bochum-Marburg site)
Kristine Krug (Halle-Jena-Magdeburg site)
Daniel Durstewitz (Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm site)
Philipp Berens, Matthias Bethge, Peter Dayan, Kerstin Ritter (Tübingen site)

The future German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) will be able to significantly expand its research activities. On June 2, Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space Dorothee Bär announced the start of a five-year expansion phase, which will receive around €120 million in funding. The aim is to accelerate the transfer of research results into practical applications.

Federal Minister for Research Dorothee Bär emphasized the social importance of this investment: “Mental illnesses are among the most burdensome and widespread public health challenges. The need for research in this area remains immense. With the establishment of the German Center for Mental Health, we are uniting research expertise from diverse disciplines across the country. The expansion phase marks a decisive step toward establishing the DZPG as a premier national hub for mental health research. People must benefit from research outcomes as swiftly as possible — in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment alike.”

Professor Silvia Schneider, DZPG spokesperson, emphasized: “Promoting mental health necessitates a multidisciplinary approach. We are committed to advancing research at both the national and international levels, while also working to dismantle the stigma surrounding mental illness.”

Prof. Peter Falkai, also a spokesperson for the DZPG, adds: “The BMFTR has been committed to mental health research for many years. The continued support from the federal government sends a clear signal about the urgency with which we must tackle the challenges in this complex field.”

Background

The German Centers for Health Research (DZG) represent a unique model of cooperation in medical research. Many university and non-university research institutions have joined forces in these nationwide networks and pooled their expertise. They combine basic research, clinical research, and patient care so that new findings from research can be incorporated more quickly into everyday treatment.

The future German Center for Mental Health (DZPG) is researching new methods for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illness. It combines interdisciplinary research from the fields of psychology, neuroscience, medicine, and social sciences.

The DZPG consists of a total of six sites that were selected through a competitive process: Berlin-Potsdam, Bochum-Marburg, Munich-Augsburg, Mannheim-Heidelberg-Ulm, Halle-Jena-Magdeburg, and Tübingen. Twenty-seven research institutions are pooling their expertise at the six sites.

In the first development phase from 2023 to 2025, the DZPG locations were provided with initial funding of around 30 million euros. With the start of the expansion phase this year, the DZPG will now receive a further 120 million euros in funding from the BMFTR over the next five years.