The Munich Centre for Health Economics and Policy (M CHEP) was officially launched at a ceremonial opening event on 20 March at the TUM Campus in the Olympiapark. The new research centre brings together the expertise of a total of 15 chairs and professorships from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), the University of Augsburg, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and the University of Bayreuth.
The University of Bayreuth is also prominently represented by two recognised experts: Prof. Dr Amelie Wuppermann, Chair of Economics III, specialising in Public Finance, and Prof. Dr Andreas Schmid, Adjunct Professor for Health Economics and Management.
The newly established centre focuses on the goal of strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration in the field of health economics and health policy in Bavaria. The participating researchers are conducting research on topics such as the design of health systems, health services research, public health, global health, healthcare management and the economics of population health.
“The challenges facing the healthcare sector are complex and require close collaboration between different disciplines,” emphasised Prof. Wuppermann at the launch. “M CHEP creates a research environment in which we can pool our expertise, learn from one another and jointly develop solutions that have an impact both nationally and internationally. The University of Bayreuth is making an important contribution to this, one that is scientifically sound and socially relevant.”
While Prof. Wuppermann is particularly involved in the research area of “Health System Design” and contributes a financial science perspective, Prof. Schmid is primarily active in the research area of “Healthcare Management”. The focus there is on the analysis and optimisation of service delivery and care processes. These topics are becoming increasingly important in light of digitalisation and resource scarcity within the healthcare system.
The M CHEP is led academically by Prof. Dr Leonie Sundmacher (TUM) and supported by Sebastian Himmler, an alumnus of the University of Bayreuth’s Health Economics programme, as managing director. An international scientific advisory board and a panel of experts from industry and politics provide strategic guidance to the centre.
The establishment of M CHEP creates a powerful network that brings together the scientific excellence of Bavarian universities and aims to drive forward sustainable healthcare through seminars, research collaborations and policy initiatives. The University of Bayreuth is thereby enhancing its profile in a field of research of great societal relevance and underlining its role as a partner in national and international health research.
