Donation ceremony at Schloss Bellevue Berlin: David Grodzki, Michael Uder, Stephan Biber, Elisabeth Staudinger, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Augusto Arzubiaga Scheuch, ambassador of the Republic of Peru to Germany, Marina John, Klaus-Dieter John und Olaf Böttger (from left).
Press release

Future Prize 2023 Winners donate MRI Scanner to Peru Hospital

German Future Prize
Published on November 27, 2024
  • German Future Prize 2023 winners Stephan Biber, David Grodzki and Michael Uder donate their prize money to improve healthcare in southern Peru 
  • Diospi Suyana Hospital will receive a Magnetom Free Star, the system for which the award was won, plus 10 years of service 
  • Siemens Healthineers, Siemens and Siemens Caring Hands support financially 

The winners of the 2023 Future Prize will use their prize money to donate an award-winning Magnetom Free Star system to a not-for-profit hospital in Apurímac, southern Peru, to improve healthcare there. This donation by Stephan Biber and David Grodzki from Siemens Healthineers and Michael Uder, MD, of the Uniklinikum Erlangen, Germany, will be financially supported by Siemens Healthineers, Siemens and Siemens Caring Hands. Diospi Suyana Hospital specializes in caring for indigenous Quechua people. Patients from all over the country travel to the hospital, which until now has not had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment available, though the technology can add great value to the diagnosis of a wide range of diseases. The donation includes a 10-year service contract, and Michael Uder and his team will also provide on-site support for several weeks during a training period for local staff. 

The Magnetom Free platform has been developed to bring MRI to places where it was not possible before, such as to the Andean region of Apurímac. Scanners in the new platform are equipped with a bundle of innovations that enable easy installation, maintenance, and operation. 

The symbolic handover by the three award winners took place at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, in the presence of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Elisabeth Staudinger, member of the managing board of Siemens Healthineers, as well as Diospi Suyana founders Klaus-Dieter John, MD, and Martina John, MD. Chairman of the Hospital Association, Olaf Böttger, and Augusto Arzubiaga Scheuch, ambassador of the Republic of Peru to Germany, were also there. 

“It fills me with great pride to be chairman of the supervisory board of a company that is not only recognized for its innovations in healthcare, but also shows great social commitment across borders,” said Ralf P. Thomas, supervisory board chairman of Siemens Healthineers. “My special thanks go to the members of the team that won the German Future Prize who donate their prize money to healthcare for the people of Peru.” 

Elisabeth Staudinger, member of the managing board of Siemens Healthineers, said: “We are honored to have won the German Future Prize, which recognizes the innovation and dedication of our team. Even more importantly, the winners have decided to donate the Magnetom Free platform to a community in Peru that previously had no access to MRI technology. This contribution will greatly enhance the lives of those in need of quality healthcare, reinforcing our commitment to continue pioneering breakthroughs in healthcare for everyone, everywhere.” 

Klaus-Dieter John said: “Diospi Suyana is a Christian humanitarian institution that has been providing state-of-the-art medicine to hundreds of thousands of patients for over 17 years. Our goal was and is to provide the poorest of the poor with the most modern medicine. We thank the award winners, Siemens Healthineers and Siemens, for donating this state-of-the-art MRI machine.” 

Speaking for the development team, Stephan Biber added: “We are very proud to open a new chapter for the people of Apurímac and beyond with this donation. It was clear to us from the beginning that we wanted to use our prize money for better healthcare. With Diospi Suyana in Peru, we have found the perfect partner.” 

The Magnetom Free platform is the result of more than ten years of development work by Stephan Biber, David Grodzki and their teams at Siemens Healthineers. MRI has been fundamentally rethought to break down the barriers around the technology. Challenges had included the cost of making necessary alterations to buildings to accommodate the MRI systems, the lack of liquid helium to cool the magnet and the lack of trained personnel to perform complex examinations. Magnetom Free systems have a low field strength of 0.55 Tesla combined with AI-based image reconstruction for high diagnostic quality, as well as simplified infrastructure requirements due to drastically reduced helium demand of 0.7 liters. 

Together with his department, Michael Uder, head of the Radiological Institute of Uniklinikum Erlangen, Germany, was responsible for clinical testing and the integration of Magnetom Free into clinical routine.

Further information can be found here.

Siemens Healthineers 2025

Siemens Healthineers pioneers breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere. Sustainably. The company is a global provider of healthcare equipment, solutions and services, with activities in more than 180 countries and direct representation in more than 70. The group comprises Siemens Healthineers AG, listed as SHL in Frankfurt, Germany, and its subsidiaries. As a leading medical technology company, Siemens Healthineers is committed to improving access to healthcare for underserved communities worldwide and is striving to overcome the most threatening diseases. The company is principally active in the areas of imaging, diagnostics, cancer care and minimally invasive therapies, augmented by digital technology and artificial intelligence. In fiscal 2024, which ended on September 30, 2024, Siemens Healthineers had approximately 72,000 employees worldwide and generated revenue of around €22.4 billion. Further information is available at www.siemens-healthineers.com.