Print-Logo Deutscher Zukunftspreis

"Turn ideas into successes. For our people. For our country."

This is the idea behind the works of the prize-winners that can be seen in the permanent exhibition on the Deutscher Zukunftspreis at the Deutsches Museum in Munich since the end of 2006.

Modul of the Prize Winners 2023

The exhibition showcases ten award-winning projects, documenting scientific and academic excellence and the sustainable impact of the innovations. The exhibition introduces the researchers and developers as individuals and as role models and honours their achievements in the "Hall of Fame".

The prize-winners are presented in a "Hall of Fame", at a prominent position and in framed larger-than-life, black-and-white portraits at the top end of the exhibition - the modern equivalent of the actual "Hall of Fame" at the Deutsches Museum. The installation ends with the archive presenting all activities related to the prize and the "Emeritus Module", containing information about all prizewinning projects no longer on display in the exhibition. On the opposite wall is a list of all those whose innovations were shortlisted for the Deutscher Zukunftspreis:
researchers who are among the "circle of the best".

The award-winning works of the prize-winners are dramatically showcased on project islands. Each of the ten modules has a "gateway" that functions as a teaser, a playful invitation that engages the senses and focuses the visitor's attention on the project. In the more in-depth information at the exhibition modules, the scientific background , an explanation of the innovations and their economic and social relevance are presented. The views and experiences of the prize-winners are also documented in brief statements.

The design of the displays and individual modules is angular. Their basic shape is that of an irregular pentagram that gradually assumes its final form and becomes a solid, defined rectangle: this is an allegory of the work process of research and development. It illustrates the path taken from an idea as it becomes a project and ultimately culminates in a specific product.

Excellence, experience and appreciation - these central themes are reflected in the exhibition's execution. It provides information on the aims of the Deutscher Zukunftspreis and emphasizes its particular significance as a prize awarded by the German President.

Exhibition design:
Module of the winners 2023

“Open to all – A new MRT for the world”

Dr.-Ing. Stephan Biber, Dr. rer. nat. David M. Grodzki and Prof. Dr. med. Michael Uder were awarded the Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2023 for their innovation. 
They found a solution to make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology usable worldwide – even in countries and regions where financial means and technical possibilities are limited. The three prizewinners developed an innovative platform which represents a radical departure from the paradigm “ever larger, ever more powerful” exemplary of the previous technological progress in this field. They succeeded for the first time to produce high-resolution and diagnostically accurate images of the body using MRI despite employing comparably weaker magnetic field strengths. This considerably reduces both the technical complexity as well as the cost of the scanners.

The principle behind magnetic resonance tomography is based on the magnetic properties of the atomic nuclei of hydrogen. Using a magnetic field, the otherwise randomly orientated spins of the nuclei can be arranged almost fully parallel. They are then diverted from this direction by a pulsed radio wave before returning to the parallel alignment. This releases energy that can be measured as an electromagnetic signal and then converted into an image. These images provide the medical information. The spatial resolution of MRI images increases with the magnetic field strength. In the past, this resulted in a focus on the development of MRI scanners with increasingly higher fields strengths, while, at the same time, the platforms became ever more complex, larger, and heavier – as well as more costly. That is why the use of state-of-the-art, high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging was not possible all over the world.

These are obstacles the prizewinners have removed. By combining a bundle of specific innovations, they have made high-resolution MRI examinations possible using a relatively weak magnetic field to produce high-quality images for diagnostics. They succeeded by using new imaging techniques and image reconstruction methods with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). The user interface was also greatly simplified with the help of AI. The necessary cooling of the magnets takes place in a closed circuit that dramatically reduces the amount of helium required and allows the platform to resume full operation rapidly even after a longer power failure, and there is also no need to procure additional helium. From these innovations come operator-friendly, compact and lightweight systems which make installation much simpler. The design also accommodates the uniquely large tube diameter and makes the new MRI generation “open to all”.

The module representing the 2023 prizewinners emphasizes these elements of the innovation and at the same time fits into the existing design concept. The highly visible copper-colored rings of varying size on the module symbolise this very material part of the success. Visitors can physically experience and recognize the notable difference in tube size, understand the advantage it has for overweight patients or those suffering from anxiety disorders who did not have patient-friendly access to MRI examinations in the past.

Rings are also a symbol of connection and responsibility: “Open to all” is also representative of the second part of this success, the access now available to millions of people worldwide and the opportunity of diagnoses, treatment, healing and thus receiving healthcare in their home countries thanks to the ready availability of the platforms.

