The University of Greifswald and the IKEM have joined forces with the Therme Group’s new health and sustainability impact initiative Therme One Health, and agreed to set up a One Health Research Centre in Greifswald. The common goal is to make evidence-based contributions to the health and well-being of society and to climate protection while restoring and maintaining healthy and health-promoting environmental conditions. The transdisciplinary and collaborative centre is based at the University of Greifswald. With the University, the University Medicine Greifswald, the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institute – Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, and the Helmholtz Institute for One Health, which is currently being established, Greifswald is turning into an internationally significant centre for One Health research.
The OHRC combines the University of Greifswald’s competence in human medicine, health prevention and environmental research with IKEM’s expertise in the areas of climate protection and legal design and the innovative businesses from the construction, technology, infrastructure and cultural sectors of Therme Group. All three partners are able to incorporate their extensive networks of academic institutions, non-governmental organisations, health service providers, urban developers, designers and architects in the research centre. The resulting research-lead cooperation platform provides the basis for conducting research projects on the interactions and correlating elements in human, animal and environmental health (One Health). The results should help when creating public spaces with positive effects on health, well-being and climate. These results will be applied to cities worldwide in Therme One Health's infrastructure and urban development initiatives.
The OHRC will develop new approaches to the research into health, disease prevention and hygiene as well as new sustainability standards and evaluation tools. This will provide insights into and the further improvement of the impact of Therme Group and Therme One Health projects on the environment and climate, as well as on the quality of life and health of the population. The projects of the OHRC are planned with a strong focus on the transferability of research results to support the further development of the health, technology, urban development, construction and design industries as broadly as possible. The OHRC is expected to publish first findings and results in 2022 and will initially be funded by Therme Group.
Robert Hanea, Chairman and CEO of Therme Group: ‘With the establishment of the One Health Research Centre, we are taking the necessary steps to underpin our understanding of holistic wellbeing in an academic framework. By cooperating with the University of Greifswald, we can connect the renowned experts and researchers working on One Health.’
Mikolaj Sekutowicz, co-founder and CEO of Therme One Health: ‘Therme One Health was founded by Therme Group to address the critical fact that today's big cities are an unhealthy environment for the planet and for the people that live there. Through the One Health Research Centre, we aim to provide results and innovations to initiate a paradigm shift in the way we understand and shape our relationship with the environment to transform our cities into a global infrastructure of health and sustainability.’
Simon Schäfer-Strandowsky, Managing Director of the IKEM: ‘As an interdisciplinary research institute, we are convinced that climate protection must always be regarded from a holistic perspective. That is why we are excited to be able to offer our expertise and experience at the One Health Research Centre and to provide positive input for environmental and climate protection.’
Prof. Katharina Riedel, Rector of the University of Greifswald: ‘The University of Greifswald sees the One Health Research Centre as an opportunity to transfer the excellent and socially highly relevant research into One Health in Greifswald into practice. With strong and sustainably thinking partners, we are contributing towards a healthy society in a healthy and health-promoting environment.’
Contact at the University of Greifswald
Dr. Stefan Seiberling
Research Support Centre
Wollweberstraße 1, 17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 1174
stefan.seiberlinguni-greifswaldde
www.uni-greifswald.de/zff