What is the National Strategy for GCT?
The aim of the National Strategy for Gene- and Cell-Based Therapies (GCT) is to develop safe and efficient therapies for patients with congenital or acquired serious and incurable diseases. To this end, the strategy strives to connect the outstanding research landscape in the field of GCT in Germany and to accelerate the transfer of basic research into patient care. At the same time, the National Strategy works to promote Germany's international competitiveness in the development of GCT.
The national strategy was developed in a broad multi-stakeholder process that included various perspectives from science, business, politics and society as well as from patients. More than 150 experts contributed to the development of the eight identified topics, in each of which detailed objectives are formulated and measures recommended for implementation. The experts were selected by the GCT community with a view to achieving a balanced representation of different areas (science, industry, associations, authorities, ethics committees, patient organisations, etc.) and considering individual institutions, different federal states and the genders for the individual working areas.
The National Strategy for GCT was commissioned by the former Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), which is now the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), and is coordinated by the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH).
You can find out more about the national strategy for GCT in the strategy document.
The history of the National Strategy
The initiative to develop a national strategy originated from the German Bundestag in November 2022, whereupon the BIH was commissioned by the former Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF, which is now the BMFTR) to coordinate and moderate the national strategy in March 2023.
Steps of the development process of the National Strategy GCT
Until June 2023
An initial description of the necessary framework conditions and proposals for relevant topics by the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) in collaboration with the German Society for Gene Therapy (DG-GT) and the German Stem Cell Network (GSCN)
Definition of the comprehensive relevant topics in coordination at the Round Table with many relevant stakeholders (academic institutions, societies and initiatives, associations and expert associations, patient organisations, ethics committees, healthcare policy, regulatory actors)
July 2023 until October 2023
Convening of working groups to develop measures for the respective topics
October 2023 until June 2024
Development of measures with concrete action proposals by the working groups
June 2024
Publication of the National Strategy GCT
The current implementation process
since July 2024
Implementation of the measures by science, business and politics
since August 2024
In total, 91 measures were proposed. At least two measures per topic were prioritized and further developed within the working groups
The process is led by the Director of the Institute, Professor Dr. Christopher Baum as spokesperson, as well as by Professor Dr. Christof von Kalle, deputy spokesperson.
The coordination of this initiative is carried out by a project team from the department of Strategic Science Management at the BIH, which also serves as the interim administrative office.