11 October 2023
The Research Centre Jülich has been working with universities in Georgia for many years and bundles its joint activities since 2004 in the Georgian-German Science Bridge (GGSB). One component of the GGSB is the joint SMART Labs in Georgia. The labs offer young Georgian scientists trained in Jülich an attractive option to return to their home country. Now the fourth lab, the SMART Lab for Biomedical Imaging, has been established. It is funded with 200.000 Euro by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for two years.
SMART stands for "Science, Medicine, Applied Research and Technology". The new Biomedical Imaging SMART Lab will focus on improving the clinical diagnosis and therapy of oncological diseases. It focuses on imaging tumours using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) and the use of novel radioactive drugs. Other topics include quantitative mapping of water content in the brain and image reconstruction and early diagnosis using machine learning.
GGSB-PLUS makes the research results achieved in the SMART Labs widely available so that they can be used for the improvement of health of a society in demographic change. This approach could also be used as a model to improve health care in other countries.
As part of GGSB-PLUS, the new SMART Lab is also available to partners outside the Georgian-German Science Bridge. This expands the platform for technology and knowledge transfer and supports the mutual exchange of students and scientists. The Biomedical Imaging SMART-Lab therefore also aims to provide training and transfer for a planned imaging and radiotherapy centre in Georgia. Thus, within the framework of GGSB-PLUS, specialists in the field of biomedical imaging as well as machine learning can be trained and qualified in Georgia, thus increasing international visibility and quality in the field of education and research. The scientific relations contribute to strengthening the Georgian health and science infrastructure. In the long term, it should also be possible to carry out joint projects in Georgia.
