Anatomy & Innovation Center for Education and Research inaugurated at Semmelweis University

The Anatomy & Innovation Center for Education and Research (AICER), inaugurated at Semmelweis University, provides educational and research infrastructure that is outstanding even by European standards for medical students, residents, and researchers. The center offers state-of-the-art and highly secure conditions for acquiring practical skills, particularly in hands-on disciplines and imaging-based diagnostics, while also creating world-class opportunities for developing innovative medical, surgical, and diagnostic technologies and procedures.

For future physicians, understanding and applying digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and robotics will be essential. The Anatomy & Innovation Center for Education and Research incorporates these capabilities into everyday undergraduate and graduate medical training by providing infrastructure that is rare even in Europe and unique in the region.

AICER expands opportunities for learning surgical techniques by offering training on cadavers (donated bodies), which plays a key role in the practical education of surgeons and other hands-on specialties. Practical skills can be developed simultaneously in a real anatomical environment at more than 20 ultra-modern operating tables, enhancing patient safety by ensuring that procedures are learned without increasing risks in clinical care. Future physicians will be able to routinely apply the knowledge and advanced techniques acquired here, contributing significantly to high-quality patient care.

For clinical post-mortem examinations, AICER provides a dedicated imaging facility (CT scan and ultrasound), enabling the development of minimally invasive, robot-assisted autopsy methods aimed at achieving results comparable to traditional procedures. Insights gained through imaging-supported examinations also play an important role in advancing the diagnosis of cancer and rare diseases, as well as in improving sampling techniques.

In addition, the center provides a platform for the development of innovative surgical procedures and medical devices, making AICER a hub for industry, innovation, and research collaboration between Semmelweis University and domestic and international partners in the health sector. Through these international collaborations and developments, the university can also strengthen its position in global rankings.

The Anatomy & Innovation Center for Education and Research works in close cooperation with the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, as well as the Department of Pathology, Forensic and Insurance Medicine – organizational units of Semmelweis University – integrating cadaver-based education, digital technologies, and medical innovation into a unified ecosystem. AICER was established as a priority strategic investment of the Hungarian government, with a total value of approximately HUF 22.5 billion.

Éva Haiman
Translation: Róbert Cseszregi
Photos by Bálint Barta – Semmelweis University