Once again, the Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance (DRCMR) has been announced as the winner of the Global Excellence Award 2017.

"It is a mark of quality of which we are very proud," Head of Research Hartwig Siebner says.

When it comes to clinical MRI Research, DRCMR at Hvidovre Hospital is among the top leading research centres.

In 2014, the centre was announced as the winner of the Global Excellence Award of Region Hovedstaden, and now the Regional Council has decided to award DRCMR once again with the prize.

Better Diagnostics and treatment

The re-announcement pleases the Professor and Head of Research at DRCMR, Hartwig Siebner, who says:

"At DRCMR we work hard to ensure that our research is of the highest quality, and we constantly generate new knowledge which can ensure better diagnostics and treatment for patients in Region Hovedstaden and in the rest of Denmark," he says.

The research in the department is focusing upon the brain. Hartwig Siebner explains:

"We work with both basic research which generates the underlying knowledge which is essential to understand diseases, and with clinical research in which we, for instance, use the basic knowledge to develop diagnostic and prognostic markers. Our most important mission is to understand those mechanisms which are causing brain diseases, because such an understanding could help us develop new diagnostic tools. Partly, we develop new and better methods for measuring the structure and function of the brain, and partly, we develop techniques for affecting the brain, for instance by sending low current through the brain or affecting it magnetically to stimulate the nerves. Our hope is that we will develop methods which can contribute to the diagnosing of brain diseases very early and hopefully also prevent them from developing."

World-class effort

With the re-announcement, the status of the department as the winner of Global Excellence is prolonged to the year 2020. In addition, a one-time grant in the amount of DKK 250,000 is included which is to be used to attract international researchers and practitioners as well as to conduct international symposia, etc. 

The Global Excellence prize is awarded to professional environments in regional hospitals and universities, whose efforts are considered world-class when it comes to research, development and deployment of new knowledge about technologies and new kinds of treatments in the Danish healthcare system.

The Review Committee

The re-announcement applications are reviewed by a committee consisting of the following members:

• Professor Nicolas Demartines, University Hospital CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland
• Professor Olle Stendahl, Linköbing University, Sweden
• Professor Antonius van der Steen, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
• Research Manager Anders Hede, Trygfonden
• Research Manager Anne-Marie Engel, Lundbeckfonden 

The Review Committee has performed their assessment of the applications using a number of professional criteria as well as the original applications. In their review of the DRCMR re-announcement, the following is stated:

"The Review Committee's reason for nominating DRCMR for the re-announcement is based upon how you in extent and quality represent a very high level of research and development, education, study and treatment, innovation and communication.

The winner of GX has, as required, developed positively since they have been awarded with the prize, and they have actively made use of their Global Excellence status, which contributes to the development of their international level and collaborations."