Helmholtz Biomedical Engineering

Human societies face escalating challenges linked to the increasing prevalence of cancer, cardiovascular, neurological, metabolic and other chronic diseases, often coupled to an ageing population. Solving related health and economic challenges requires a new generation of scientists with a solution-oriented, problem-solving mindset to rapidly translate the exponentially growing biomedical knowledge into effective and affordable future solutions that reach patients.

Helmholtz Biomedical Engineering defines biological engineering as the development of concepts, methods and tools to translate discoveries into biomedical solutions, in analogy to classical engineering known to translate concepts from the physical sciences into known commodities such as cars, planes, computers and phones.

Helmholtz Biomedical Engineering contributes to the general mission of the Helmholtz Association in solving grand societal challenges. As the largest research organisation in Germany, the Helmholtz Association is ideally placed to harness the potential of Biomedical Engineering for the rapid translation of biologically inspired technologies into marketable products, improving healthcare delivery and thus create healthier societies. Bioengineers uniquely combine the relevant skills to recognize medical needs, capture corresponding technological trends and invent new tools for better prevention strategies, earlier disease detection as well as individually catered and hence more precise and effective therapeutics. With its broad research portfolio and global partners, the Helmholtz Association provides the most fertile environment to transform knowledge into healthcare innovations along all steps of the value creation chain.

By embracing all aspects of collaborative innovation, Helmholtz Biomedical Engineering can shape the entire translational pipeline, from earliest discovery to late-stage technology readiness, from fundamental new insights into human biology and diseases through the invention and validation of new treatments and device prototypes, incl. clinical trials and regulatory approval - for earlier detection, precision prevention and novel therapeutic strategies.