University Hospital RWTH Aachen Contributes Expertise to Statewide AI Network for Cancer Research

University Hospital RWTH Aachen is joining the new statewide initiative "Artificial Intelligence for Cancer Cure NRW (AI4CancerCure.NRW)", officially launched today at the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia. The project will receive €200 million in funding from the North Rhine-Westphalia infrastructure investment plan.

To mark the launch, Minister-President Hendrik Wüst and Science Minister Ina Brandes welcomed leading experts in oncology and artificial intelligence, together with representatives of the university hospitals involved in the initiative.

University Hospital RWTH Aachen was represented by Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Joachim Windolf, Chairman of the Executive Board and Medical Director; Dr. Eibo Krahmer, Chief Financial and Administrative Director; Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Tim H. Brümmendorf, Director of the Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO Aachen) and the Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation (Department of Internal Medicine IV); and Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Dipl.-Phys. Daniel Truhn, M.Sc., Head of the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine at the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and spokesperson for AI across Medicine Aachen (AIx.Med).

AI4CancerCure.NRW brings together the expertise of North Rhine-Westphalia's university hospitals and other research institutions to advance new approaches in cancer research. The initiative aims to harness artificial intelligence for the development of innovative cancer therapies, while also improving early detection and enabling earlier intervention.

The six state-run university hospitals, Ruhr University Bochum and TU Dortmund University will combine their complementary scientific strengths to open up new opportunities for personalized cancer medicine. By connecting leading research centers across the state, North Rhine-Westphalia aims to establish a strong and sustainable framework for collaborative research and innovation.

The involvement of Prof. Brümmendorf and Prof. Truhn reflects University Hospital RWTH Aachen's strong expertise in oncology, personalized medicine and AI-assisted diagnostics. Both will contribute their extensive experience to the development of cross-institutional research structures and to advancing data-driven, patient-centered approaches to cancer care.

"Artificial intelligence offers tremendous opportunities to detect cancer earlier, develop more targeted and efficient therapies, and accelerate medical progress for the benefit of patients. We are delighted to contribute our expertise to this strong network across North Rhine-Westphalia," says Prof. Dr. Tim Brümmendorf.

Prof. Truhn also sees the initiative as an important step toward the medicine of the future: "Bringing together clinical and technical expertise to develop powerful AI methods creates new opportunities for more precise diagnostics and individualized treatment. Close collaboration across institutions and disciplines will be a key factor in making this initiative a success."