Rabea Knorr – Head of Department Health Industry, BDI, Germany

Meeting Highlights:

• BDI's Priorities for 2025: Actively engaging with coalition negotiations in regard to the conditions for manufacturing and industry in the country, strengthening competitiveness by reducing bureaucracy and advocating for a more resilient supply chain.  
• iGW's Action Plan: Putting the healthcare industry at the top of the agenda of political and economic decision-makers, raising awareness of the sector's impact in the country as an anker for economic growth and employment.  
• Building a Resilient Supply Chain: To incentivize local production and digitalization, BDI is introducing HealthTrack-X. 
• Germany as an Industrial Powerhouse: Leading global innovation, top-tier workforce, and institutions that drive R&D forward.  
• Rabea Knorr Reflecting on 10 years at BDI: Proud of building the foundation for data space, and hope to address regulatory challenges to advance digitization. 

EF: How are the current developments in Germany shaping BDI's priorities? Where do you see both challenges and opportunities, particularly for the healthcare sector? 

RK: At BDI, every time a new government is formed, we closely follow the coalition talks and, ultimately, the coalition agreement, since that document sets the political agenda for the next four years. Right now, we are carefully watching these discussions to understand how future policies will shape innovation, production, and manufacturing in Germany. 

My team focuses specifically on the healthcare industry. We look at innovation strategies, production plans, and key challenges — especially digitalization, an area where Germany, including its healthcare system, still lags behind. The government's vision for the future of healthcare and how our industry can contribute to it, are therefore central themes for us. 

But healthcare is just one part of a broader conversation. Across all sectors, one of the biggest priorities is improving Germany's competitiveness. In today's geopolitical environment, both Germany and Europe must strengthen their position by using the tools available: cutting bureaucracy, reducing regulatory hurdles to foster innovation, lowering taxes, and tackling high energy costs. These fundamentals will be critical to maintaining our industrial strength moving forward. 

EF: How does BDI actively influence healthcare policy? What is your strategy for advocating industrial interests within this new framework, particularly for the healthcare sector? 

RK: At BDI, our core strategy is to position the health industry as an integral part of economic and industrial policy, not just as a healthcare topic. We do not focus so much on regulatory issues or market access — that is rather the role of our member associations in pharma or MedTech. 

Instead, our role is to connect the dots across pharma, medical devices, biotech, health IT, and the broader health ecosystem — and bring that perspective to economic policymakers, not just those focused on healthcare. Our message is clear: the health industry is a key pillar of stability and growth. It is a major driver of jobs, innovation, and resilience. In today's world, national security is no longer just about defense or energy. We need to have a strong, innovative health industry capable of responding to future crises. Healthcare is not only about treating patients — it is about building the foundation for a stable and sovereign economy. 

EF: What do you see as the critical steps Germany needs to take to become more self-sufficient? 

RK: To build real resilience, we need production — or at least production capacity — here in Europe. That is the starting point. However, it is not just about manufacturing itself; supply chain resilience is equally important. And that means creating the right incentives to make both happen. 

A big focus for us is improving early warning systems and driving the digitalization of supply chains to identify risks and shortages faster. At BDI, we are part of a government-funded consortium working closely with industry partners to explore how we can digitize supply chains from the ground up. Once you have that digital infrastructure, it's easier to track shortages early, take preventive action, and even advance other goals like CO₂ tracking. 

We are also looking at best practices from other industries. For instance, the automotive sector built a data space years ago to monitor container shipments. Inspired by that, we are now adapting the model for healthcare through our "HealthTrack-X" project — creating a dedicated data space to track and secure medical supply chains. 

EF: What will it take for Germany to reclaim its reputation as a nation of thinkers and innovators? How do associations like BDI help encourage that shift back to innovation? 

RK: At BDI, innovation is a strong point across many sectors, including health. While AI breakthroughs — especially large language models — are often linked to the US and China, Germany remains competitive when it comes to applying AI in production and manufacturing. This leadership is bolstered by our highly qualified workforce and the collaborative environment fostered by institutions like university hospitals, which are significant factors attracting health industry investments to Germany. 

Nonetheless, bureaucracy, taxation, and energy costs can impede innovation. We need structural reforms to free up companies, especially smaller ones, so they can focus more on innovation rather than red tape. Another hurdle is funding for startups and scale-ups. Germany needs more venture capital to help innovative projects grow. 

The Health Data Utilization Act (GDNG), enacted in early 2024, aims to improve access to health data for research purposes. This law enables the industry to use health data to boost research and innovation. However, the data still needs to be better connected and more reliable, meaning structured and of high quality. The Act is a solid first step, but more work is required to build a strong, integrated health data system. 

EF: If you look back at your career trajectory, what is one of your proudest moments? And what is a personal achievement you still look forward to? 

RK: One of our biggest successes over the past two years has been laying the groundwork for a health industry data space called “sphin-X”. This goes beyond just the supply chain project I mentioned before. We've worked hard to shift mindsets in the sector, helping companies understand that true digital transformation cannot happen in isolation. To fully benefit from digitization, we need to establish systems for secure data sharing across companies and stakeholders. I'm proud of how far we've come in that regard. 

Sphin-X is bringing together over 20 companies committed to accelerating this collaborative approach. Germany needs a unified health data ecosystem to boost research and innovation, and combining projects like sphin-X with other lighthouse projects would make it easier for the industry to access and use data. This, in turn, would strengthen Germany's position in health R&D, since access to health data is one of the key factors when deciding on where to locate R&D. High-quality data is essential for progress, and using standards like FHIR ensures smooth integration across platforms.  

Looking back at the digital legislation introduced two years ago, there was considerable debate among companies about how positively we should respond. Giving industry access to health data was a big step, but putting it into practice remains challenging. Connecting the data and ensuring its quality will take time. Still, it's a crucial step in the right direction and could help draw more AI research and investment to Germany.