The aim of the Early Development Profile Initiative is to sustainably improve the developmental prospects of high-risk infants through interdisciplinary cooperation, interdisciplinary research and innovative care concepts. Over the next three years, structures between clinical research and basic research will be developed and consolidated, which will lead to the establishment of a centres centre for early development centre.

In Germany, over 80,000 children are born prematurely every year, i.e. before the 37th week of pregnancy, or with another risk during pregnancy or at birth. Children with a high degree of immaturity or, for example, an oxygen deficiency at birth have a significantly increased risk of complex developmental disorders, which can range from cognitive and motor disorders to visual and hearing impairments and behavioural problems. This can lead to lifelong problems in coping with everyday life and social integration.

The members of the profile initiative have therefore set themselves the goal of using their multidisciplinary expertise to investigate the molecular basis of the causes of high-risk births with regard to their influence and predictive value for the further developmental potential of children. This includes immunological and (epi)genetic phenomena in particular. On the basis of these findings, clinical-scientific approaches for patient-oriented and individualised medicine are to be developed. The establishment of a cohort of high-risk babies in Oldenburg and the surrounding area(RisikO), which is geared towards these goals, serves as a basis for investigations into the acute course of the disease and for longitudinal developmental studies.