Roofing ceremony at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research. From the left: Dr Uwe Klug (JMU), Dipl-Ing Rainer Post (DORANTHPOST Architekten), Prof Josef Penninger (HZI), Patrick Friedl (MdL), Prof Matthias Frosch (JMU), District President (Lower Franconia) Dr Susanne Weizendörfer, Wolfgang Bücherl (EU Commission), Dr Britta Grigull (HIRI), Christian Scherf (HZI), Deputy Minister-President and Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy Hubert Aiwanger (Free State of Bavaria), University President Prof Paul Pauli (JMU), State Secretary Dr Rolf-Dieter Jungk (BMFTR), Oliver Jörg (Bavarian Elite Academy Foundation), Prof Jörg Vogel (HIRI), Lord Mayor Martin Heilig (City of Würzburg), Prof Dirk Heinz (HZI).
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Würzburg: Roofing ceremony at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research
Some of today’s most pressing health challenges include emerging pathogens, rising antibiotic resistance, and chronic infections. To address these issues, a new Helmholtz research building is being constructed in Würzburg to advance the development of novel RNA therapies and combat infectious diseases. The project is funded by the Free State of Bavaria with co-financing from the European Union. Today, in the presence of Bavaria's Deputy Minister-President Hubert Aiwanger and more than 200 guests, the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research celebrated the roofing ceremony.
The rapid development of mRNA vaccines in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how breakthroughs in basic RNA research can translate into effective, life-saving applications. Looking ahead, RNA therapeutics hold the promise of addressing a wide range of diseases – from infections caused by known or emerging pathogens to cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and rare genetic conditions.
The Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), established in 2017, has taken on a key role in advancing efforts in this area. A site of the Braunschweig Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in cooperation with the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), HIRI brings together the expertise of both institutions to harness the vast potential of RNA, one of the fast-growing fields of life sciences and biomedicine research.
Since its foundation, the HIRI has been hosted in the facilities of the JMU. To ensure the long-term fulfillment of its research mission in Würzburg, the institution will receive its own building on the medical campus in Grombühl. The funding is provided by the Free State of Bavaria, represented by the State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy, and co-financed by the European Union. In total, 60 million euros are being invested in the new RNA research center, including 21 million euros from the EU.
Roofing ceremony for the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research. At the end of the event, the Roofing wreath was hoisted up in front of the institute's new building.
“Research funding is a significant catalyst for future development and innovation in Bavaria,” emphasized guest of honor Hubert Aiwanger, Bavaria's Deputy Minister-President and Minister of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, at the ceremony. “State-of-the-art infrastructure is being created here, which will strengthen Bavaria's competitiveness as a research location. Würzburg is benefiting twice: through new jobs in science and through a boost to the regional economy,” said Aiwanger.
“The Helmholtz institutions funded by the federal government address the pressing issues facing our society and do outstanding scientific work, ” said Rolf-Dieter Jungk, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR). “Focusing on basic RNA research, the Helmholtz Institute in Würzburg is making a decisive contribution to developing new technologies and strengthening our country's international competitiveness. ”
Wolfgang Bücherl, Head of the European Commission's Regional Representation for Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, praised the construction project's strategic relevance for the EU: “Pathogens know no borders. In Würzburg, we are investing in a leading European location for future technologies. The HIRI will set the pace for Europe in this way, enabling us to keep up in the global competition for the best technologies, therapies, and minds.”
A City with a long research history
Würzburg's Lord Mayor, Martin Heilig, reflected on his city's rich research tradition. Here, 130 years ago, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen made the groundbreaking discovery of X-rays. Heilig expressed his hope that the HIRI would achieve similar monumental advances in the future. He was delighted that the Helmholtz Institute is creating jobs and attracting international talent to the university city. University President Paul Pauli highlighted the joint scientific achievements of JMU and HIRI, emphasizing the importance of RNA research in the University of Würzburg's strategy for excellence.
Jörg Vogel, Managing Director at the HIRI, presented a review of how successful the dynamic young Helmholtz Institute has operated thus far. Together with Josef Penninger, the Scientific Director of the HZI, Vogel thanked the funding bodies that made conducting research at the highest level possible.
Rainer Post, Executive Director and Shareholder of the architectural firm DORANTHPOST Architekten, which designed the new HIRI building, said that cutting-edge research requires spaces that meet the latest construction standards and have the best technical equipment. At the end of the HIRI roofing ceremony, guests were able to tour the new building.
An overview of the new building
With a floor area of around 10,700 square meters, numerous laboratories, and open work and communication areas, the future HIRI building will offer research opportunities at the highest technical level. The new building is made possible by investments from the Free State of Bavaria, represented by the State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy, and co-financed by the European Union. The total project cost amounts to 60 million euros.
The design for the Würzburg site envisions a slender, longitudinally oriented building that blends harmoniously into its surroundings on the medical campus. At the same time, its transparent glass façade, bright and open staircase, and its fragmented cubature, create a contemporary contrast to the neighboring historic buildings from the late 19th century. A striking feature of the new building is the west side of the fifth floor, which provides a place for gatherings and events.
The building, with its visionary and user-oriented concept, was designed by the Munich-based firm DORANTHPOST Architekten. The firm is active both in Germany and abroad and has already completed numerous buildings for scientific institutions, including in Munich and Erlangen in Bavaria.
A research team led by scientists from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) has introduced a new way to fine-tune genetic material. Their study, published in Nature Biotechnology, describes an innovative technique in which chemical tags are attached directly to DNA, opening the door to new approaches in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.
Bacteriophages, or phages for short, are viruses that infect bacteria. Using phages therapeutically could be very useful in fighting antibiotic-resistant pathogens, but the molecular interactions between phages and host bacteria are not yet sufficiently understood. Jörg Vogel's research group at the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) and the Institute of Molecular Infection Biology (IMIB) in Würzburg has now succeeded in specifically interfering with phage reproduction using a molecular tool called antisense oligomers (ASOs). According to the researchers, this innovative RNA technology offers new insights into the molecular world of phages and is expected to advance the development of future therapeutic applications. The study has been published in the journal Nature.
In the fight against multi-resistant bacteria, bacteriophages—the natural enemies of bacteria—are attracting increasing research interest. However, the targeted therapeutic application of these “bacterial killers” requires a precise understanding of their molecular basis. This is at the heart of the research in the team of Jens Hör from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg. Starting in February 2026, the European Research Council (ERC) will fund his research project “RIBO-PHAGE” with a 1.5 million euro ERC Starting Grant for a period of five years.
