Great honor for Inselspital and the University of Bern at the German Future Prize: Prof. Dr. Andreas Raabe, full professor at the University of Bern and director and chief physician of the Department of Neurosurgery at Inselspital, was honored with a certificate by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and accepted into the «circle of the best» by the jury. He received the award together with two scientists from Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. The German Future Prize is the highest recognition for innovation in Germany and honors outstanding achievements in technology, engineering, and natural sciences.
Prof. Dr. Andreas Raabe from Inselspital and the University of Bern was honored with a certificate by the German President at the German Future Prize on November 25. At the same time, the prize jury accepted him into the «circle of the best». He received the team award together with Dr. Michelangelo Masini and Frank Seitzinger from Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. The German Future Prize is awarded annually for scientific achievements that lead to market-ready products and help to create jobs. It is presented by the German President at his official residence in Bellevue Palace and is endowed with 250,000 euros. Industry associations and research organizations submitted innovations to a ten-member jury, which selected three projects for the final round. This year's nominees were Team 1 (EUV lithography / new light for the digital age), Team 2 (robotic visualization system / efficiency for microsurgery; with Prof. Raabe) and Team 3 (sprayable facade insulation with glass bubbles / sustainable, energy-efficient insulation for buildings). After a presentation, the jury selected the winning team, which was presented with the German Future Prize by Federal President Steinmeier.
Robotic visualization system for efficiency in microsurgery
Prof. Raabe's team has created the ZEISS KINEVO 900 robotic visualization system, which combines robotics, modern assistance systems, and visualization. The system supports surgical procedures by visualizing the surgical field and providing important information for decision-making during an operation. This allows surgical specialists to keep their hands in the surgical field at all times and concentrate on the procedure. ZEISS KINEVO 900 makes an important contribution to spinal and neurosurgery. It consists of over 100 innovations and 180 patents. The team collaborated with clinical partners around the world to define and develop a 3-in-1 system that combines microscopic, exoscopic, and endoscopic components. Since its launch in spring 2017, the system has been approved in over 100 countries. It is used in over 300,000 surgical procedures every year. ZEISS KINEVO 900 heralded a new era in microsurgery because it makes the invisible visible with live diagnostics and visualizations.
Great honor for the University of Bern, Inselspital, and Insel Group
After receiving the certificate Prof. Raabe said: «Even being nominated for the German Future Prize was a great honor for us. We are happy and proud to have been accepted into the ‹circle of the best›. We would like to thank Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the jury, and at the same time congratulate the winning team on their outstanding achievement. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my colleagues Dr. Michelangelo Masini and Frank Seitzinger from Carl Zeiss Meditec AG for their excellent cooperation. We regard this award as an obligation to further intensify the teamwork between medicine and industry.»
The CEO of the Insel Group, Dr. med. h.c. Uwe E. Jocham, is delighted with this outstanding achievement: «I would like to congratulate Prof. Raabe wholeheartedly on being accepted into the ‹circle of the best›. Together with his team, he has proven that the Department of Neurosurgery at Inselspital is one of the best in the world. I am very proud, as this award is a great honor for the University of Bern, Inselspital, and the entire Insel Group with its nearly 11,000 employees. In our vision, we have defined that we want to be one of the world's leading hospital groups for university and integrated medicine. Prof. Raabe and his colleagues have impressively demonstrated this and made an enormously important contribution to it.»
Short biography of Prof. Dr. Andreas Raabe
Prof. Andreas Raabe is a full professor at the University of Bern and director and chief physician of the Department of Neurosurgery at Inselspital, Bern University Hospital. His areas of expertise are microsurgical operations on the brain and spine. Prof. Raabe is the inventor of a new continuous monitoring method for brain tumor surgery and introduced microscope-integrated video angiography for the surgical treatment of aneurysms and vascular malformations in neurosurgery. In 2019, he received the «European Lecture» award from the European Association of Neurological Surgeons in recognition of these inventions and his professional career.