Vector Medical Engineering Symposium 2026
October 14 & 15, 2026
Vector Campus Karlsruhe
Registration is open for the 4th Vector Medical Engineering Symposium.
Join us for an event that is unique to the industry: two days dedicated to advancing innovation, quality, and efficiency in medical embedded software and software-driven systems. The Vector Medical Engineering Symposium brings together experts from management, development, research, and healthcare to explore the latest trends, challenges, and practical solutions.
The program combines expert presentations, a dedicated exhibition, a panel discussion, hands-on workshops, and valuable networking opportunities, all to create a platform for exchanging ideas, gaining insights, and shaping the future of medical technology.
Program Focus
The agenda is structured around three core topics that are currently shaping medical device engineering.
AI in MedTech
From data-driven development and simulation to training, assistance systems and future clinical workflows: understand where AI can create realistic value in medical technology.
Software-Defined Medical Devices
Gain perspectives on architectures, embedded software platforms, virtual development, testing and lifecycle engineering for increasingly software-driven medical systems.
Interoperability & IEEE 11073 SDC
Explore practical approaches for connected medical devices, standardized communication, testable integration and vendor-independent interoperability in clinical environments.
What to Expect
The Vector Medical Engineering Symposium 2026 will start at the Vector Campus Karlsruhe on Wed, Oct 14 at 12:00. A casual evening event offers the opportunity for informal exchange and networking.
Talks on Day Two on Thu, Oct 15 will be from 9:00 to 15:00, followed by workshop opportunities.
The Program Includes
- Keynotes addressing strategic perspectives from MedTech, software engineering and clinical practice
- Expert talks on current challenges in medical device engineering
- A panel discussion on future topics in MedTech
- Exhibition with technology insights and opportunities for extensive exchange
- Hands-on workshops on SDC, CANopen and Swosh Software Platform / SIL & HIL
- Get-together for networking and community exchange on Wednesday evening
Agenda
Wednesday, Oct 14, 2026
| Time | Program |
|---|---|
| 12:00 | Arrival | Registration | Exhibition |
| 12:30 | Welcome and Opening |
| 12:45 | Keynote: Vector’s Strategy for Software-defined Systems Dr. Thomas Beck, Managing Director Vector |
| 13:20 | Keynote: Perspectives to the Future of Medical Technology Prof. Dr.-Ing. Eric Sax, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Uwe Spetzger, Klinikum Karlsruhe – SKK / Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) |
| 14:00 | Coffee Break | Exhibition |
| 14:30 | The Value of Automation in a Context where Time-to-Market and Efficiency are becoming Increasingly Critical Drivers Laetitia Mazotti, Dheeraj Jain; Fresenius Kabi |
| 15:00 | Modular HIL Architecture for Medical Component Testing Markus Kallweit; Siemens Healthineers |
| 15:30 | Compliance by Design: Computer-Aided Compliance Engineering in MedTech Bernd Schleimer; TÜV Rheinland |
| 16:00 | Coffee Break | Exhibition |
| 16:30 | Why build what won't differentiate you? Production-ready Embedded Software for Small MedTech Teams Michael Thurner; Vector |
| 16:55 | Verification at the Speed of Development — The Software Factory Concept for Medical Devices Dr. Marcus Eggenberger, Vector |
| 17:20 | Panel Discussion: „Software-Defined but safe: How Fast Should MedTech Innovate?” Bernd Schleimer, TÜV Rheinland Group; Guillaume Marie, Getinge; Christian Schregel, Löwenstein; Hans von Pfuhlstein, PhD, The Strategist Network; Gavin Rogers, Vector |
| 18:00 | Wrap Up and Closing Day 1 Get-together, Dinner, Networking |
Thursday, Oct 15, 2026
| Time | Program |
| 8:30 | Arrival | Registration | Exhibition |
| 9:00 | Welcome and Opening |
| 9:05 | Keynote: Plug and Operate: How Open Interoperability Unlocks Innovation in the OR Prof. Dr.-Ing. Oliver Burgert, Hochschule Reutlingen |
| 9:30 | Why Organizations Need an SDC Stack: How Critical Software and Vector Bridge Medical Devices in Real Time António Campos, Sérgio Pereira; Critical Software |
| 9:55 | Coffee Break | Exhibition |
| 10:20 | The Medical Device Interoperability Solution - Development and Testing of IEEE 11073 SDC Systems Marvin Gerhardt, Nadine Schnabel; Vector |
| 10:45 | Co-Simulating Connected Medical Devices: Integrating Model-Based Design with SDC using Simulink and CANoe Visa Suomi, DPhil; The Mathworks |
| 11:10 | Coffee Break | Exhibition |
| 11:40 | AI-Driven End-to-End Development and Test Workflow for Medical Robotics Systems Lucas Hochberger, Peter Seitz; Vector |
| 12:40 | Lunch Break | Exhibition |
| 13:40 | How can AI applications in embedded systems be evaluated reliably? Dr. Silke Czarnetzki; Vector |
| 14:15 | AI-Driven Continuous Cybersecurity for Medical Devices: Practical Experience and Key Lessons Learned Florian Kanis, Vector Consulting Services |
| 14:40 | Wrap Up and Closing Day 2 |
| 15:00 | Workshop Slot 1 |
| 16:00 | Workshop Slot 2 |
Our Speakers
Workshop Opportunities
Gain hands-on experience on focused topics in our workshops.
The sessions will last about one hour each, and will run twice immediately following the presentations on the second day of the event. This will give you the chance to attend up to two out of three workshop offers. Please select your workshops during your registration.
Please note: seats are limited!
CANopen: In 20 min from EDS to Remaining Bus Simulation
CANopen is an important protocol standard in modern medical device communication. Learn in a compact hands-on experience how to efficiently implement a CANopen network simulation, using a given EDS file and a simulation and testing environment.
Simulating CANopen devices in early stages for the development process has a decisive effect on your total development time and the quality of implementation.
Your hosts will be Marcel Mauch and Pascal Burek
Shift Left, Ship Faster: Swosh. The Unified Embedded Ecosystem ...
.. for Modern Medical Device Development.
Short-term hardware obsolescence can create major challenges for development teams, especially in complex, quality-critical systems.
In this workshop, we demonstrate through a practical end-to-end demo how hardware changes can be managed efficiently and with reduced risk. Participants will see how replacing obsolete components impacts the existing software stack, and how to address this in a structured way.
The focus is on a consistent shift-left approach: software adaptations are implemented early in the development environment, tested using Software-in-the-Loop, integrated into a virtualized system, and finally validated with Hardware-in-the-Loop.
Your host will be Dr. Lars Braun
Developing Medical Devices in the SDC Ecosystem. A Test-Driven Approach
IEEE 111073 SDC is undoubtedly the new standard for interoperability in the operating room and the intensive care unit.
This workshop provides an introduction to the implementation of SDC-compatible devices and their testing.
Workshop Hosts: Nadine Schnabel and Marvin Gerhardt.
Review: Vector Medical Engineering Symposium 2025
The Vector Medical Engineering Symposium, held in October 2025, evolved into a major international event for the MedTech community. Across two days, attendees experienced expert talks, technical deep dives, and lively discussions.
