Newsletter: Issue 15, December 2011 / January 2012
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Dear Readers,
Medical engineering is a key technology of the utmost importance for the future. In Germany, it is the source of a remarkable amount of innovative potential. Maintaining and expanding medical engineering is therefore an important element of our high-tech strategy, with which we are strengthening Germany's top position in technology and forging ahead with the transfer of research findings to commercial application.
In order to accelerate innovative processes in medical engineering and to consolidate the competitiveness of Germany's medical technology industry, we have launched a National Strategy Process called "Innovations in Medical Engineering". The aim is a cohesive innovation policy in medical engineering to continue improving the quality of patient care. The themes chosen for the new campaign illustrate what medical engineering means for Germany as a business location. Its aim is to enable German research institutions and companies to present themselves at international trade fairs and events. In this way we hope to attract young talents and international experts and to promote cooperation in science and business.
Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, MdB
Federal Minister of Education and Research
Interview
An interview with Professor Karl Ulrich Mayer, President of the Leibniz Association, about the aims of the new Leibniz-DAAD Research Fellowship Programme, launched in 2011.
Science & Research News
Researchers at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft have developed a new way to produce artificial blood vessels. The Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) in Stuttgart and four other partners in the BioRap project are working on a vascular system that could supply nutrients to artificial tissue and organs.
Researchers at the University of Goettingen and Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology Goettingen (BFNT) have developed a way of enabling robots to learn flowing sequences of movements, which are required, for example, when writing or reaching for objects.
Recent Research Cooperation
The foundation of the Indo-German Max Planck Center on Lipid Research is strengthening cooperation between Germany and India in the field of biological-medical research. The leading partners in the Center, which was opened in Bangalore, India, at the end of September 2011, are the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden and the National Centre of Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore.
Using laser light and three cameras, scientists from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM), the Helmholtz-Zentrum Muenchen and the University of Groningen have succeeded in making visible small cancer cell nests that a surgeon could otherwise easily overlook during an operation.
During the Year of Germany in India, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will be organising a joint programme in spring 2012 with different types of events to expand research cooperation and promote mobility among students and researchers of both countries.
Latest R&D Funding Programmes and Activities
The four renowned researchers' fields are biophysics, communications engineering, medicine and mathematics: Jochen Guck, Robert Schober, Matthias Tschoep and Michael Weiss were recently selected as Alexander von Humboldt professors, the most highly endowed international research award in Germany.
The Fraunhofer Attract funding programme gives researchers the chance to develop their ideas into an application, thereby opening up a career path in industry-related research or within a company.
The Helmholtz Association has selected 20 junior researchers to set up their own research groups at a Helmholtz Centre. With an annual budget of at least 250,000 Euros over a period of five years and the option of a permanent appointment, these posts offer young researchers good career opportunities.
RWTH Aachen University and the universities of Bayreuth and Heidelberg are the prize winners of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's "Research Alumni of Universities in Germany" competition. The three universities have developed ideas that promise particularly active and lasting cooperation between the institutions and their research alumni abroad as models of best practice.
Current R&D Policy
Germany wants to accelerate innovation processes in medical technology and strengthen the competitiveness of the German medical technology industry within the framework of the High-Tech Strategy 2020 by launching a new national strategy process.
Last but not least...
This car is rather clever: it recognises unexpected obstacles on the road and reacts when a vehicle in front suddenly brakes. The mobility of tomorrow will rely on intelligent cars that use radio technology to communicate with one another and warn one another when danger threatens.
Events
The European Career Fair, one of the largest transatlantic career fairs in the US, matches candidates from America's leading universities with top employers from Europe. The three-day event will include interview sessions and personalised introductions, as well as seminars by leading industry executives and government institutions.
In 2012, CeBIT, the world's largest fair for the software and information technology industry, is focusing on "Managing Trust" as its keynote theme. CeBIT 2012 will thus be spotlighting the subject of trust and security in the digital world.
From 13 to 15 March 2012, Stuttgart will host Medtec Europe, the leading European medical technology fair. The trade show offers producers of medical products an opportunity to find out more about the current range of products and services available from the developers and manufacturers of medical equipment.
Green Polymer Chemistry 2012 in Cologne from 20 to 22 March 2012 sees itself as a specialist international conference and discussion forum for promoting the production of conventional plastics from sustainable materials.
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