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Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2026: System to Prevent Multi-Organ Failure, Carbon-Negative Power Plant, and Energy-Efficient Microchips

Saving the Lives of Millions of Intensive Care Patients: Innovative Organ Support System nominated for the German Future Prize at the Recommendation of the German Patent and Trademark Office – DPMA President: "This New Development Demonstrates the Enormous Contribution of Technical Innovations to Healthcare"

Presse release of 16 September 2026

Munich. At the recommendation of the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA), an innovative system developed by Munich-based ADVITOS GmbH to prevent multiple organ failure has been nominated for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis awarded by the Federal President. "I am very pleased that the jury has nominated our recommendation for this outstanding award," says DPMA President Eva Schewior. "The system represents a major advance for the work of medical staff in intensive care units and has the potential to save millions of lives. It clearly demonstrates the enormous contribution that technical innovations can make to improving our healthcare system. It is fascinating to see what is possible when different disciplines—such as medicine, biochemistry, and engineering—collaborate at the highest level."

This development was also made possible because the new system is protected by several patents covering the underlying inventions. Patents grant their holders the right to exclusive use of the protected invention for a limited time, thereby enabling them to recoup their investments in research and development.

The ADVOS system, developed by Dr.-Ing. Claus Jessen, PD Dr. med. Tobias Bingold, and Christoph Hüßtege (ADVITOS GmbH, Munich), takes a novel, holistic approach. Previously, when a patient was in an intensive care unit, existing systems could only maintain the function of a single organ at a time. Stabilizing the entire organism required multiple devices. ADVOS not only stabilizes several organ functions but also the internal balance of the entire human organism. It removes water-soluble and protein-bound toxins, supports carbon dioxide elimination, and specifically stabilizes the acid-base balance. This breaks the self-reinforcing cascade of organ failure and gives the body valuable time to stabilize and regenerate.

Two other teams have been nominated for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2016:

Dr.-Ing. Stefan Herrmann, Felix Fischer (Reverion GmbH, Eresing), and Prof. Dr. Hartmut Spliethoff (Technical University of Munich) have developed a power plant that can generate or store electricity as needed. When electricity is needed, it generates electrical energy in a fuel cell using biogas, natural gas, or hydrogen—and does so with significantly higher efficiency than conventional power plants. Conversely, if there is a surplus of electricity from wind and solar power plants, the system can switch modes in just a few minutes and use this excess to produce hydrogen or synthetic gas, which is then stored in the existing gas grid, thereby also relieving the strain on the power grid. In addition, the new technology allows the resulting CO₂ to be captured and stored or reused industrially. As a result, it could even reduce emissions overall in the long run rather than generating additional ones.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Koos (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT), Dr.-Ing. Philipp Dietrich (Keystone Photonics GmbH, Karlsruhe), and Dr.-Ing. Matthias Lauermann (Karlsruhe Vanguard Automation GmbH) have developed a novel manufacturing technique for photonic microchips that transmit data in computers and data centers using light instead of electrical signals. This enables data transmission that is faster and significantly more energy-efficient than with currently available methods. This is urgently needed, not least because of the enormous increase in energy demand driven by artificial intelligence applications. The extremely precise 3D printing process creates tiny optical connections between chips and optical fibers. This allows the components to be connected more quickly, more easily, and in large quantities. It also eliminates the need for the time-consuming positioning and alignment of the chips.

The selected teams presented their innovations today (September 16) at the Deutsches Museum in Munich. The Deutscher Zukunftspreis—Preis des Bundespräsidenten für Techni und Innovation—carries a cash award of 250,000 euros. The jury will decide who receives the award in November at the awards ceremony in Berlin, attended by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office

Inventiveness and creativity need effective protection. The DPMA is the German centre of expertise for all intellectual property rights – for patents, utility models, trade marks and registered designs. As the largest national patent office in Europe and the fifth largest national patent office in the world, it is committed to Germany’s future as a country of inventors in a globalised economy. Its almost 2,800 staff based at three locations – Munich, Jena and Berlin – are service providers for inventors and companies. They implement the innovation strategies of the Federal administration and develop national, European and international IP systems further.

Last updated: 15 September 2026