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April 2019 Issue: Grand Coalition, Cybersecurity, Lab.Vision, and much more.
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Dear Sir or Madam,
Dear Readers,
One year of the grand coalition—time for an initial assessment. SPECTARIS takes a decidedly critical view, as you can read in this issue of our newsletter. Although many important political initiatives have been launched, the specific framework conditions have not yet been established—and much depends on them. Other topics: The SPECTARIS Photonics Division has a new chairperson, the Foreign Trade Day at the Federal Foreign Office was a resounding success, and our new event series with “senetics” on the European Medical Devices Regulation will begin in a few days.
I hope you enjoy reading this!
Jörg Mayer, Managing Director of SPECTARIS
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TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE
- One Year of the Grand Coalition – SPECTARIS Takes Stock
- The Number of the Month
- SPECTARIS is a member of the Alliance for Cybersecurity
- New Employee for Technical Support
- New Chair of the SPECTARIS Photonics Division
- Lab.Vision: Smart Solutions for New Business Models
- The Appointment Service and Care Act Is a Major Success for SPECTARIS
- Comprehensive Training Program on the New European Medical Device Regulation
- Foreign Trade Day: Free Trade and Digitalization Need Political Support
- SPECTARIS has another EZ-Scout
- Invitation to the 1st Symposium of the AiF Medical Technology Research Alliance (FAM)
- Place your ad on our website
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FOCUS
One Year of the Grand Coalition – SPECTARIS Takes Stock
On March 12, 2018, the federal government—composed of the CDU/CSU and the SPD—signed its coalition agreement. It is time for the industry association SPECTARIS to take a critical look at the government’s program. “Our 15-point paper outlining SPECTARIS’s key demands shows that—whether it’s a level playing field on the internet or tax incentives for research—things have started to move, but the specific framework conditions are crucial,” emphasizes SPECTARIS Managing Director Jörg Mayer. The coalition agreement calls for the introduction of tax incentives for research, aimed in particular at helping small and medium-sized enterprises become more innovative. A first draft of the bill has been presented. Mayer says, “As the process continues, lawmakers must ensure that the incentives are attractive to small and medium-sized enterprises and are implemented with as little red tape as possible.” Digitalization and artificial intelligence would be inconceivable without optical technologies such as high-resolution displays and laser technology—yet photonics is nowhere to be found in the coalition agreement. Yet German photonics companies, with total revenue of nearly 35 billion euros and over 130,000 employees, are leaders across Europe. “Given the competitive landscape, it is completely incomprehensible why Germany is jeopardizing its leading position in the field of photonics. It is particularly concerning for us that the Federal Ministry of Research has dissolved its photonics division,” Mayer criticizes. The situation is different at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs: In the recently published Industry Strategy 2030, optical technologies are explicitly identified as a key industrial sector, the strengthening of which is in the national interest. Mayer: “We welcome the resulting discussion on future industrial policy, in which SPECTARIS will participate constructively.” More
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SPECTARIS is a member of the Alliance for Cybersecurity
With the advent of the digital age and increased connectivity, the issue of cybersecurity is rapidly gaining in importance. In the medical technology sector in particular, many manufacturers are facing entirely new challenges. That is why SPECTARIS has been an official member of the Alliance for Cybersecurity since February 2019. Founded in 2012, the Alliance is an initiative of the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) aimed at strengthening Germany’s resilience to cyberattacks. IT service and consulting firms, as well as IT manufacturers, are represented in the network alongside user companies of all sizes and from all industries. This diversity is a key factor in ensuring a rich exchange of IT expertise and practical experience, from which all participants benefit. SPECTARIS is actively involved in the initiative as a multiplier and aims to contribute to greater cybersecurity in Germany as a business hub.
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New Employee for Technical Support
Patrycja Achtzehn is joining the Consumer Optics team in the Technical Service department. She holds a degree in biochemistry and has been working for several years as a Regulatory Affairs Manager in the field of medical devices across various risk classes. In addition to her experience with national and international certification and regulatory authorities, her expertise includes ensuring compliance with regulatory and standards-based requirements for medical devices. In her role as Regulatory Affairs Manager, her mission is to implement these dynamic requirements in a way that is both understandable and strategically effective, so that product safety is guaranteed on the one hand and market access is ensured on the other.
