Student shortfall puts German innovation at risk:

A 2% fall in the number of students registering for courses in information and electrotechnology, to 17,080 annually, is endangering medical technology innovation in Germany, says the association for electrical, electronic and information technologies (VDE). In universities, the fall is even greater, at 5%. Only 30,000 students began informatics courses this year, a fall of 17% compared with last year. The number of electro-engineers set to graduate this year is expected to be 6,000 below that of last year, says VDE. Both disciplines are vital to the preservation and promotion of innovation in the German medtech sector, says the association.