The Bavarian Innovation Award is a joint initiative of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Association of Bavarian Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the Association of Bavarian Chambers of Trade. Since 2012 it has been awarded every two years to Bavarian companies in recognition of outstanding innovative products, processes and technology-oriented services.

Bavaria’s Secretary of Economic Affairs, Roland Weigert, awarded the prize to ADVITOS at the virtual event on November 23, 2020. “In intensive care units, 60 % of patients die of multiple organ failure. There is a technology from Upper Bavaria that will save lives here. For the first time in the world, it has been possible to combine multiorgan support of the liver, lungs and kidneys and the direct correction of the blood pH in a single device. This is so outstanding that the ADVITOS is being honored”.

ADVITOS, which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 880349, is based in the Munich Technology Centre (MTZ), which focuses on supporting and maintaining technology and innovation-oriented companies and promoting start-ups in the region. From there the 55 employees develop, produce and market the innovative ADVOS procedure for the treatment of multiorgan failure.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. med. Bernhard Kreymann, founder of ADVITOS and himself a nephrologist, emphasises that it is not enough to simply have an idea. “You can have an idea, but its implementation is all the more important. That is why this prize is a huge acknowledgement for the entire team, who put a lot of hard work into our product”. Kreymann further emphasizes that especially in times of COVID-19 it is important to relieve the nursing and medical staff in the hospitals. The ADVOS procedure can make this possible and is already being used to treat COVID-19 patients.