The medical technology industry - one of Germany's stable, growth-oriented and highly innovative industries - is strongly geared to the export market with two third of its total turnover of 17.8 billion Euros. Therefore, the situation on the world market plays a special role in this industry. (Source: VDE, Press Release, Sept 2009). The medical technology in Germany invested around 9% of its revenue in research and development; nearly 15% of employees are employed in this sector. Concerning the number of patents medical technology is significantly ahead of other innovation-oriented industries such as the automotive industry or the data processing. About two-thirds of Medtec products are not older than three years.
The industry is facing dramatic changes worldwide. While world market and product innovations had largely been determined by the United States, a dramatic comeback of the Asian countries has began to become apparent since 2011; mainly on the expense of the United States. This is the result of the study "MedTech 2020 'by the VDE, based on the contributions of approximately 700 international experts from academia, industry and clinics.
read moreExperts expect Telemedizin and digitalization of healthcare (eHealth), regenerative medicine as well as prosthodontics and implants to be the most important new areas of innovation until 2020. Computer science, information and communication technology as well as cell- and biotechnologies are considered to be the most important key technology areas according to the VDE study "MedTech 2020"
The healthcare industry in Germany is one of the most modern and efficient in the world. Solid forecasts assume that the health care market will increase from currently about € 250 billion to over € 450 billion by 2020. Thus, the health industry is one of the pillars of growth and employment in Germany. A key player in this process is the German medical technology industry. Medical technology makes an important contribution to the development of faster, more precise and gentle diagnostic procedures as well as new therapies with fewer side effects. Alongside the great significance for the health system, it is also very important for the industrial development. The market for medical technology products and systems is one of the most attractive growth markets in the world with a growth rate of 7 % per annum. In Germany, 150,000 people work in the medical device industry, which is largely dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises. The annual revenue was € 13.5 billion. A high proportion was generated by exports. With a share of around 13% of world exports, Germany is in second place behind the USA. The German medical technology industry invests about 10% of its turnover in research and development and is a pioneer of innovative processes.
