Siemens 2008 Annual Report Download - page 21

At a glance – Our innovators and innovations 15
Around 1,900 scientists are conducting basic research at our Corporate Technology Department.
Current projects range from the simulation of water networks and the resource-saving optimi-
zation of industrial systems to the development of new materials for LEDs and coatings for gas
turbine blades. All these innovations aim to increase efciency. A special project is focused on
maximizing the long-term efciency of building technologies. Accounting for about 40 percent
of global energy consumption, buildings harbor particularly high energy-saving potential. Here,
too, we specialize in ecofriendly technologies – from energy-saving lamps and intelligent build-
ing management systems to the nancing models of efciency-enhancing performance contract-
ing, which enables customers to pay off investments through energy savings. Thousands of such
projects have demonstrated that – when the right measures are implemented – a building’s energy
consumption can be cut 20 to 40 percent. To cite just one example, we’ve equipped Lisbon’s new
Hospital da Luz with high-efciency building technologies. The installed systems feature 13,000
sensors that optimize lighting, ventilation and climate control.
However, our involvement in the hospital project didn’t stop there. We also provided leading-edge
healthcare technologies, encompassing everything from imaging and healthcare IT systems to
workow optimization solutions. The Hospital da Luz underscores our innovative strength as an
integrated healthcare company. In diagnostic imaging, we’ve recently rolled out a new CT scanner
that allows various types of tissue to be automatically differentiated in a single scan. In laboratory
diagnostics, we’ve developed a new device that combines several different measurement systems
into one. Capable of accommodating up to 200 samples an hour, it can perform a large number of
tests simultaneously. And in the area of healthcare IT, our intelligent systems are helping doctors
make complex diagnoses. The linking of patient information stored in different databases is
enabling clinicians to recognize interconnections sooner and deliver more efcient patient care.
Further information on innovation at Siemens is available at: www.siemens.com/innovations
In scal 2008, our R&D expenditures totaled €3.8 billion, or 4.9 percent of our
revenue. During the same period, we led roughly 5,000 patent applications, or
23 per workday. Siemens worldwide currently holds more than 55,000 patents,
ten percent more than in scal 2007.
Invention reports (by Sector)
Industry 40%
Energy 17%
Healthcare 23%
Corporate Technology 13%
Other activities 7%
* About 37 inventions per day (220 workdays)
8,200*