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New Chair of the SPECTARIS Photonics Division
The SPECTARIS Photonics Association has a new chairperson: At the association’s industry conference on March 13, Dr. Bernhard Ohnesorge of ZEISS was unanimously elected by the members as the new chairperson. Ohnesorge succeeds Justus Felix Wehmer, who had led the association since 2013. Under Wehmer’s leadership—who moved to the Medical Technology division within the ZEISS Group at the end of 2018—the association focused on the economic challenges and opportunities in business with China, the potential for photonics in the context of the “Industry 4.0” trend, and new approaches to securing the next generation of skilled professionals. Ohnesorge intends to build on these priorities while also setting new directions. As a physicist with a Ph.D. specializing in semiconductor physics and the managing director of a subsidiary of ZEISS—a world-leading technology company in the optical and optoelectronic industries—he is ideally qualified to advance the agenda of the German photonics industry. “It is particularly important to me that the photonics industry in Germany and Europe presents a strong and united front, involving as many stakeholders as possible, in order to create an optimal economic environment for photonics companies,” emphasizes Ohnesorge. More
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Lab.Vision: Smart Solutions for New Business Models
This year, Lab.Vision is bringing together manufacturers and users of laboratory technology for the ninth consecutive year: On May 7 and 8, 2019, the focus will be on high-caliber keynote presentations and workshops centered on the topic of digital transformation. Organized by SPECTARIS GmbH at BASF’s Ludwigshafen campus, the event offers an exclusive platform to identify and analyze future requirements of digitalization and translate them into technology and business models. “This time, we have the unique opportunity to exchange ideas with a world-leading chemical company on the future of laboratory and process analytics. Lab.Vision has established itself as a versatile and inspiring event that attracts more participants year after year,” says Mathis Kuchejda, Chairman of the SPECTARIS Professional Association for Analytical, Bio-, and Laboratory Technology. Lab.Vision kicks off with a panel discussion at the Lab.Vision World Café, followed by a keynote address on the topic “Chemistry 2025—Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Processes.” Possible implementations of such smart solutions will then be discussed in two presentations: For example, Jonas Brunnert from the innovation consulting firm “innoki” will speak about how a radical user focus, combined with design thinking, leads to success. More
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The Appointment Service and Care Act Is a Major Success for SPECTARIS
On March 14, 2019, the Bundestag passed the new Appointment Service and Care Act (TSVG). The new law focuses on ensuring rapid access to primary care physicians and specialists. It now introduces further changes regarding the provision of assistive devices in home care and the evaluation of new diagnostic and treatment methods. It is particularly encouraging that contracts for the provision of assistive devices in home care may no longer be awarded through a competitive bidding process. Contracts must be negotiated and may not be unilaterally dictated by health insurance companies. Equally encouraging are the measures adopted to accelerate the evaluation of new diagnostic and treatment methods. For example, the Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) must now decide without delay on the inclusion of a method in the reimbursement system once a trial has been completed or sufficient empirical evidence of its effectiveness is already available. The TSVG is expected to take effect on May 1, 2019, and can be regarded as a major success from the perspective of the medical technology industry. SPECTARIS, together with other associations, has been calling on policymakers and other stakeholders to implement many of these changes for years. More
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Comprehensive Training Program on the New European Medical Device Regulation
On April 10, a new partnership between SPECTARIS and senetics healthcare group will kick off in Tuttlingen. Together, they will offer the training course “Market Access for Medical Devices in Europe” nationwide throughout Germany. “The topic of the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) is a pressing concern for companies,” emphasizes SPECTARIS Managing Director Jörg Mayer. “Many small and medium-sized enterprises have to travel to major German cities for training on this topic. We’re going to remedy that situation. We’re pleased to have found a powerful and well-established partner in senetics so that we can offer training to all medical device manufacturers in Germany—practically right on their doorstep.” Senetics Managing Director Dr. Wolfgang Sening adds: “The one-day introductory training sessions cover the most important aspects of the MDR. During the sessions, we will address, among other things, the new classification rules, changes to the conformity assessment procedure, and updates to the technical documentation.” In the coming months, training sessions will take place in Bielefeld, Kempten, Wiesbaden, Schwerin, and many other locations. The participation fee for the one-day training session is 680 euros. SPECTARIS member companies receive a 25 percent discount. More
