The medical university in Heidelberg is often compared to the best universities in the world such as the medical universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard. With close links between research and hospital, rapid implementation of newly acquired knowledge from clinical studies, modern practical-oriented teaching methods, and a systematic push for young researchers, the Heidelberg School of Medicine is one of the leading institutions for medical research and training in Germany.

The oldest university in Germany, founded in 1386, this university thrived in the 19th and 20th centuries with the presence of internationally renowned doctors such as Hermann von Helmholtz, Vinzenz Czerny and Ludolf von Krehl. In 1910 and 1922, respectively, Albrecht Kossel and Otto Meyerhof were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine, an award which was also awarded most recently to Bert Sakmann in 1991 and Harald zur Hausen in 2008.