Starting as a LOEWE Center in 2010, UGMLC was established as a Center joining the lung research expertise of three regional partners: Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Philipps-University Marburg and Max-Planck-Institute for Heart-Lung Research Bad Nauheim. Initially funded by the LOEWE initiative of the state of Hessen (2010-2015), UGMLC became the driving force to establish a German Center for Lung Research (DZL – Deutsches Zentrum für Lungenforschung), where UGMLC now is a leading partner and home of the DZL Head Office (Geschäftsstelle).