Prof. Michael Manns took on the role of founding director in 2015, thereby formally launching CiiM. Under his leadership and in close cooperation with the then managing director of the HZI, Prof. Dirk Heinz, crucial funding was acquired for the CiiM, including funds from the federal government, the state of Lower Saxony, and the Helmholtz Association. Thanks to his continuous support for the project and his network building, the foundation stone was laid for the upcoming move into the purpose-built building.
Upon assuming the presidency of Hannover Medical School (MHH), Michael Manns handed over the directorship to the new management team of Markus Cornberg and Yang Li, who now presented the Founders' Award together with CiiM coordinator Jennifer Debarry in the presence of the president and vice president of MHH and the two managing directors of the HZI.
The Founders' Award symbolizes not only the construction of the CiiM, but also the sustainable anchoring of interdisciplinary infection research in Hannover. Prof. Manns' visionary pioneering work has strengthened the scientific infrastructure in the long term and paved the way for future innovations in the field of personalized infection medicine.
