14 Tesla MRI
On the road toward implementing a 14 Tesla human whole-body system in Germany, the German Ultrahigh Field Imaging (GUFI) consortium responded to a call (Aufruf des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF)) in 2024 from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to submit project ideas to develop new national scientific infrastructures.
In a proposal coordinated by the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg and the German National Metrology Institute (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt) in Berlin, GUFI formulated a comprehensive plan to establish a 14 Tesla system in Erlangen in close vicinity to the University Hospital as well as Siemens Healthineers. The planned facility would be operated as an open research infrastructure open to groups across Germany and beyond.
GUFI-14T has two major aims: First, provide a unique tool for Biomedical Research to tackle fundamental research questions that lie beyond the capabilities of current MRI systems. Second, promote Technology Transfer to strengthen the competitiveness of Germany’s Medtech Industry and technological sovereignty of Europe.
For this, thirteen member institutions and associated partners of the GUFI consortium will participate in the planned infrastructure project. In addition, it will be supported by key partners from industry and society.
Members of the GUFI consortium have summarized the history of this initiative, the motivation and need for pursuing MR imaging and spectroscopy at such a high magnetic field strength, and the technical and funding challenges involved in the following review article:
Germany’s journey toward 14 Tesla human magnetic resonance | Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine
The evaluation of the submitted project proposals is ongoing. It is expected that a short list of projects particularly suitable for maintaining and expanding the leading position of the German science system in international competition will be published by the end of summer 2025.
