Annual Assembly of GTAI’s Health – Made in Germany Export Initiative

BIO Deutschland attended the annual assembly of the Health – Made in Germany export initiative run by Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI). The meeting took place on 20 January 2014 at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Berlin. The export initiative comprises working groups on pharmaceuticals, medical technology, telemedicine and health-related services, and medical biotechnology. BIO Deutschland is a member of the last group.
The assembly was attended by representatives of other trade associations, as well as by representatives of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and of other ministries involved in international health issues. Tilo Mandry, Director of Health – Made in Germany, opened the event by giving an overview of the working groups’ activities during the past year. These included the publication of a German hospital directory for international patients, patent protection activities in India, an early warning system for Russia, work in Israel and Japan, the publication of the new company directory “Biotechnology for Health, Nutrition and Well-Being” by the Medical Biotechnology Working Group, and many other activities. The representatives of the various ministries then reported on their international activities in the healthcare field. The export initiative has established itself successfully in the past years, and members gave positive feedback on it once again. Nevertheless, it is not yet certain whether it will be extended beyond July 2014. However, representatives of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy were optimistic that the initiative would be extended and asked all those involved to plan their future activities within the scope of the initiative. The associations were  also asked to explore to what extent stakeholders could undertake further activities in support of the initiative’s work.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy supports the German healthcare industry through the Health – Made in Germany export initiative. The aim is to safeguard and develop Germany’s position as one of the leading exporters of healthcare products and services. The ministry has consolidated the necessary expert knowledge at Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), which runs the Health – Made in Germany export initiative. Further information is available at www.health-made-in-germany.de.