The organisation of surgical research in Marburg is an experiment which has run for five-years and war carried out in attempt to establish a cooperation between clinical and theoretical surgeons (scientists in basic research). The experiment was started 1970 by creating a Division of Experimental Surgery and Pathological Biochemistry at the Surgery Clinic of the University. Structures and functions in this experiment were 6 small working teams, special services for the teams and for the whole Department of Surgery as well as a training programme in surgical research for theoretical surgeons. Success and failure in the experiment were evaluated by criteria testing three principal functions of surgical research: Training of clinical and theoretical surgeons in methods and techniques of surgical research, performance of controlled clinical trials and basic research in surgery. The early results of the Marburg experiment seem to be promising.