Medical innovation reaches new heights: Charité BIH ARC Innovation Center now open
Today, June 2, 2026, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) officially opened the Charité BIH ARC Innovation Center. ARC stands for Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate. The idea behind the ARC Innovation Center is based on a concept developed at Sheba Medical Center in Israel, which has since been adopted by hospitals around the world. The center brings together medical expertise, scientific research, and technological development under one roof, shortening the path from concept to clinical practice.
"Our healthcare system is facing unprecedented challenges due to demographic change. Consequently, we must bring medical innovations into practice at a far more rapid pace and accelerate long research and development cycles. The ARC Innovation Center enables us to develop interdisciplinary solutions based on specific issues arising in everyday healthcare that are medically expedient and sound, technically feasible, and rapidly benefit patients," as Prof. Heyo Kroemer, Chairman of the Executive Board of Charité underlined.
Prof. Christopher Baum, Chairman of the BIH Executive Board and Director of Translational Research at Charité, adds: "New approaches to prevention, diagnosis, and therapy should be developed in a risk-adapted manner and reach patients as quickly as possible. In this respect, the ARC model will provide many important impulses. We will adapt everything carefully to the respective local conditions – and gladly in interaction with other partners in our innovation ecosystem."
A Day of Innovation
To mark the opening of the new Charité BIH ARC Innovation Center, Charité and BIH hosted an Innovation Day and invited leading figures from academia, industry, startups, and politics. Elke Büdenbender, the wife of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, welcomed all participants and kicked off today’s program. Professor Kroemer and Dr. Doris Meder, Administrative Director of the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité, provided an overview of strategic perspectives on innovation at Charité and the BIH. Following the opening ceremony, participants engaged in discussions during various workshops and presentations on current developments in clinical translation, as well as on the consolidation of organization-wide innovation activities under the umbrella of the Charité BIH ARC Innovation Center within an international context.
First Projects in the Starting Blocks
The Berlin ARC Innovation Center brings together hospitals, research institutions, startups, and industry partners in thematic open innovation hubs. These hubs are open development spaces where innovations are developed and tested in a practical setting in collaboration with external partners.
The Berlin ARC Innovation Center will launch its first initiatives as early as the first half of 2026. Plans include idea competitions designed to systematically identify specific challenges and potential solutions from the clinical, research, and administrative sectors. In addition, an innovator program will be launched to provide structured support to employees and external teams in developing and implementing entrepreneurial ideas. The first steps toward fostering a sustainable innovation ecosystem have already been taken—with the clear goal of bringing solutions to market more quickly for the benefit of patients and society.
The ARC Innovation Center concept
The concept of the ARC Innovation Center was developed in 2019 at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel. The idea was based on the realization that traditional healthcare systems are becoming increasingly unstable due to rising costs and staff shortages and are in need of far-reaching and fundamental transformation. Innovations are perceived not only as drivers of scalable patient benefits and economic growth, but also as a global responsibility.
In the meantime, the ARC concept has developed into a rapidly expanding and thriving international network. Partners include UCL Partners (London), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, SingHealth in Singapore, and Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo.
