Dear readers,
Prof. Dr. Hanns-Peter Knaebel
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Our goal is to combine the strengths of both sites, establish clear areas of excellence at each, and together create a centre of academic medicine that sets benchmarks nationally and internationally.
The year 2025 marks a significant milestone in the history of Heidelberg University Hospital. We laid the foundations for the successful launch of our alliance with Mannheim University Hospital while once again demonstrating the outstanding performance of Heidelberg University Hospital. Our renewed recognition as one of the world’s best hospitals in the Newsweek ranking reflects our commitment to providing patients with outstanding medical care at the highest level. Above all, however, this distinction is a testament to the extraordinary dedication of our staff, whose commitment makes this achievement possible every single day. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all our employees for their outstanding work.
With the launch of the alliance on 1 January 2026, a new chapter has begun. We do not see this partnership as an end in itself. Our goal is to combine the strengths of both sites, establish clear areas of excellence at each, and together create a centre of academic medicine that sets benchmarks nationally and internationally. We are committed to actively shaping the future of academic medicine – in patient care, research and teaching, and through close collaboration with our partners in science, healthcare, industry and politics.
With forward-looking initiatives such as the Smart Heart Centre, the systematic expansion of our digital infrastructure, and the preparations for the alliance, we created important foundations in 2025 on which we can now build. We regard collaboration as a key success factor, because the major challenges facing healthcare can only be addressed together – across institutional and organisational boundaries.
This Annual Report documents the achievements of Heidelberg University Hospital in 2025. It reflects the strength from which we take on responsibility together – for our region, for academic medicine, and for a healthcare system that will continue to set benchmarks internationally.
Our ambition is to actively shape this transformation – with clear priorities, transparency, and governance that creates the scope to act.
The year 2025 clearly demonstrated the profound changes affecting the healthcare sector. Hospital reform, rising personnel and operating costs, and substantial investment requirements are presenting university hospitals with major challenges. At the same time, expectations regarding quality, digitalization and financially sustainable patient care continue to grow. Our ambition is to actively shape this transformation – with clear priorities, transparency, and governance that creates the scope to act.
With annual revenue of around €1.5 billion and investments exceeding €200 million, Heidelberg University Hospital is an organization of considerable scale and responsibility. In 2025, we invested €68 million in a state-of-the-art combined heat, power and cooling plant, taking a significant step towards a more sustainable and efficient energy supply.
A key priority is the continuous optimization of our processes. Digitalization and artificial intelligence offer significant opportunities to better integrate administrative processes, accelerate workflows and create greater financial flexibility. In doing so, we free up resources for what matters most: delivering outstanding patient care while advancing excellence in research and teaching.
The alliance between Heidelberg University Hospital and Mannheim University Hospital significantly expands our strategic scope for action. Together, we represent more than 21,000 employees, annual revenue of around €2 billion, and a unique spectrum of medical expertise. This strength is also reflected in the latest Stern hospital ranking, in which the Heidelberg–Mannheim University Hospital alliance ranks first nationwide. Additional opportunities arise from synergies in investments, projects and resources, enabling us to successfully shape the transformation and further develop our alliance for the future.
Stephan Schulz-Gohritz
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Prof. Dr. Michael Boutros
Dean of Heidelberg Medical Faculty
Scientific excellence emerges where research, teaching and patient care are closely interconnected, and where different disciplines work together to address the challenges of tomorrow’s medicine.
Semper apertus – always open. This guiding principle of Heidelberg University reflects the mindset that underpins everything we do: openness to new scientific discoveries, to dialogue across disciplines, to new technologies and to international partnerships. Particularly in a time of profound scientific and societal change, this openness is an essential prerequisite for innovation and excellence.
The year 2025 once again demonstrated the strength of this approach. Scientific excellence emerges where research, teaching and patient care are closely interconnected, and where different disciplines work together to address the challenges of tomorrow’s medicine. This close integration is the foundation of our success – and at the same time the benchmark for our continued development.
Heidelberg Medical Faculty once again demonstrated its outstanding position in both the national and international academic landscape. Our researchers secured approximately €220 million in third-party funding. With nine Collaborative Research Centres (Sonderforschungsbereiche) coordinated by our faculty and numerous ERC Grants, we rank among Germany’s leading centres for medical research. International rankings likewise confirm our global visibility and scientific excellence. In particular, our contribution to – and integration within – Heidelberg University’s Excellence Strategy demonstrates how successful research initiatives build bridges across disciplines and enable cutting-edge research.
