Annual meeting of the Health – Made in Germany export initiative on 15 March in Berlin

Members of the Pharmaceuticals, Digital Health Economy, Medical Technology and Medical Biotechnology Working Groups met on 15 March at the annual meeting of the Health – Made in Germany export initiative at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). Harald Kuhne, head of the BMWi’s Central Administration Directorate, opened the meeting before taking leave to attend the concurrent inauguration of the new Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, Peter Altmaier.

An important topic of the annual meeting was Brexit and its potential impact on the healthcare industry. The director of BMWi’s Brexit project group Corinna Bölhoff, Head of Unit at the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, reported on the state of negotiations at EU level as well as various scenarios of the EU’s future relationship with the United Kingdom. According to Bölhoff, the future establishment of a free trade agreement with the UK is likely to be comparable to CETA.

Christian Tippelt, head of the Foreign Market Entry Program for SMEs (MEP), and project director Katharina Büssgen reported on the MEP, healthcare activities and cooperation with the export initiative. This year, the MEP is planning nine projects together with the export initiative. An overview of the MEP’s offerings can be found here (in German only):

Galina Manthei, advisor for bilateral health policy in the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), emphasised her ministry’s interest in close contact with the professional associations.

The export initiative office reported on the achievements of the past year and gave an outlook on future activities. For instance, numerous publications have been released, including the booklet “Medical Biotechnology. Profiling China: Markets and Stakeholders” and a corporate directory showing the various products offered by German in vitro diagnostic providers. In further developing the export initiative programme, provisions are being made for direct communication with companies, long-term cultivation of target markets, an expanded range of information and new project formats.

Since 2011, the Health – Made in Germany export initiative has supported the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) in developing foreign markets. The aim is to secure and expand Germany’s position as one of the leading export countries for health sector products and services. BIO Deutschland has been actively involved in the export initiative’s Medical Biotechnology Working Group since the very start. More information on the export initiative can be found here: www.exportinitiative-gesundheitswirtschaft.de/EIG/Navigation/EN/Home/home.html