Kick-off for the new research network in health economics at the TUM Campus at the Olympic Park: With the founding event on Friday, March 20, 2026, the Munich Center for Health Economics and Policy (M-CHEP) was officially launched.

The Center was initiated at the Department of Health and Sport Sciences at the Technical University of Munich under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Leonie Sundmacher, Head of the Professorship of Health Economics. The network brings together expertise in health economics and health policy and aims to promote collaboration between science, politics, and practice in healthcare.

Ceremonial Opening of M-CHEP with Prominent Guests

Around 250 distinguished guests from academia, politics, the healthcare industry, and self-administration attended the opening ceremony. Bavaria’s State Minister for Health, Care, and Prevention, Judith Gerlach, opened the event: “Our healthcare system is facing significant challenges. Society as a whole must address the question of how to use scarce resources efficiently while ensuring the highest possible standard of care. The new center here in Munich, as the largest of its kind in southern Germany, can play an important role as a driving force and provide valuable impetus for strengthening the future resilience of the healthcare system and further improving public health.”

Prof. Dr. Juliane Winkelmann, Executive Vice President International Alliances and Alumni, as well as Prof. Dr. Stephanie Combs, Dean of the TUM School of Medicine and Health, also emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration.

“The establishment of the Munich Center for Health Economics and Policy creates a new center for collaboration in health economics across university boundaries. The fact that 16 chairs from several universities are joining forces within this network demonstrates a shared commitment to producing research that sustainably improves health systems and ensures that insights reach where they are needed most — in policymaking, in self-governance, and in healthcare practice. Especially in light of the complex challenges facing the healthcare sector, scientific evidence is essential as a foundation for viable and socially responsible decisions,” says Prof. Winkelmann.

““The Munich Center for Health Economics and Policy brings together expertise across all levels of healthcare delivery and marks a turning point in how we shape medicine and healthcare provision. Health economics provides a common framework for translating research and teaching directly into practice. In this way, the center can actively contribute to shaping and sustainably improving the future of the healthcare system,” explains Prof. Combs.

Research Network Consolidates Expertise from Five Universities

Following this, Prof. Sundmacher, Scientific Director of the new Center, and Dr. Sebastian Himmler, Managing Director of M-CHEP, introduced the Munich Center for Health Economics and Policy and its strategic orientation. M-CHEP brings together 16 professorships and chairs from the fields of health economics and health policy. In addition to TUM professors, researchers from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the University of Augsburg, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, and the University of Bayreuth are involved.

“With M-CHEP, we are establishing a joint network that brings together health economics expertise in Bavaria and further expands scientific exchange,” emphasizes Prof. Sundmacher. “Especially when addressing central challenges in healthcare – such as financing, care structures, or prevention – interdisciplinary collaboration is needed to develop viable solutions.”

“With the Center, we are creating for the first time a structured platform for health economics in southern Germany, particularly in Bavaria,” explains Dr. Himmler. 

A focus lies on developing joint research projects across institutional and university boundaries. At the same time, the Center aims to support young researchers and expand existing formats such as joint PhD seminars, summer schools, and specialized doctoral courses. In addition, the Center conducts policy-relevant research designed to provide targeted impulses for health policy decisions. The expertise of the participants is already contributing to political advisory committees, for example through Prof. Sundmacher and Prof. Dr. Michael Laxy as members of the Finance Commission on Health appointed by Federal Health Minister Nina Warken. Prof. Dr. Amelie Wuppermann from the University of Bayreuth, also part of the M-CHEP network, is also a member of this body.

International Perspectives on Health Economics and Primary Care

The event was complemented by international perspectives, including keynote lectures by Nils Gutacker from the University of York on “The success story of health economics in the UK” and Dorte Gyrd-Hansen from the University of Southern Denmark on “Gatekeeping and Primary Care Systems: Insights from Denmark” which were initiated by Prof. Dr. Nikkil Sudharsanan, head of the Assistant Professorship of Behavioral Science for Disease Prevention and Health Care."

At the conclusion of the event, representatives from politics, self-administration, and academia discussed perspectives on primary care and possible reform approaches for healthcare systems. 

To the homepage of M-CHEP 
To the homepage of the Professorship of Health Economics 

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Leonie Sundmacher
Professorship of Health Economics
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich

Tel.: +49 89 289 24464
Email: leonie.sundmacher(at)tum.de

Dr. Sebastian Himmler
Professorship of Health Economics
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich

Tel.: +49 89 289 24465
Email: sebastian.himmler(at)tum.de

Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: Bastian Daneyko/Iryina Iashenko