???aural:Bildanfang???MR imaging of the beating heart is amongst the most demanding clinical applications. Multi element coil arrays are key components for accelerated images: long axis heart image taken @ 3 T. © RAPID Biomedical GmbH???aural:Bildende???

Profile of the funded project

In our globalized world, scientific and technological progress is no longer achieved by individual countries, but depends on cooperation and the exchange of ideas with leading experts from around the world. That is why, in its future efforts to improve its technological position, Germany plans to cooperate more closely with recognized centres of excellence and to strengthen its role as a "gateway to Europe" for its international partners.

To this end, the German Federal Government, under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), has launched an initiative to promote Germany as an excellent research location. Based on the theme "Research in Germany – Land of Ideas", the campaign will highlight the attractiveness of Germany and its research environment to important target countries and present German research organisations, including universities, institutes, and private companies that are active in the field of research.

Within the context of this campaign the BMBF selected the consortium GMIM, which partners focus on medical imaging and image processing and thus reflects the strength of the Southern German area in general and the Munich area in particular. Under the concept GMIM - German Medical Imaging in Motion the consortium members from university and industry got together to present innovative topics in Medical Imaging worldwide.

Against the background of a worldwide increasing demand for medical engineering products, the BMBF has selected 8 participants that highlight the most innovative topics in Medical Technology.

Within the context of this campaign the members of the consortium focus on the propagation of new imaging techniques into healtcare. Together with its numerous cooperation partners from university, research institutes and industry, the consortium specializes on innovative biomedical technology topics – both in the fields of preclinical, research-oriented imaging, like, for example, multimodal imaging, and clinical imaging and image processing.

To reflect this strength of the partners from the German area in general and the Munich area in particular, the consortium pursues extensive international marketing measures under the concept German Medical Imaging in Motion. To this end, the consortium organizes sector-specific events abroad with the aim of establishing international research, teaching and development cooperations. Core of the campaign is the Mobile Interactive Cube: a mobile booth uniting and presenting the innovative topics of the members of the consortium.

Network partners

• Graduate School of Information Science in Health (TUM GSISH)

• Institute for Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI) / Helmholtz Zentrum München 

• IMETUM – TUM Institute of Medical Engineering

• iThera Medical GmbH 

• microDimensions GmbH 

• RAPID Biomedical GmbH

• Technische Universität München (TUM)

???aural:Bildanfang???Schematic of the constructed in-vivo intravascular Near-Infrared Fluorescence molecular imaging system. © IBMI / Jaffer FA, Calfon MA, Rosenthal A, Mallas G, Razansky R., Mauskapf A, Weissleder R., Libby P, Ntziachristos V. “Two-Dimensional Intravascular Near-Infrared Fluorescence Molecular Imaging of Inflammation in Atherosclerosis and Stent-Induced Vascular Injury” J. American College of Cardiology. 57(25); 2516-26 (2011).???aural:Bildende???

Main activities of the network

The campaign GMIM – German Medical Imaging in Motion was launched at Medica 2011 in Duesseldorf. Other sector-specific events organized by the consortium will provide interested scientists, and decision makers at R&D-oriented companies, multipliers and investors the opportunity to establish contacts with our partners until the end of 2013.

During our campaign we plan highlevel recruiting workshops for young scientists, collaborative symposia with international partners, and university and industry exchange. These activities are aimed to attract the best young and senior researchers worldwide and to establish long-lasting collaborations as well as to foster highlevel product innovation.