Cluster of Excellence CIBSS - Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies

What Cluster of Excellence CIBSS - Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies does

CIBSS (Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies) is a publicly funded research excellence cluster established in 2019 at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg in Germany, operating under Germany's Excellence Strategy (EXC-2189 – 390939984) with grant funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Its mission is to understand and communicate in the "molecular language of life" by studying how biological signals are integrated and how biological decisions are made and controlled across scales ranging from molecules to whole organisms, in health and disease.

The cluster integrates more than 100 investigators from the University of Freiburg, the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, the University of Heidelberg, and other partner institutions across disciplines including biochemistry, cell biology, plant sciences, immunology, and computational biology. Research is organised around cross-scale signalling programmes such as phosphorylation-dependent autophagy control, auxin signalling, PP2A phosphatase regulation, and mitochondrial stress responses, with outputs disseminated through high-impact peer-reviewed publications, preprints on bioRxiv, seminars, symposia, and translational milestones including the 2018 FDA approval of ruxolitinib for acute graft-versus-host disease.

CIBSS does not operate a commercial revenue model and offers no commercial products or paid services. Its operating model is academic: institutional DFG grant funding supports investigators, infrastructure, training programmes (from doctoral to postdoctoral levels), and science & society outreach such as the School Ambassador Programme and the 'Exzellent erklärt' podcast. The cluster is led by a three-speaker team (Prof. Dr. Sonja-Verena Albers, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kleine-Vehn, Prof. Dr. Claudine Kraft) and is headquartered at Schänzlestr. 18, Freiburg. Strategic stakeholders — rather than customers — are the scientific community, the German federal and Baden-Württemberg state research funding ecosystem, and downstream healthcare and agricultural sectors that benefit from translated research outcomes.

Name

Cluster of Excellence CIBSS - Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies

Legal name

CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies

Website

https://cibss.uni-freiburg.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIBSS is a DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence at the University of Freiburg, Germany, studying how biological signals integrate across scales from molecules to organisms. It unites more than 100 investigators across partner institutions to advance basic signalling research and its translation into health and food security.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Research Universities with Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) (EDAHAAAC), Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH), Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Biological signalling research
• Academic research cluster
• Molecular life sciences
• Interdisciplinary biology research
• Excellence strategy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cluster of Excellence CIBSS is an academic research cluster at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg that conducts interdisciplinary research on biological signalling processes across scales—from molecules and cells to tissues and organisms. It operates as a research and training consortium, coordinating investigators, doctoral researchers, and partner institutions across biology, medicine, chemistry, physics, and data science, and producing scientific publications, seminars, symposia, and career-development programs funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) under Germany's Excellence Strategy.

Product overview

CIBSS is a research excellence cluster at the University of Freiburg focused on integrative biological signalling studies. The organization does not offer commercial products or services; it provides research programs, scientific publications, seminars, career opportunities, and science outreach programs as part of its academic mission to understand biological signal transduction mechanisms across scales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CIBSS Research Programme (EXC-2189) Interdisciplinary research programme studying biological signalling processes across scales, coordinating over 100 investigators across biology, medicine, chemistry, physics and data science at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg and partner institutions, and producing research outputs, publications, scientific seminars, symposia, and career-development opportunities for researchers and doctoral candidates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple high-impact publications in leading journals including Nature Cell Biology, Molecular Cell, Nature Communications, and Science Translational Medicine
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of FreiburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary host institution of CIBSS, providing infrastructure, facilities, and administrative support. The cluster is an integral part of the university's Excellence Strategy (EXC-2189).
• Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics FreiburgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution contributing investigators and research expertise to CIBSS, including Prof. Dr. Asifa Akhtar and Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Cissé.
• University of HeidelbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution contributing CIBSS investigators including Prof. Dr. Nora Vögtle from ZMBH (Centre for Molecular Biology Heidelberg). Joint research on mitochondrial proteostasis and stress responses.
• Eucor - The European CampusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean University Campus network marking 10th anniversary in 2026. Represents cross-border cooperation between five universities.
• INM - Leibniz Institute for New MaterialsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution where CIBSS alumni Prof. Dr. Wilfried Weber conducts research on molecular optogenetics and synthetic biology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SyNergy - Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology: DFG Excellence Cluster jointly led by LMU Munich and TU Munich, focused on neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. Comparable in scale (Excellence Cluster funding tier), multi-institutional structure, and research approach that integrates molecular signalling with disease outcomes.
• CECAD - Cluster of Excellence for Aging-Associated Diseases: Also a German Excellence Cluster funded under the DFG Excellence Strategy, focused on cellular stress responses in aging-associated diseases at the University of Cologne. Directly comparable in funding model, scale, and mission to translate basic signalling research into biomedical applications.
• Balance of the Microverse Cluster of Excellence: DFG Excellence Cluster at the University of Jena studying microbial signalling and communities. Comparable in funding structure, scale, and interdisciplinary approach to biological signalling research as CIBSS.
• ImmunoSensation² - Cluster of Excellence: German Excellence Cluster at the University of Bonn investigating immune signalling and sensory systems. Directly comparable as a DFG Excellence Cluster with overlapping research focus on biological signalling mechanisms and translational immunology.
• Precision Medicine in Inflammation (PMI) Cluster of Excellence: German Excellence Cluster bridging universities in Kiel and Lübeck to study inflammatory disease mechanisms. Comparable as a DFG Excellence Cluster with similar multi-institutional research model and translational immunology focus.

Broad incumbents

• Francis Crick Institute: Large UK biomedical research institute with multi-disciplinary research programmes. Comparable to CIBSS in scale, public funding model, and multi-disciplinary approach to understanding biological mechanisms underlying disease.
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology: UK's leading biomedical research institute with Nobel Prize track record and long-term public funding model. Comparable to CIBSS as a publicly funded basic research institute with strong focus on molecular signalling and structural biology.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): Large US biomedical research organization supporting investigator-driven basic research. Comparable as a publicly funded research organization with strong translational track record and investigator network model.
• Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research: MIT-affiliated independent research institute focused on fundamental biomedical research. Comparable as a mission-driven, non-commercial research organization with high-impact basic science output and translational outcomes.

Regional players

• Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics: Germany-based Max Planck Institute focused on molecular cell biology and genetics, with overlapping research themes in cell signalling and disease mechanisms. Comparable as a publicly funded non-commercial research institute with similar basic science focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cibss-unifr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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