The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has appointed Thorsten M. Buzug executive director of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering IMTE in Lübeck. Buzug, who has been heading Fraunhofer IMTE on an interim basis since 2020, is now assuming permanent responsibility for the scientific, structural and strategic development of the research unit.
Buzug is considered an international leader in the field of medical engineering and biomedical imaging. He is director of the Institute of Medical Engineering at Universität zu Lübeck since 2006 and served as the university’s vice president from 2011 to 2016. Under his leadership, Fraunhofer IMTE has grown into a high-performance research center in recent years, bridging the gap between basic research and clinical application.
Buzug made his mark in pioneering research work in the field of magnetic particle imaging (MPI), an innovative imaging method invented in Germany. He played a key role in advancing MPI into a globally relevant research field, establishing Lübeck as an outstanding international hub for MPI and translational medical engineering.
“Keeping our society healthy is one of the great challenges of our time. Fraunhofer IMTE plays a strategic role as a driver of innovation in medical technology — a field of the future. The appointment of Thorsten Buzug will boost this even further,” says Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. “His profile unites scientific excellence, a strong network in clinical application and many years of experience in technology transfer. These are ideal prerequisites for positioning Fraunhofer IMTE permanently as a leading institution in both the national and international research landscape.”
Helge Braun, President of Universität zu Lübeck, says: “The appointment of Thorsten Buzug will further strengthen the outstanding position of medical engineering in northern Germany. As the director of our Institute of Medical Engineering, he embodies the combination of excellent basic research at our university with knowledge transfer at Fraunhofer in a truly exceptional manner. His work has made a decisive contribution to further establishing Lübeck as a leading hub for translational medical engineering.”
Buzug emphasizes: “Being appointed executive director is a great honor for me. In recent years, Fraunhofer IMTE has teamed up with Universität zu Lübeck and the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein to build a unique ecosystem for medical engineering sciences. In the coming years, we want to leverage this potential to expedite the translation of innovative technologies into clinical applications and to establish clinical trials for medical devices as a platform that accelerates the application of research findings in the market.”
With the permanent appointment of Thorsten Buzug, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is sending a strong signal for the future of Fraunhofer IMTE. The research institution will expand its role as a strategic center for transferring medical technology into practice and further strengthen the bridge between excellent basic research, translational clinical development and industry interests.
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft