Tim Flink heads the Strategy Unit
The Max Delbrück Center is excited to welcome Dr. Tim Flink as our new Head of Strategy. Flink is a political scientist, sociologist, and recognized expert in research policy and science diplomacy. Prior to his engagement at the Max Delbrück Center, he has worked as scientific advisor in the German Bundestag, notably in the Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment and the Subcommittee on Global Health, where he advised on health research, international and European research policy, research data infrastructure and issues pertaining to resilience of science vis-à-vis international threats. His longstanding research at Humboldt-Universität Berlin, WZB and Manchester University focused on science policy topics, especially science diplomacy, EU science policy and effects of governance on the science system. Before his scientific career, Tim served in the EU Liaison Office of German Research Organizations in Brussels.
In his new role, Flink will steer a team that inter alia will “operationalize” the Max Delbrück Center’s new 2030 strategy. Our aim is to “transform tomorrow’s medicine through our discoveries of today.” While the center’s research is highly regarded, there is still room for greater collaboration to streamline efforts and eliminate redundancy to reach our goals, he says. “There are a lot of ways that we could strengthen connections with other research institutions, locally on the European level and globally,” he says.
Strengthen collaboration
“Just take the ecosystem of Berlin’s health research and healthcare – what great potential it has for translating discoveries into better therapies, prevention and even prosperity.” The Max Delbrück Center can play a stronger part in pooling perspectives of researchers, patients, industrial stakeholders and investors, Flink adds.
He also aims to make Max Delbrück research more politically relevant. Competing for funding among the myriad German research institutes, one can easily lose funding if research goals and purpose are not clearly communicated, he says. Moreover, “we should provide better feedback to lawmakers on whether certain policies make sense to Max Delbrück and its investigator-driven approach.” At the same time, Flink sees it as the duty of his strategy unit to better anticipate and analyze political developments for the benefit of the center. “E-health and R&D data sharing as well as new tax incentives for R&D investments are just a few examples of recent policy decisions that Max Delbrück can benefit from.”
Text: Gunjan Sinha
