Medizinische Fakultät OWL
Data integration centre
The Medical School OWL and the University Medical Center OWL (UK OWL) are involved in the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. As part of this participation, the Data Integration Centre was set up as a joint department of the Medical School OWL and UK OWL. The Data Integration Centre has the task of making research and care data available across all locations.
- Goals of the Medical Informatics Initiative
Source: https://www.medizininformatik-initiative.de/de/konsortien/datenintegrationszentren The Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) aims to make the best possible use of the opportunities offered by digitalisation in medicine for healthcare and research. As a first step, data integration centres have been set up and networked at university hospitals and partner institutions. These centres will create the conditions for linking research and care data across locations. At the same time, innovative IT solutions were developed for specific medical applications to demonstrate the possibilities of modern digital services and infrastructures in the healthcare sector.
The security of patient data is a top priority and is guaranteed, among other things, by uniform nationwide standards that were developed in collaboration with TMF e.V. and MII.
The map provides an overview of all university data integration centres in Germany. In addition to the centres listed, other non-university data integration centres are also being established.
- Provision of medical data for research
The Medical School OWL and the University Medical Center OWL (UK OWL) have joined the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) in the expansion and extension phase and have been members of the Network of University Medicine (NUM) since its foundation. As part of this participation, the location is setting up a data integration centre (DIZ) that integrates medical data from routine clinical care and makes it available for data-based medical research in a standardised form that complies with data protection regulations.
To this end, the necessary infrastructure and specialist units will be created at the Faculty and clinics to select, standardise and merge data. Researchers and clinicians from the Faculty, the UK OWL and throughout Germany can submit applications to use these resources. Following a regulated procedure, the data and biomaterials can be used in compliance with all data protection and ethical requirements.
Further information can be found in the "Services" section.
- Cross-location exchange and utilisation of medical data
The DIZ accepts applications from researchers and clinicians from the Faculty, UK OWL and partner sites of the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) and other authorised users. Requirements are regulated in the application procedure and include data protection and ethical requirements in addition to technical requirements.
For cross-site projects that require data and biosamples from several DIZs, as well as for projects that are not primarily located at the Faculty or UK OWL, requests must be submitted via the Research Data Platform Health (FDPG). The FDPG enables researchers to apply for resources from several DIZs centrally and to bundle the process. The DIZ supports and advises researchers from the Faculty or the UK OWL who wish to submit a data utilisation application.
The university hospitals in Germany are working together to make data from routine care available for research across all sites. The aim is to develop the best possible therapies for patients through the exchange and utilisation of medical data.
- Advice and support during the application process
The DIZ offers advice and support for researchers from the Medical School OWL and the UK OWL who wish to apply for approval of medical data and biomaterials. We guide you through the application process, from the initial idea to submission, and support you in fulfilling all data protection and ethical requirements. Our team is available for individual consultations to discuss your specific research needs and provide optimal approval of relevant data resources. Please contact us to arrange an appointment for a personalised consultation.
- Approval of data
Approval to access data in the DIZ is open to all postdoctoral researchers in accordance with the rules of the German Research Foundation (DFG). A successful data usage application and a signed data usage contract in accordance with the DIZ usage regulations are required for approval and use of the data. Requests from researchers from the Faculty or UK OWL follow a slightly simplified procedure and can be sent directly to the DIZ. All other requests must be submitted via the FDPG.
Strict regulations apply to the use of pseudonymised or anonymised patient data. All requests are therefore reviewed by the "Use and Access Committee" (UAC), which evaluates organisational, legal and scientific aspects. The UAC does not decide on ethical issues, but reviews the fulfilment of the requirements and resources for use.
The regulations for submitting an application and further steps after conclusion of the contract are described in the DIZ utilisation regulations. Further information and required forms can be found in the "Documents and Forms" section. If you have any questions, please contact us.
For questions regarding data protection, the Faculty's Data Protection and Information Security Coordinator can also be contacted at: datenschutz.medizin@uni-bielefeld.de
- Use and Access Committee (UAC)
The Use and Access Committee (UAC) is a joint committee of Bielefeld University, Bethel Protestant Hospital, Bielefeld Hospital and Lippe Hospital. It decides on applications and amendments for the use of patient data for specific research projects, taking into account organisational, legal and scientific aspects.
The UAC is made up of permanent and non-permanent members. The permanent members include representatives of the Data Integration Centre (DIZ), the Dean's Office for Research, the clinics, Data protection, biometrics/epidemiology and a lay member. Non-permanent members, including representatives from Laboratory Medicine, Pathology, Biobank or the Ethics Committee, are consulted depending on the research question.
Meetings are usually held on the last Wednesday of each month. Data access applications must be submitted no later than two weeks in advance via the following form: Link to form
For further inquiries to the UAC, the office can be contacted at: uac.ukowl@uni-bielefeld.de
Team and tasks
Our team structure is divided into a central area at the Medical Data Science Service Centre and three decentralised areas at the UK OWL's partner hospitals. Each area has specific tasks.
Please contact the DIZ team at medic@uni-bielefeld.de.
Central DIZ functions
at the Medical Data Science Service Centre.
Tasks:
- DIZ management
- Advice and support in the preparation of applications
- transfer office
- Central data services
- System development
- Central system and application operation
- project coordination
Decentralised DIZ functions
at the three partner hospitals of the UK OWL.
Tasks
- Decentralised data services
- Decentralised system and application operation
- Project coordination
- Current Projects
MII core data set
The consortia of the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) and thus all university medical locations have agreed on a common core data set, which is based on international IT and terminology standards and is a central prerequisite for the joint use of data. The Service Centre plans to participate in this project.
Project WebsiteProjects in the NUM
During the first funding phase (2020–2021), the location successfully contributed to multiple research projects within the Network of University Medicine (NUM). In the second funding phase, starting in 2022, Bielefeld University, the Medical School OWL, and the University Medical Center OWL will continue their involvement in numerous projects across various collaborations.
List of ProjectsKleine Eulen OWL
The neonatal cohort "Kleine Eulen OWL" is a longitudinal cohort study to be carried out in cooperation with the maternity and paediatric clinics of the University Medical Center OWL of Bielefeld University.
Project WebsiteMiPS
The Service Centre supports the use of REDCap for data management in the research projects MiPS of the WG 8 Cellular Neurophysiology.
- Completed Projects
KINBIOTICS
KINBIOTICS uses medical research data for the development of AI-supported decision aids, which are made available in a structured form via the service centre's data platform.
Project Website
All projects carried out through the FDPG can also be found in the FDPG's central project register.
- Presentations
Speaker Title Event Date Links/Slides Dreyer, Felix Forschen mit medizinischen Versorgungsdaten. Funktionen der Datenplattform der medizinischen Fakultät. Tag der Forschungsdaten NRW. Nachmittagsprogramm der Universität Bielefeld 12.11.2024 Dreyer, Felix Forschen mit medizinischen Versorgungsdaten: Funktionen der Forschungsdatenplattform der Medizinischen Fakultät Bielefeld Forschungstag Medizin 2025 11.03.2025 Grüttemeier, Kristina Immer den Überblick behalten: Unterstützung im Forschungsdatenmanagement Forschungstag Medizin 2025 11.03.2025 - Publications
Network. Research. Healing.
Medical research helps to better recognise, treat and prevent diseases. Everyone can benefit from this. How can this be achieved in the future?
Find out more about the nationwide Medical Informatics Initiative (MII) funding project here.
