At the international trade fair REHACARE 2025 in Düsseldorf, Frauke Wiegräbe (inIT) and Dr. Katrin Kunze from Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (HSBI) were on duty as scouts for the ISyCARE OWL innovation community. Their goal: to attract potential partners for new project ideas in the field of socio-technical innovations in healthcare.
REHACARE as a hotspot for innovations in healthcare
Frauke Wiegräbe, research associate in the Discrete Systems working group headed by Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg, was on site together with Dr. Katrin Kunze (HSBI). Both are working in scouting positions within the ISyCARE transfer project. While Frauke Wiegräbe focused on data-driven systems and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, Dr. Katrin Kunze focused in particular on technical aids.
Impressions of the trade fair
For Frauke Wiegräbe, REHACARE 2025 was an important step in promoting exchange within ISyCARE:"It was impressive to see the digital solutions that are already available today in the field of care and rehabilitation. The variety of approaches – from AI-supported applications to robotic assistance systems – shows that there is enormous potential for innovation in this field."
ISyCARE – Innovations for the OWL health region
ISyCARE is one of 20 innovation communities nationwide funded under the DATIpilot funding guideline of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). The aim of the community is to develop socio-technical innovations for healthcare and put them into practice. In addition to inIT at TH OWL and HSBI, other regional players such as the Klinikum Lippe, the v. Bodelschwinghschen Stiftungen Bethel and companies from OWL are also involved.
A particular focus is on networking in so-called strategy circles and expert networks, as well as direct exchange with those affected. In these groups, science and practice work together on solutions that are intended to improve healthcare in the long term.