Minister Barke Visits CDNS to Explore the Future of Neurotechnology

As part of his 2025 summer tour, Saarland’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Jürgen Barke, visited the Center for Digital Neurotechnologies Saar (CDNS) at the University Hospital in Homburg. We were pleased to welcome him and showcase our research on how neurotechnology and digital innovation can transform clinical care.

CDNS is dedicated to advancing human-centered digital technologies in biomedicine, human-machine interaction, and sensory immersion through neuroscientific and neurotechnological research. During the visit, Minister Barke was introduced to several of our key initiatives, including the Multi-Immerse project – a collaboration between UKS, Saarland University, htwsaar, ZeMA, and DFKI – which enables emotionally rich virtual interactions for hospitalized children, helping bridge physical distance through immersive technology.

Additional projects presented included digital support inside operating theaters, contactless screening setups for adults and preterm infants, and our mobile research vehicle.

We greatly appreciated the Minister’s interest in our interdisciplinary work and his recognition of the importance of strengthening Saarland as a center for clinically relevant neurotechnology. His visit underscored the value of collaboration between science, medicine, and policy in shaping the future of healthcare.