Series: Medicine of the Future

Germany’s nationwide Science Year 2026 focuses on the Medicine of the Future – medicine that is preventive, personalized, digital, and participatory. But when does the healthcare of tomorrow truly begin? In many ways, it began yesterday. Numerous advances that are now part of routine clinical practice – from genome sequencing and AI-based imaging techniques to mRNA technology and surgical robotics – were set in motion years ago through basic and applied research.

At Fraunhofer, we operate at the crucial intersection of scientific research and its real-world application at the heart of society. The Digital Health & Analytics department at Fraunhofer IIS develops market-ready solutions for the acquisition and analysis of medical and physiological data. Science Year 2026 gives us the opportunity to shine a light on our colleagues’ core research areas and show how they are shaping the medicine of tomorrow. 

In the Digital Health and Analytics department, researchers explore how preventive measures can be designed to help people fall ill less frequently and with less severe consequences. In addition, experts use medical sensor technologies and artificial intelligence to effectively support diagnostics and therapies and to improve healthcare and patient care. The first part of the series in the online magazine for the Science Year Medicine of the Future uses the examples of integrated sensors in everyday objects and intelligent data analysis in digital pathology to illustrate how innovations developed at Fraunhofer IIS are paving the way for digital medicine – whether directly for users or as valuable tools for research.

Read more