For us, however, excellence is not measured solely by scientific indicators or individual achievements. It is equally reflected in the education of the next generation of physicians and researchers. The fact that our medical students once again achieved the best results nationwide in the First Part of the German Medical Licensing Examination reflects the high standards with which we integrate teaching and research. Scientific thinking, clinical expertise and a willingness to take responsibility form the foundation of academic medicine for the future.
A culture of collaboration is central to our success. Through the Health + Life Science Alliance Heidelberg Mannheim, we are part of a unique network that brings together universities, university hospitals and non-university research institutions within a single research environment. At the same time, we are making targeted investments in the development of early-career researchers, supporting them throughout their academic journey – from doctoral training and structured Clinician Scientist Programmes to independent scientific leadership.
Groundbreaking developments lie ahead. The alliance between Heidelberg University Hospital and Mannheim University Hospital, together with the planned merger of the two medical faculties, creates an exceptional opportunity to combine scientific strengths even more closely and bring together complementary expertise.
Our ambition is clear: Heidelberg will continue to be among the world's leading centres for academic medicine – not only through outstanding scientific achievements, but also through our ability to translate discoveries into benefits for patients more rapidly, nurture outstanding talent, and drive innovation responsibly. This is what we are working towards together – with scientific excellence, openness to collaboration, and a shared commitment to actively shaping the medicine of tomorrow.
My sincere thanks go to all our employees, students, and partners for their extraordinary dedication. Their commitment makes the success of our faculty possible and provides the foundation for continuing to set benchmarks in research, teaching and academic medicine.
The future of our alliance will not be shaped by organisational structures alone. It will be shaped by people who are willing to learn from one another and forge new paths together.
The year 2025 once again demonstrated what makes Heidelberg University Hospital truly exceptional: its people. More than 15,000 employees from around 140 nations dedicated themselves every day to the care of our patients with outstanding professional expertise, a strong sense of responsibility and remarkable commitment. Together, they make Heidelberg University Hospital one of the largest employers and training providers in the region. With around 900 apprentices and trainees, we are already investing today in the healthcare professionals of tomorrow.
The future of healthcare depends on people with diverse qualifications, skills and experience. That is why we foster professional development at every stage – from vocational training and specialist qualifications to academic education. In 2025, around 130 employees completed specialist training programmes, while more than 1,200 participated in the continuing education and professional development programmes offered by our Academy of Health Professions. Our goal is to provide all employees with attractive development and career opportunities and to enable them to apply their expertise where it creates the greatest benefit for our patients. Nursing and allied health professions play a particularly important role in this regard. Through their specialist expertise, close patient contact and coordinating role, they make a vital contribution to the quality of care.
The alliance between Heidelberg University Hospital and Mannheim University Hospital opens up new opportunities to achieve these goals. Together, we can further develop our education and training programmes, share knowledge even more effectively, and create new professional opportunities. At the same time, we are strengthening interprofessional collaboration. Excellent patient care is achieved when different professional groups contribute their expertise, take responsibility, and work together to develop the best possible solutions for their patients.
At the heart of this transformation is not only the development of new organisational structures, but above all the creation of a shared culture. Guided by our principle of “We Care”, we are committed to taking responsibility for one another, strengthening trust, and shaping change together. The future of our alliance will not be shaped by organisational structures alone. It will be shaped by people who are willing to learn from one another, share their experience, and forge new paths together.
Yvonne Dintelmann
Chief Human Resources and Nursing Officer
Tatjana Utz-Erhardt
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
We see digitalisation and artificial intelligence as key enablers for continuously improving processes, strengthening collaboration across organisational boundaries, and making everyday work noticeably easier for our employees.
Since July 2026, I have had the privilege of serving the alliance between Heidelberg University Hospital and Mannheim University Hospital as Chief Operating Officer. I would like to sincerely thank everyone for the warm welcome and the trust that has been placed in me.
As Chief Operating Officer, I am responsible for the alliance’s operational infrastructure, service and transformation functions, including construction and infrastructure, engineering, procurement and logistics. These areas provide the foundation for an efficient and high-performing hospital operation, enabling our colleagues in patient care, nursing, research and teaching to focus on their core responsibilities.
A particular priority will be the further development of a modern, data-driven operating model in line with the vision of a Data Driven Hospital. We see digitalisation and artificial intelligence as key enablers for continuously improving processes, strengthening collaboration across organisational boundaries, and making everyday work noticeably easier for our employees.
I look forward to working together with colleagues across both sites to actively shape the continued development of our alliance.
Guests of the Board of Directors
Prof. Dr. Markus Weigand
Deputy Chief Medical Director
Heidelberg Campus
Prof. Dr. Maurice Stephan Michel
Deputy Chief Medical Director
Medical Director
Mannheim Campus
Key figures University Hospital
All Figures: UKHD Group