The Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI) will be established as a translation center in Jena, with the aim of bringing light-based innovations from research into medical application. A joint delegation of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Thuringian Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (TMBWK), led by the state secretaries Dr. Rolf-Dieter Jungk and Prof. Dr. Steffen Teichert, visted the LPI in Jena on February 16. Alongside the newest developments and strategies of the LPI, the meeting addressed the LPI’s perspectives and the High-Tech Agenda Germany.
The worldwide rise of antimicrobial resistances increasingly complicates the effective treatment of infectious diseases. The Leibniz Center for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI) addresses the high need for rapid diagnostics and personalized therapy in this context: Here, the transfer of innovative technologies from research into clinical practice will be accelerated and supported. The LPI is characterized by its unique infrastructure with a unit for clinical studies (First-in-Patient Unit) at a Intensive Care Unit of the Jena University Hospital (JUH).
A joint delegation of the BMFTR and the TMBWK got tangible insights into the LPI in Jena. The visit focused on the LPI as a novel translation infrastructure, with the overall concept of the Center as well as the next steps for its structural implementation being presented. State secretary Dr. Jungk acknowledged the LPI: “The LPI strengthens the approach of consistently bringing together research, technology development and clinical testing. This creates reliable structures for transfering innovative solutions into medical practice. Thus, in line with the High-Tech Agenda Germany, we build a bridge between science and economy and make Germany a top technology nation.” With the available technologies and strategies of the LPI, the meeting showed overlaps between the topics of the High-Tech Agenda Germany and the LPI’s orientation.
The LPI management explained the strategic direction of the Center as well as its significance for Thuringia, Germany and Europe. State secretary Prof. Dr. Teichert emphasized the relevance of the initiative for Thuringia as a location for science: “The LPI connects scientific excellence with clear focus on implementation. It thereby makes an important contribution for the Thuringian image in the field of health research.” The delegates of the BMFTR and the TMBWK support the Center on its way of further establishment, including the construction of a new laboratory building on the premises of the JUH.
Hosted by Prof. Dr. Popp, scientific director of the Leibniz IPHT, scientists of the Leibniz IPHT and JUH presented a selection of already available technologies with a high potential for translational research and clinical application. It became clear that this opens up opportunities to translate innovative photonic approaches into clinical practice more effectively in the future.
An important milestone has been reached at the beginning of February: The JUH received a funding notice of the BMFTR for the First-in-Patient Unit (FiPU). The FiPU is a specifically designed sector of the Intensive Care Unit at the JUH that spatially connects patient rooms with laboratory units and therefore allows for regulated bedside testing of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. With a funding of more than 6 million euros, reconstructions at the JUH may start. “We are excited to further advance the LPI with the start of constructions of the FiPU. The new unit is essential for translational and clinical research.”, Prof. Dr. Kamradt, scientific director and dean of the JUH Faculty of Medicine, underlines. The FiPU is the first part of the LPI infrastructure that will be implemented constructionally. It creates the preconditions to establish new diagnostic procedures and innovative therapies against infectious diseases.
The constructive exchange between the the federal and state agencies and the participants in Jena provide an important foundation for further collective development of the LPI Center.
We thank all participants and organizers!
Photos: LPIgGmbH / Sarah Krautwurst // Visiting delegation of the BMFTR and the TMBWK in Jena / Februar 16, 2026
