World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering

German Bid for Munich, September 13-18, 2009
www.dgbmt.de/wc2009

Why Munich?

Germany is a Global Market Player
The global market for medical products saw a sales volume of some 170 billion euros in 2001. The largest single market is the USA with a global market share of ca. 40%, followed by Western Europe with ca. 25% and Japan with ca. 15%. Germany - with an estimated volume of some 14 billion euros - is by far the largest national mar-ket in Europe.

The development of highly sophisticated medical devices demands complex know-how. In terms of it's situation globally, Germany plays a significant role. The German industry for medical technology is headed by the major companies Siemens, Philips and Fresenius. They are joined by a further 17 companies each with an annual sales volume of more than 35 million euros, and over 500 small and medium-sized enterprises. The medical technol-ogy industry posts sales of ca. 11 billion euros per annum with around 100,000 employees in the electrical engi-neering, precision engineering and optics sectors.

Research and Development in Germany
Alongside industry, institutional research determines the pace of innovation in medical technology. At 36 medi-cal universities, the institutes of the Max Planck Society (14), the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (6), the centres of the Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft (11), the facilities of the Leibniz Association (13), technical universities (19), and polytechnics and universities of applied sciences (19), scientists work on medical technology issues.

Medical Biotechnology in Germany
Medical biotechnology is one of the most important future technologies at the interface between medical tech-nology and biotechnology. Today's applications range from tissue engineering through to biochips. Germany is also very well positioned in this extremely dynamic field of future technologies. International pharmaceutical companies such as Schering, Bayer and Novartis are just as successful in this respect as established companies from the medical technology sector. On the basis of extensive basic research in Germany a number of interna-tional start-up companies have also been established.

Bavaria is a Main Centre for Medical Technology
Bavaria is one of the main centres for medical technology in Germany: Some 250 medical technology companies employ more than 20,000 staff. Bavarian companies account for around 3.4 % of the global market and some 26 % of the market volume in Germany, with an export quota over 50 %. For this reason, Munich University of Technology (MUT) established a medical faculty over 30 years ago so as to promote medical technology as a key inter-disciplinary technology. With the newly-founded Central Institute for Medical Technology (ZIMT) and the establishment of the Heinz Nixdorf chair for medical electronics this development has reached its peak at MUT for the time being.

The Biotechnology Report presented by Ernst & Young in June 2002 sees the biotechnology region Munich - with over 70 key companies - as the leader in Germany and the number two in Europe.

Munich, a World Famous City in the Heart of Europe
Alongside the various technical aspects, Munich is a world-famous city at the heart of the European Union, which will be enlarged in 2009. Located close to the Bavarian Alps, the cosmopolitan city of Munich with its marvellous choice of culture and sights provides an attractive setting for this major scientific congress.

Munich offers about 346 hotels and pensions with 39,000 hotel beds. 3.6 million tourists booked 7.6 million overnight stays in 2001. With 1.4 million arrivals and 3.2 million overnights from abroad Munich is the leading destination for foreign visitors in Germany.

The Munich Oktoberfest - known by the locals as the "Wiesn" - is the biggest public festival in the world and will be held from September 19 to October 3rd, 2009 for the 176th time. Each year, the Oktoberfest is attended by around 6 million visitors, who drink around 5 million litres of beer and consume over 200,000 pairs of pork sausages - mostly in the "beer tents" put up by the traditional Munich breweries.

International Congress Centre Munich (ICM)
The International Congress Centre Munich (ICM) is among Germany's top five congress centres. The ICM's outstanding success on the German and international congress and conference circuit is largely due to the ad-vantages of its concept compared with other congress centres. The ICM can be used both independently, as a unit, and with the trade fair grounds, if required. The ICM is a "classic congress centre" with highly functional facilities and an excellent atmosphere, which attracts organisers and trade visitors from all over the world. In addition, thanks to its own trade fair hall B0 and media hall C1, it is both extremely flexible in its range of rooms and independent in its scheduling possibilities. At the same time, the ICM's facilities are integrated into one of the most modern trade fair sites in the world, making it a "modern trade fair centre" with huge capacities for large events. It is expected that there will be 22,000 participants in the 39th congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in 2004.

The trade fair grounds are about 20 minutes from the city centre by underground. Around 5,600 European and 240 intercontinental flights a week make Munich an attractive destination. Ninety airlines fly to the Bavarian capital. In the next few years, air travel between Munich and North America, Asia, Eastern and Southern Europe is expected to record particularly strong growth.

Organising Societies
DGBMT German Society for Biomedical Engineering
Today, scientists interested in biomedical engineering are members of the DGBMT German Society for Bio-medical Engineering. This scientific organisation was founded in 1972. After the merger with VDE Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies in 2001, the DGBMT now has 1,300 members. Physi-cians, engineers, scientists and relevant companies are members of the DGBMT.
The board of the DGBMT consists of 9 members (4 physicians, 5 engineers and physicists). A consulting advi-sory board consists of 20 members. The main activities take place in 5 working committees and 16 working groups. The DGBMT conducts projects for the German Government, which is mainly focused on setting up networks for scientists and industry.

A scientific congress on biomedical engineering with changing main topics and location is held every year with 500+ participants. In a 3 year rotation, these congresses are organised together with societies from Austria and Switzerland. Furthermore, several symposia, workshops and seminars with more than 1,000 participants per year take place.

The DGBMT publishes its magazine Health Technologies quarterly and the scientific journal Biomedical Engi-neering 10 times a year.

The DGBMT is a member of the international organisations IFBME International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering and the newly founded EAMBES European Alliance for Medical and Biological Engi-neering & Science. Furthermore the DGBMT is a member of the DVMT Dachverband Medizinische Technik which is a German umbrella association for medical techniques with seven member societies.

DGMP German Society for Medical Physics
In Germany, medical physics is understood as the application of physical methods in all fields concerning public health. According to a recent inquiry, about 50% of the medical physicists are engaged in radiotherapy, 10% in nuclear medicine, radiological diagnostics and radiation protection respectively. 20% are working in other fields.

Today, about 1,200 medical physicists are organised in the DGMP German Society for Medical Physics, which was founded in 1969. Several regional sections of the DGMP have been set up in order to increase the communi-cation of medical physicists in Germany.

A very important activity of the DGMP is in the field of professional training and education. Numerous courses in medical physics are offered from institutes and regional sections. Every year a winter school is held at Pichl, Austria with changing subjects.

The board of the DGMP consists of five medical physicists; in the extended board the chairmen of the regional sections are integrated. A consulting advisory board consists of 30 members. The main activities take place in 19 working committees and 22 working groups.

Once a year a scientific congress on medical physics is organised. Location and main topics change from year to year. These congresses are organised at times together with societies from Austria and Switzerland, sometimes together with other national and international organisations.

Since 1991 the DGMP together with the Austrian and Swiss Societies for Medical Physics have had their own journal for medical physics 'Zeitschrift für Medizinische Physik', 4 issues are published per annum, containing survey papers, original contributions, and technical notes.