In recent years, the University Duisburg- Essen has evolved into one of the leading centers of medical radiation research in Germany, with both national and international visibility. This is demonstrated by the successful establishment of a Research Training Group (GRK1739) funded by the German Research Association (DFG) and innovative equipment for imaging (PET/MRT) in 2012, and by the start-up of the West German Proton Center in June 2013. This exciting development is based firstly on the systematic support and focused investment of both the University Hospital Essen and the University of Duisburg-Essen. They have shown their support for this research area, which was neglected elsewhere for a period of time at the end of the 20th century. The development is based secondly on the willingness of key local players to build on new technologies and to fuse the specific knowledge of radiation sciences with the ideas, concepts and methods of neighboring disciplines with the vision to enable innovation. The third factor is the perfect embedding of this research area in the environment of vivid interdisciplinary research structures in the Biomedical Sciences in the university, as well as an excellent oncology focus with a long-standing tradition of integrating basic and translational cancer research with clinical care. Using medical radiation research as an example, this report highlights the importance of fusing the concepts, expertise and technologies of different disciplines for innovation.