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New funding totaling 3 million euros for cancer care in Ethiopia and research in Germany
Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe, November 27, 2025 – The Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is supporting two pioneering cancer research projects at University Hospital Halle (Saale) with a total of 3 million euros: the Else Kröner Center (EKC) for Cancer Care Halle-Wittenberg/Addis Ababa and the Else Kröner research school CARTESIAN. These two projects show how closely outstanding research, training, and patient care can work together – both in Germany and abroad.
A success story continues: Cancer care in Ethiopia reaches beyond Addis Ababa
EKC for Cancer Care Halle-Wittenberg/Addis Ababa builds on the successful work of the center established in 2020 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Eva J. Kantelhardt (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg) in partnership with Addis Ababa University.
In the first project phase, a clinic was established in Addis Ababa that brings the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of breast and cervical cancer together under one roof. This model has set new standards in Ethiopia and contributed to the development of two national guidelines for breast cancer and HPV screening. An interim evaluation rated the project work to date as “very successful.”
With the newly approved follow-up funding totaling 1.7 million euros, the care infrastructure is to be expanded significantly:
• Two additional one-stop clinics will be set up in Adama and Hosaena to enable women to also access early cancer diagnostics outside the Ethiopian capital.
• A referral system will be established that links three university hospitals and 15 hospitals.
• A palliative care concept will be developed to provide comprehensive support for seriously ill patients.
• The healthcare research will be accompanied by at least 15 doctoral projects.
One particularly noteworthy achievement: Prof. Dr. Kantelhardt’s team has managed to secure an additional 13.8 million euros in external funding. These include two African research consortia led by the Ethiopia-Halle team, linked to funding for four African countries, and the cancer registry network in 25 African countries. This creates a synergy with a supraregional signal effect for cancer care throughout sub-Saharan Africa. “The follow-up funding allows us to continue building on our successful integrated cancer care model in Ethiopia and embed it in the national health system in the long term,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Kantelhardt.
CARTESIAN: When data science meets medicine
EKFS funding is also leading to the creation of something new in Halle itself: A total of 1.3 million euros in funding is being allocated to the Else Kröner research school CARTESIAN (Clinician-Scientist Advanced Research and Training in Exploratory Science with Intelligence and Algorithms for Next-Generation Medicine).
This program will train young doctors to become clinician-scientists. It will be led by Prof. Dr. Michael Heuser (Director of the Department of Internal Medicine IV), Prof. Dr. Eva J. Kantelhardt (Head of the Global & Planetary Health working group at the Institute of Epidemiology, Biometry, and Informatics and the Department of Gynecology), and Prof. Dr. Jan Christoph (Professor of Biomedical Data Science) as well as cooperating partner Prof. Dr. Simone Hettmer (Director of the Department of Pediatrics I). Clinical practice will be combined with cutting-edge data-driven research.
The three-year program will offer five physicians dedicated research time and impart skills in data analysis, AI, and machine learning. The aim is to develop personalized treatments for cancer and age-related diseases. Program participants will rotate between the hospital and lab every six months, benefit from mentoring, and complete research internships with international partners.
“CARTESIAN will train a new generation of clinician-scientists to integrate modern data science into patient care – this will be vital in the medicine of the future,” explains program spokesperson Prof. Dr. Heuser.
Global network, local presence
These two projects highlight the versatility of the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung: Through its humanitarian work, the EKC for Cancer Care Halle-Wittenberg/Addis Ababa is improving cancer care in Ethiopia and building sustainable local structures for early detection, treatment, and research. In the research field, the Else Kröner research school CARTESIAN will support the training of clinician-scientists by combining clinical practice and modern data analysis.
Prof. Dr. Eva J. Kantelhardt plays a decisive role here. As head of the EKC for Cancer Care Halle-Wittenberg/Addis Ababa, she works with Prof. Dr. Adamu Addissie from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia to establish sustainable structures for cancer diagnostics and treatment in Ethiopia and strengthen the link between research and patient care. As deputy spokesperson for the CARTESIAN research school, she also collaborates with the clinical specialists to support the next generation of clinician-scientists in Halle.
More information:
EKC for Cancer Care Halle-Wittenberg/Addis Ababa: https://www.umh.de/ekc
Else Kröner Research School CARTESIAN: www.umh.de/portraets/prof-dr-michael-heuser
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) – Advancing research. Helping people.
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the funding and advancement of medical research and the support of humanitarian projects. To date the foundation has funded around 2,800 projects. With an annual funding volume currently amounting around 60 million euros it is the largest foundation in Germany that actively funds and supports medicine. You can find more information at: www.ekfs.de/en
Press Contact
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung
Bianka Jerke
Public Relations
Tel.: + 49 6172 8975-24
Email: b.jerke@ekfs.de
Dr. Judith von Heusinger
Medical Development Cooperation
j.heusinger@ekfs.de
+49 (0)6172 8975-17
Dr. Alexander Lehmann
Scientific Funding: Graduate and Research Schools and International Research Prize
a.lehmann@ekfs.de
+49 (6172) 8975-25
https://ekfs.de/en/current-topics/press/else-kroner-fresenius-stiftung-facilitat...
Prof. Dr. Eva J. Kantelhardt confers with her Ethiopian colleague Veronica Afework (left), who is co ...
Quelle: Markus Scholz
Copyright: Uni Halle / Markus Scholz
Prof. Dr. Michael Heuser (second from right) speaks with researchers and doctors.
Quelle: University Hospital Halle
Copyright: University Hospital Halle
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