[Securing the future through research - light on the horizon?].

Research is more important than ever for urology as a clinical specialty. The enormous advances being achieved in molecular medicine should not develop outside the realm of urology. In fact, implementing them in urology serves to guarantee the further existence of our specialty with its current clinical scope. If drug therapy for cancer is to remain an enduring part of urology or if kidney transplantation is to continue to be an integral part of urology and not belong to transplant surgery, then the expertise in these clinical entities and understanding of their pathogenetic relationships must be found in urology. As a result, research must be an essential part of our specialty on the one hand and the results of research must be applied to the whole extent of urology on the other hand.