The Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HCI) is a public research institute of the Helmholtz-Association focusing on infection research. It has about 600 employees and is participating in many national (NGFN, DFG-programs, BMBF-programs) and international research programs funded by the EU and other agencies. The various research institutes at the HCI have long-standing experience in microbiology, cell and immune biology, chemistry, structural biology, genome research, and environmental research. Laboratories to work at Biosafety levels BSL2 and BSL3 as well as central facilities for histo-pathological studies, expression analysis (arrays), imaging (confocal, 2-photon) and FACS analysis are available on the campus. The animal facilities at the HCI currently provide space for animal breeding with a total capacity of 3.500 cages, and a dedicated infection unit to perform experiments at the BSL2 level with a total capacity of 2.000 cages. A new animal facility with an additional capacity of 10.000 cages and BSL3 animal laboratories started its operation at the HCI the end of 2008. Prof Klaus Schughart is Head of Dept. Experimental Mouse Genetics.