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Foreign Trade Day: Free Trade and Digitalization Need Political Support
Stronger political commitment to rules-based free trade and transparent framework conditions for digital processes: These were two key positions expressed by no fewer than seven associations representing the export-oriented healthcare industry at the 2019 Foreign Trade Day. At the invitation of the industry association SPECTARIS, 230 stakeholders from politics and the medical technology, pharmaceutical, and laboratory technology sectors gathered at the Federal Foreign Office to discuss current challenges in exporting. Niels Annen, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office, emphasized the importance of a multilateral, rules-based approach. Only a united Europe can overcome global challenges in trade and economic matters. This applies in particular to the field of digitalization. Together with our partners both within and outside the European Union, we must master the digital age and thereby secure and further develop the foundation for the economic success of the export-oriented companies in the German healthcare industry. The panel discussions focused on key target markets such as China, Japan, India, Russia, and the African region, as well as the increasing number of sanctions laws and opportunities presented by digital products and processes. It also became clear at the Foreign Trade Day that rising protectionism is a cause for concern for many companies. Market uncertainty poses growing challenges for companies and makes planning more difficult. The Trump administration’s sanctions policy and Brexit demonstrate that export-intensive industries are particularly affected by the broader political climate. For this reason, policymakers and the business community are working together to preserve and strengthen free trade and exports. More
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SPECTARIS has another EZ-Scout
“Healthcare is evolving—new markets for high-tech are emerging worldwide. For their business development, SPECTARIS members need the right business contacts and information to gain access to new markets. That’s what I’m here for.” So says Franz von Roenne, the new development cooperation scout at SPECTARIS, seconded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Since March, he has been working in the Foreign Trade Department to support companies interested in entering markets in developing and emerging countries. As an expert in the development and financing of health care systems, Franz von Roenne has worked in Africa, Asia, and Europe at all levels of international cooperation—from primary care to government reforms to global collaboration. The development cooperation scout sees himself as a facilitator in the search for tailored solutions for manufacturers, users, operators, and planners. The UN Sustainable Development Goal of Universal Health Coverage is creating new momentum worldwide, and stakeholders are repositioning themselves. Now, SPECTARIS members are to be supported in positioning themselves. To this end, the EZ-Scout makes information on funding instruments for foreign trade, as well as expertise and contacts in the partner countries of German development cooperation, available to the industry. He is available to answer your inquiries and seeks to establish contact through events. He designs information and consulting services as needed and facilitates needs-based networking with other relevant stakeholders.“Scout perfectly describes my role,” says Franz von Roenne. “I explore new markets for companies so they can get a foot in the door sooner.” More
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Invitation to the 1st Symposium of the AiF Medical Technology Research Alliance (FAM)
On April 9, the first joint symposium of the AiF Medical Technology Research Alliance (FAM) will take place. The seven founding members will present their research priorities in Frankfurt am Main, providing insight into the breadth of the “Industrial Collaborative Research” (IGF) projects conducted by the FAM and funded by the German federal government. The presentation will feature the results of socially relevant medical technology research, such as early tumor detection, cardiac diagnostics, and scoliosis treatment devices designed for children. In the concluding session, further medical technology collaboration projects funded under the “Central Innovation Program for SMEs” (ZIM) will be presented. More
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New Member
We welcome Gilson International Deutschland BV as a new member of SPECTARIS. This third-generation family-owned company develops liquid-handling, cleaning, and extraction solutions with the goal of helping life scientists conduct more productive research and generate verifiable data in the workplace.
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Place your ad on our website
Establish your presence in our growth sectors and benefit from reaching your target audience with an ad on our website. Our website serves as a showcase for the German high-tech industry and is therefore the first port of call for information about innovation-driven small and medium-sized enterprises in the fields of consumer optics, medical technology, photonics, and the laboratory industry. You can find advertising listings and prices here.
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Privacy at SPECTARIS: We Keep You Informed
The protection of your personal data is important to us. You can find out how we handle your personal data in accordance with the GDPR of May 25, 2018,here: .
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