Baden-Württemberg Ministers Discuss Science and Policy Initiatives in Latest Update

Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Science, Petra Olschowski, engaged in high-level discussions on strengthening health economics research in the metropolitan region during a meeting at the ZEW Mannheim on March 20, 2026.

The meeting brought together more than 20 high-ranking representatives from science, including the Rector of the University of Heidelberg, Professor Frauke Melchior, the Rector of the University of Mannheim, Professor Thomas Fetzer, and deans from the economics and medical faculties of both institutions.

The discussion centered on opportunities arising from joint federal–state funding approved at the end of 2025 for the establishment of a “Health Economics” Research Unit at ZEW, which had received strong support from the State of Baden-Württemberg and its Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK).

ZEW President Achim Wambach emphasized that evidence-based analyses combining medical and economic perspectives are increasingly vital for politics and business, particularly given the German healthcare system’s status as one of the best but also most expensive in the world, facing significant shortcomings.