Placed in an all-round glass display case at the top of the module to attract attention is a 1:10 model of the new MRI scanner generation, representing in a completely different way what makes the innovation so special and showcasing its aesthetics, compact design and innovative technology.
Its key elements are presented in the exhibits in the display case in the module base: Multifilament superconductor blanks, on display here as a disk and rod, and the superconducting wire drawn from them. The main magnets used in the Magnetom Free platform consist of several individual coils which together contain many kilometers of the superconducting wire.

Next to it is the segment of a gradient coil. To generate the MR signal and ultimately an image, in addition to the magnetic field and radio frequency pulses, a gradient coil with three axes is needed to produce the modulated magnetic fields along the three dimensions. This is what achieves the signal’s spatial resolution.

The explanatory screen in the module provides in-depth information about the technical structure of previous MRI platforms and the developments and special features of the new small and compact design. At the media terminal, visitors will find interesting statements of the three prizewinners on the innovation’s development and their shared journey to its realisation. The clip of the award ceremony provided by ZDF, one of Germany’s national public broadcasters, again vividly presents this journey and describes the innovation’s potential. 
 

Deutsches Museum

Your visit to the Deutsches Museum

The Deutsches Museum in Munich has already been extensively renovated in recent years. With the completion of the first construction phase, visitors can expect a total of 19 completely redesigned exhibitions since the reopening in 2022.

The exhibition on the German Future Prize has moved from its original location to the gallery of the auditorium, where it can be experienced in a modified and updated form.

However, a second construction phase is now pending. For this reason, individual exhibitions on Museum Island will again be temporarily inaccessible.

Current information on this can be found here: https://www.deutsches-museum.de/museumsinsel/ausstellung/alle-ausstellungen

Information

Address and Directions

Museumsinsel 1
80538 Munich / Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 89 / 21 791
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 21 79 324
Recorded information: +49 (0) 89 / 21 79 433
www.deutsches-museum.de

 

Image: (c) Alexander Goettert | Deutsches Museum

The entrance and ticket office are now located in the new multi-storey glass building on Corneliusbrücke.

site plan

How to get to the museum

S-Bahn – all trains stop nearby
Isartor – escalators only, no lift Rosenheimer Platz – barrier-free, but relatively steep hill down to the Deutsches Museum

Tram
Line 16, Isartor
Line 18, Fraunhoferstraße
Please note that the Deutsches Museum stop on line 17 is not currently served due to construction work on Ludwigsbrücke.

Bus
Line 132, Boschbrücke
Lines 52 und 62, Baaderstraße

U-Bahn
Lines 1 and 2, Fraunhoferstraße

Opening Hours and Admission Charges

The Deutsches Museum is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tickets are sold until 4pm. Admission until 16.30.
The last entrance to the mine and Kinderreich is at 16.45.

The German Museum is closed eight days a year.

01.01.2020 New Year
25.02.2020 Shrove Tuesday
11.03.2020 closed until 12:30 pm for staff meeting
10.04.2020 Good Friday
01.05.2020 May Day
01.11.2020 All Saints' Day
11.11.2020 closed until 12:30 pm for staff meeting
24.12.2020 Christmas Eve
25.12.2020 Christmas
31.12.2020 New Year's Eve

Admission costs
Adults 12,00 €
Admission for children up to 5 years and members is free.
Family ticket 25.00
Up to 2 adults with family members up to 17 years old.
Combi ticket 19,00 €
German Museum + Traffic Center + Flugwerft Schleißheim
valid until redemption for an indefinite period.

The German Museum is currently being extensively renovated. Therefore, several exhibitions are closed and the entrances change again and again during the construction process. Please check up to date when planning a visit to the museum.
https://www.deutsches-museum.de/information/

If you wish to visit the exhibition on the Deutscher Zukunftspreis at the Deutsches Museum with a small or larger group, please notify the museum in advance by contacting:

Contact

Deutsches Museum
Dr. Sabine Gerber, Curator
Phone: +49 (0) 89 / 21 79 565
E-Mail: s.gerber@deutsches-museum.de
Tours Ms. Beate Schuster
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 21 79 273
E-Mail: fuehrungen@deutsches-museum.de

Büro Deutscher Zukunftspreis
Cuvilliésstraße 14
81679 München
Dr. Christiane A. Pudenz
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 / 30 70 34 44
Fax: +49 (0) 89 / 39 29 87 31
Mobil: +49 (0) 172 / 85 20 982
E-Mail: info@deutscher-zukunftspreis.de
Web: www.deutscher-zukunftspreis.de