The DFG-funded Research Training Group GRK 2727 brings together 13 projects on innate immune checkpoints focusing on Natural Killer (NK) cells and Monocytes / Macrophages led by 17 Principle Investigators from the Medical Faculties Mannheim und Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ, Heidelberg. In these projects, PhD students will closely collaborate with MD students. The goal of GRK 2727 is to uncover checkpoints in innate immune cells at the transcriptional, post- transcriptional, metabolic and cell-surface receptor levels, and to validate their functions in cancer and conditions of tissue damage. We will focus on NK cells and monocytes / macrophages that function at the forefront of immune responses. We expect that the obtained mechanistic knowledge will be instrumental for the design of innovative therapies of cancer and in conditions of tissue damage, where these checkpoints could be therapeutically blocked or fostered, respectively. Consortium members will benefit from complementary expertise in innate immunity, a common focus on complex immune processes, and from sharing cutting-edge experimental methods. At the educational level, GRK 2727 students will obtain extensive training in (innate) immunity in an InCheck-tailored program, including special lectures, science afternoons, dedicated workshops and hands-on training courses. To foster the interdisciplinary interaction between basic and translational science, the GRK 2727 will support tandem collaborations of PhD and MD students, working in the same lab. Presentation of thesis results by our students at international conferences will further enhance the international visibility of GRK 2727. Renowned experts from Vienna University and Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, both prestigious institutions with a long-standing record in innate immunity, will greatly contribute to GRK 2727 graduate education, as members of thesis advisory committees, as hosts for student lab-visits and during joint workshops.