Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine

What Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine does

CiiM (Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine / Zentrum für Individualisierte Infektionsmedizin) is a publicly funded research institute headquartered in Hannover, Germany, founded in 2015 as a joint initiative of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH). The institute is dedicated to individualized prognosis, diagnosis, prevention and therapy of infectious diseases, integrating bioinformatics, viral immunology, clinical bioinformatics, personalised immunotherapy and microbiome research in a transdisciplinary workflow that bridges basic science and clinical practice. Its work is organised across eight research groups covering areas such as Bioinformatics of Individualised Medicine (Prof. Yang Li), Immunology of Viral Hepatitis (Prof. Markus Cornberg), Clinical Bioinformatics (Prof. Cheng-Jian Xu), Personalised Immunotherapy (Prof. Kathrin de la Rosa), Bioinformatics of Infection Research (Prof. Alice McHardy), Individualised Medicine for Viral Infections (Prof. Luka Cicin-Sain), Infection Biology (Prof. Till Strowig), and the CAIMed AI & Bioinformatics junior group. Notable proprietary capabilities include a microbiome analysis platform deployed across multiple patient cohorts (RESIST-SeniorIndividuals, LöwenKIDS, RheumaVOR), real-time virus growth measurement technologies, SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus cloning, MCMV-based vaccine vector platforms and germ-free/gnotobiotic mouse models. A new dedicated 2,100 sqm research building in Hannover reached topping-out in June 2024, replacing temporary housing at TWINCORE.

CiiM operates as a non-commercial public research entity rather than a product or services business. It does not sell products or services; its activities are funded through recurring public grants from the German federal government (Bund), the State of Lower Saxony, the Helmholtz Association, HZI directly, and project-based grants from organisations including the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), COFONI, BMBF/GoBio and the RESIST excellence cluster. Since 2015, Dr. Jennifer Debarry (Head of CiiM Office and Science Manager) has secured over €30 million in funding across multiple major CiiM proposals as co-applicant. The institute operates from Hannover with associated HZI activities in Braunschweig, and its customer/beneficiary base consists of patients with infectious diseases (notably immunocompromised and transplant recipients at risk of opportunistic infections), clinicians at MHH, and the broader academic infection-medicine research community. Co-Directors are Prof. Yang Li and Prof. Markus Cornberg; the institute is governed under the legal umbrella of Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH.

Name

Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine

Legal name

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH

Website

https://ciim-hannover.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM) is a publicly funded research institute in Hannover jointly operated by the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Hannover Medical School, conducting individualized prognosis, diagnosis, prevention and therapy research for infectious diseases across eight specialized research groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Real-World Evidence (RWE), HEOR & Epidemiology CROs (HLAGAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

General Infectious Disease (HLAKAGAA)

Keywords

• Infection medicine research
• Individualized patient diagnostics
• Clinical bioinformatics services
• Infectious disease biomarkers
• Viral immunology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Public funding from federal government (Bund), state of Lower Saxony (Land Niedersachsen), Helmholtz Association, and HZI for construction and research operations
2. Research Grants: External research grants from organizations including DZIF (German Center for Infection Research), DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft), COFONI, GoBio (BMBF), and excellence cluster RESIST

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CiiM is a joint research institute of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH) that conducts individualized infection medicine research focused on personalized prognosis, diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of infectious diseases. The center integrates eight specialized research groups spanning bioinformatics, immunology, clinical bioinformatics, infection biology, and AI-driven personalized immunotherapy to translate basic research findings into clinical applications for individual patient benefit.

