The establishment of a national cancer research center in Germany was initiated by Heidelberg surgeon Karl Heinrich Bauer [de].

The first was Harald zur Hausen who won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work in the discovery of the human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer.

[3] The second was Stefan Hell, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his pioneering work in the field of ultra high resolution fluorescence microscopy.

The project was commissioned by the German Cancer Aid with 29 Million Euro, as it was officially announced at the opening celebration on November 2, 2010, with Germany’s Minister of Health, Philipp Roesler (Berlin).

“NCT’s new building offers ideal conditions for translating current research results into clinical practice,” said Otmar Wiestler, DKFZ’s Scientific Director, at the opening.