TUM to Launch €69 Million Connectomics Center in Garching for Brain Network Mapping

TUM to Launch €69 Million Connectomics Center in Garching for Brain Network Mapping

IN BRIEF) TUM will launch the Center for Structural and Functional Connectomics (CSFC) on its Garching campus—a €69 million initiative approved by the GWK—to comprehensively map neural networks and accelerate research into multiple sclerosis, neuro-oncology, and developmental neurological disorders. Spanning 2,000 m², CSFC integrates multidisciplinary expertise in microscopy (light, X-ray, electron), AI-supported data analysis, and computational modeling. Directed by Profs. Franz Pfeiffer, Julijana Gjorgjieva, and Thomas Misgeld under the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering, CSFC will partner with TUM clinical centers and national research bodies (Helmholtz Munich, Max Planck Society, DZNE, DZPG) to translate fundamental discoveries into clinical innovations for central nervous system health.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 10-Jul-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — TUM is set to establish the Center for Structural and Functional Connectomics (CSFC) on its Garching campus, creating a premier hub for mapping and analyzing every neuronal connection in the human brain. Backed by approximately €69 million in funding approved by the Joint Science Conference (GWK), CSFC will unite experts in advanced imaging, AI-driven data analysis, computational modeling, and diverse scientific disciplines under one roof.

Over an initial 2,000 m² facility, researchers will decode neural circuitry structure and function—targeting multiple sclerosis, neuro-oncology, and developmental neurological disorders—to drive breakthroughs from laboratory discovery through clinical application. By integrating light, X-ray, and electron microscopy with coherent image processing and AI, CSFC aims to unravel the physical and technological foundations of brain connectivity.

Under the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering, CSFC’s scientific directors—Prof. Franz Pfeiffer (Biomedical Physics), Prof. Julijana Gjorgjieva (Computational Neurosciences), and Prof. Thomas Misgeld (Neuronal Cell Biology)—will collaborate closely with TUM’s Centers for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroscience, Digital Medicine and Health, and the SyNergy Cluster of Excellence. Partnerships with Helmholtz Munich, the Max Planck Society, and national neuro­science networks (DZNE, DZPG) will further amplify its international competitiveness.

“TUM’s new CSFC bridges our world-class medical research in Munich with cutting-edge scientific and engineering expertise at Garching,” said TUM President Prof. Thomas F. Hofmann. “By combining high-performance microscopy and AI-supported imaging, we will deepen understanding of brain structure and function and pave the way for more effective treatments of central nervous system diseases.”

Further information and links

• The CSFC will connect the Munich Institute of Biomedical Engineering (MIBE), the Centers for Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroscience (CMSN) and Digital Medicine and Health (ZDMG) being set up at TUM University Hospital, and the SyNergy Cluster of Excellence. An  internationally competitive research network will be created through collaboration with Helmholtz Munich, the Max Planck Society, and the national research networks “German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE)” and  “The German Center for Mental Health (DZPG)”.
• In May 2025, the German Science and Humanities Council recommended three research buildings for funding. Of these, the CSFC was the only one to be rated as outstanding across all criteria.
• Information Joint Science Conference (GWK) 

Media Contacts:

Corporate Communications Center
Carolin Lerch
presse@tum.de

Contacts to this article:

Prof. Dr. Julijana Gjorgjieva
Technical University of Munich
Professorship of Computational Neuroscience
gjorgjieva@tum.de

Prof. Dr. Thomas Misgeld
Technical University of Munich
Chair of Neuronal Cell Biology
thomas.misgeld@tum.de

Prof. Dr. Franz Pfeiffer
Technical University of Munich
Chair of Biomedical Physics
franz.pfeiffer@tum.de

SOURCE: Technical University of Munich