Product overview

CiiM is a research center focused on individualized infection medicine, operating as a joint initiative between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH). Rather than a commercial product platform, CiiM conducts research through multiple specialized research groups including Bioinformatik der Individualisierten Medizin (Bioinformatics of Individualized Medicine), Immunologie der viralen Hepatitis (Immunology of Viral Hepatitis), Klinische Bioinformatik (Clinical Bioinformatics), Personalisierte Immuntherapie (Personalized Immunotherapy), Individualisierte Medizin für Virale Infektionen (Individualized Medicine for Viral Infections), Infektionsbiologie (Infection Biology), and Bioinformatik der Infektionsforschung (Bioinformatics of Infection Research). The center also hosts the CAIMed junior research group focused on AI and bioinformatics. Currently operating from TWINCORE facilities with a new dedicated building under construction in Hannover.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine (CiiM) Research Program Joint transdisciplinary research program of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and Hannover Medical School (MHH) focused on individualized prognosis, diagnosis, prevention, and therapy of infectious diseases. The program integrates bioinformatics of individualized medicine, viral hepatitis immunology, clinical bioinformatics, personalized immunotherapy, AI and bioinformatics (CAIMed), individualized medicine for viral infections, and infection biology to deliver research services that translate basic science into clinical applications for patients and healthcare partners.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-founding partner of CiiM. HZI is a Helmholtz Association research centre focused on infection research located in Braunschweig. The partnership established CiiM as a joint initiative between HZI and MHH to advance individualized infection medicine.
• Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-founding partner of CiiM. MHH is a leading medical university in Hannover. The partnership combines clinical expertise with research capabilities to translate findings from basic research directly into clinical practice.
• TWINCORE - Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdjacent research centre also founded by HZI and MHH. CiiM groups are currently housed in TWINCORE building while the new CiiM building is under construction.
• German Center for Infection Research (DZIF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDZIF provides funding and collaboration framework for infection research. CiiM researchers work as scientists in the DZIF research area 'Infections of the Immunocompromised Host'. Projects include DZIF TTU 07.835 for CMV T-cell immunotherapy.
• RESIST Excellence ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExcellence cluster providing flexible funding for CMV latency and reactivation research in lung transplantations. Prof. Yang Li and Prof. Markus Cornberg are part of the RESIST cluster.
• University of Veterinary Medicine ViennaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in CMV research, specifically for immunological experiments conducted by Dr. Katarzyna Sitnik.
• University of Rijeka (Croatia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in CMV latency research with Prof. Luka Cicin-Sain's alma mater connection and joint research on viral immunology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• German Center for Infection Research (DZIF): National translational infection research network funded by the BMBF. CiiM researchers participate via the DZIF research area 'Infections of the Immunocompromised Host'; DZIF provides both funding and a network of comparable academic sites.
• Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH): Co-founder of CiiM and one of Germany's leading university hospitals. MHH provides the clinical/translational infrastructure, patient cohorts, and clinician-scientists that CiiM depends on; overlaps heavily on infectious disease, hepatology, and transplantation research.
• Institut Pasteur: Internationally renowned French research institute combining basic infection biology, public health, and clinical research across virology, immunology, and epidemiology. Comparable as a multi-site publicly funded infection research organisation pursuing translational and individualised infection medicine themes.
• Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (Berlin): Elite German research institute working on molecular infection biology, immunology, and vaccine development. Overlaps with CiiM on viral immunology, CMV research, and translational vaccine work; larger and more established than CiiM.
• Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI): Parent institution and co-founder of CiiM. HZI is the broader Helmholtz infection research centre in Braunschweig, hosting multiple CiiM-affiliated departments (e.g., Viral Immunology, Microbial Immunregulation) and providing core funding, governance, and laboratory infrastructure.

Others

• RESIST Cluster of Excellence: DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence at Hannover Medical School focused on resistance to infection susceptibility. CiiM PIs (Yang Li, Markus Cornberg) participate in RESIST, and CiiM cohorts (RESIST-SeniorIndividuals) are RESIST-affiliated, making it a partner programme rather than a competing institute.

Direct peers

• Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM): German Leibniz-affiliated research institute focused on infectious and tropical diseases. Comparable in mission (basic and translational infection research with public health orientation) and structural setup (publicly funded research institute with virology and immunology groups).
• TWINCORE - Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research: Direct sister institute also co-founded by HZI and MHH in Hannover. CiiM research groups are physically housed in TWINCORE, share overlapping infection research mission, and collaborate on translational projects in virology, immunology, and microbiome science.
• Leibniz Institute for Experimental Virology (HPI): Hamburg-based research institute dedicated to viral infection research with strong structural and methodological overlap to CiiM's viral immunology and personalised virology work. Comparable cohort/clinical bioinformatics orientation.

Emerging players

• Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI): Würzburg-based Helmholtz institute jointly founded with the University of Würzburg in 2017, focusing on RNA biology in bacterial and viral infections. Sister Helmholtz centre with overlapping next-generation infection research agenda and similar scale to CiiM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Helmholtz_CiiM
• Facebookfacebook.com/helmholtz.hzi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-for-individualised-infection-medicine
• Instagraminstagram.com/ciim.hannover

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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