(Frankfurt am Main, April 28, 2026) Artificial intelligence is emerging as a key driver of innovation in medical technology. AI-supported systems improve image analysis, aid clinical decision-making, enable continuous monitoring, and enhance the precision of medical technology applications through automation and robotic assistance. However, Dr. Thomas Becks, Managing Director of the German Society for Biomedical Engineering within VDE (VDE DGBMT), has observed that promising developments in this country all too often remain in the research stage and never — or too late — reach market maturity. He is convinced: “Germany can become a leader in AI in biomedical engineering — if we start off on the right foot.” He will discuss what is needed to achieve this on May 7 at MedtecLIVE at Messe Stuttgart with Caroline Reßing from the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS) and Prof. Dr. Michael Bortz from the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM).
More courage, more collaboration
As managing director of the VDE Professional Association for Biomedical Engineering, Thomas Becks is closely connected with numerous industry representatives and attends many events. “In doing so, I see time and again that AI in biomedical engineering is no longer a crazy idea. But much of it gets stuck in the invention phase — and never reaches the implementation phase.” This is due, in part, to the high costs. “To train an artificial intelligence, you need many thousands of training data points,” says Becks. These generally need to have been annotated with additional information by medical professionals. Here, he would like to see more willingness to take risks — including from companies in the industry. But he also believes that approval processes could be better designed: “Approval processes and criteria for new, innovative medical devices with AI should be in place before product development even begins. Fundamental requirements should already be taken into account during research. This strengthens interoperability and innovation security.”
However, Thomas Becks is also particularly concerned with collaboration across organizational and disciplinary boundaries. “We can only be successful if we bring our domain knowledge together across organizational boundaries. Only in this way can we move from scientifically interesting proof-of-concepts to products for clinical application,” he says. And: “Medicine, engineering, computer science, law, and mathematics must collaborate in an interdisciplinary manner and on equal footing to identify key innovation hurdles and overcome them sustainably.”
Interdisciplinary Discussion at MedtecLIVE
Fittingly, the experts joining Thomas Becks on stage at MedtecLIVE also come from different fields: Prof. Dr. Michael Bortz is Head of the “Optimization – Technical Processes” department and Deputy Head of the “Optimization” division at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) in Kaiserslautern and approaches the topic from a mathematical perspective — he provides support for the proper use of AI and machine learning, while Caroline Reßing conducts research on non-invasive healthcare and embedded AI at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS) in Duisburg.
MedtecLIVE 2026 will take place from May 5 to 7, 2026, at Messe Stuttgart. The session “Artificial Intelligence in Medical Technology: Potential and Challenges” begins on Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. at Forum (3-520).
