On October 26, 2017, the independent and non-profit Cochrane Germany Foundation (Cochrane Deutschland Stiftung, CDS) was officially established with an office in Freiburg. The German Federal Ministry of Health will support the foundation with an amount of up to one Million Euro annually to ensure that the activities of Cochrane Germany can continue permanently.
On November 9, the German Minister of Health said:
“We need independent research that persistently and scientifically questions study results and that provides us with reliable information about the best possible treatment methods. That is why I called on the Federation to support the activities of Cochrane Germany in a sustainable manner with the formation of the Cochrane Germany Foundation.”
With the establishment of the foundation, a twenty year period of project-based funding comes to an end for Cochrane Germany. Stable and regular funding will enable the foundation to generate and implement information based on Cochrane Evidence steadily, to engage with relevant stakeholders and user groups more easily, to expand training programs and contribute to methodological enhancements for systematic reviews. The knowledge that Cochrane generates constitutes an essential information source on the effectiveness of therapies and diagnostic methods in the field of medicine and facilitates decision-making for evidence-informed health care in the best possible manner.
Director of the foundation is Prof. Gerd Antes (scientific director) and Dr. Britta Lang (managing director). The academic partner of the foundation remains the central facility “Evidence in Medicine” of the Freiburg University Medical Centre, directed by PD Dr. Jörg Meerpohl and Prof. Dr. Gerd Antes.