Statement by the Association for the Promotion of the Medical Professions ( Society of Virology , GfV) e.V. on the recommendations of the German Science Council (WR) regarding the professional development of medicine, dated October 31, 2025

The Association of Medical Students in Germany ( Society of Virology , GfV) e. V. thanks the German Science Council (WR) for its analyses of the situation in university medicine, which are included in the aforementioned paper with a particular focus on preclinical and clinical-theoretical subjects. The GfV welcomes the WR’s recommendations for addressing the current challenges and foreseeable problems in university medicine, which will particularly affect smaller disciplines and specialized fields. The recommendation paper was made possible after a WR expert group received a specific mandate in 2023 at the request of the GfV and other professional associations.

In its recommendation paper, the WR notes that the clinical-theoretical and preclinical subject groups, situated at the intersection of the scientific and healthcare systems, play a central role in the quality of research (including translational research), practical patient care, and teaching and training. This is particularly true given the insufficient funding for these disciplines under current conditions and the consequences of demographic change and the shortage of skilled workers for smaller disciplines.

The GfV welcomes the fact that the WR is raising awareness of the growing challenges facing university medicine and identifying key solutions. In its statement, the WR emphasizes the essential role of scientific professional societies in ensuring the visibility, attractiveness, and development of the medical disciplines offered, as well as active portfolio management at the local and state levels. The GfV takes the WR’s appeal as an opportunity to highlight the particular importance of the field of virology—including its structural requirements (e.g., BSL-2 and BSL-3 high-security laboratories, independent professorships, staffing levels, and compensation for diagnostic and consultative services)—at medical schools.

Medical Expertise: At university hospitals, a growing proportion of critically ill patients are affected by viral infections, the care of which requires specialized expertise in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Examples include patients who have undergone stem cell or organ transplants, those receiving modern cancer therapies (e.g., CAR-T cells), and those experiencing iatrogenic immunosuppression, including autoimmune diseases.

Health Protection, Public Health, and the Resilience of the Health Care System: Virology is of particular systemic importance in the context of emerging pathogens, epidemics, and health risks related to the environment, migration, and crises. This also includes complex health threats resulting from armed conflicts and biological hazards. Facilitated by global interconnectedness, urbanization, and climate change, new pathogens are spreading, and known viruses are colonizing new ecological niches. To counter this real threat, it is essential that virology in Germany be preserved in its full disciplinary breadth across numerous independent sites, as rapid and comprehensive response capabilities in healthcare, public health, and research depend on disciplinary and geographical diversification and specialization.

Research Relevance: The significant role of viral infections in the development of noncommunicable diseases is becoming increasingly apparent and highlights a broad need for future research. Current examples include neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s (varicella-zoster virus (VZV)), post-infection syndromes (SARS-CoV-2, influenza), cancer (hepatitis B and C, human papillomavirus (HPV)), and autoimmune disorders (Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), multiple sclerosis). It is therefore essential to derive mechanistic explanations for long-term disease consequences from molecular virological processes in order to develop targeted strategies for prevention and treatment.

Given the importance of virology for patient care, public health, and research, as outlined above, the GfV aims to achieve a sustainable, structural strengthening of the discipline within medical schools. This includes, in particular, the preservation and expansion of autonomous virology institutes with independent professorships, reliable base funding for staff as well as for high-security and diagnostic infrastructures (BSL-2/3), and appropriate compensation for diagnostic and consultative medical services. The GfV calls for ensuring, within the framework of the portfolio management proposed by the WR, that virological expertise is maintained across the board at multiple university locations in order to guarantee both quality-assured care for complex patients and the ability to respond rapidly to outbreaks and future pandemics. Finally, the systematic integration of virology into education, training, and continuing education, as well as into national strategies for pandemic prevention and management, is absolutely essential.

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