Young medical students and clinicians are invited to perform high quality cancer research for their medical theses. The Medical Faculty of Ulm University has implemented the structured training program “Experimental Medicine”. This program has been integrated into the IGradU. The prerequisite for entry into this program is an above-average intermediate medical exam (part one of the national medical licensing exam). The doctoral candidates must suspend their study of Medicine for 9 months and solely focus on their experimental work. The Medical Faculty supports this program with 25 stipends per year (500 €/month for 10 months). HEIST actively recruits medical students via this program who will be associated with HEIST. Furthermore, HEIST offers the members of the recently renewed Else-Kröner-Fresenius Forschungskolleg Ulm entitled “Stem cells, aging and malignant transformation” (co-leader: Prof. H. Geiger) to participate in the qualification activities of HEIST. The Else-Kröner-Fresenius Forschungskolleg supports promising clinician scientists. Students/clinicians will be able to attend the qualification program of HEIST and IGradU including the setup of a work/thesis advisory committee for the training program “Experimental Medicine” In this context, HEIST encourages a tandem structure for each project, in which a medical student/clinician works together with an experienced graduate student or post-doc on a HEIST supported project to assure supervision and quality of the medical thesis/project emerging from this work.