As a branch of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases at University Hospital Düsseldorf, the institute serves as a platform for training and clinical research in the fields of infectious diseases and tropical medicine at an international level. This includes the bidirectional transfer of knowledge, including the training of the institute's own medical specialists, as well as the implementation of joint clinical and scientific projects focusing on sepsis, antimicrobial resistance and nosocomial infections, HIV (especially HIV resistance and co-infections), viral hepatitis and its sequelae, tuberculosis, malaria, relapsing fever and parasitoses. Regional clinical relevance is a major factor in the research priorities. Accordingly, COVID-19 is an important aspect of the activities with provision of PCR diagnostics, training and scientific projects. At the same time, the aim is to improve the performance of the Ethiopian hospital through further training of the health workers and scientists working in Asella by our Düsseldorf physicians, but also through visits by Ethiopian colleagues to our hospital. Therefore, since the founding of the institute, at least one physician from Düsseldorf has been sent to Asella on a continuous rotation.