We at GCP-Service, as a global CRO committed to making clinical trials more accessible, are funding a Chief Transformation Officer (CTO) at the University Clinic of Dresden (UKD) with a €200,000 commitment over three years (via a university-affiliated nonprofit). Our goal: accelerate the digitization of care pathways, improve the patient journey from diagnosis to follow-up, and cut administrative burden so clinicians can spend more time with patients.

“Clinical research only creates impact when patients can navigate their care with clarity and confidence,” said Dr. Andreas Beust (CEO of GCP-Service). “By supporting UKD in establishing a CTO role, we’re helping to accelerate practical, human-centered digitization, so information flows better, decisions are clearer, and clinicians gain back time for what matters most: patient care.”

Why this matters

Patients today face a maze of data, documents, and decisions, often while coping with serious diagnoses. At the same time, clinicians are weighed down by administrative tasks that limit face-to-face time. The CTO at UKD will focus on pragmatic digital solutions that make medical information more accessible to patients, streamline processes for care teams, and build the foundations for scalable, sustainable improvement across departments.

This initiative aligns directly with GCP-Service’s mission to expand access to clinical research and contribute to healthcare improvements beyond its CRO mandate. It also builds on a longstanding collaboration with UKD, including successful joint projects and a shared commitment to turning cutting-edge research into real-world patient benefit.

A strong ecosystem and clear next steps

UKD is recognized among Germany’s leading university hospitals and within the global top 100, operating at the heart of a dynamic innovation ecosystem with TU Dresden and renowned research institutes. As part of a broader digital health push, the university is renovating a central building to serve as a hub and co-working space for technology-enabled healthcare projects, which will include offices for the CTO.

The search for the CTO began in May and has drawn significant interest. While the donation is not contractually tied to specific outcomes (as required for charitable funding), GCP-Service and UKD have agreed to annual written updates and GCP-Service is committed to engage with the CTO to review progress, share perspectives from industry and clinical practice, and keep the focus on implementable solutions and pilot-driven progress.

This is a targeted, high-impact sponsorship that reflects GCP-Service’s values and existing relationship with UKD. It is not a blanket commitment to fund academic positions generally. The shared goal is to catalyze a role that can unlock measurable improvements in patient communication, care coordination, data usability, and clinician workload, first at UKD, and ultimately as a model that can inform other hospitals in Germany and beyond.