As a company owned by a foundation, sustainability and business success are inextricably linked at ZEISS. Sustainable value added is an integral component of the company's business activity, which focuses on innovative solutions that contribute to positive development in society and enable long-term, profitable growth. The Carl Zeiss Meditec Group is a company of the ZEISS Group and fully shares the objectives of the Foundation. For more information and further details, please visit the ZEISS website about Sustainability and Responsibility.
The Carl Zeiss Meditec Group’s social engagement focuses on charitable initiatives that are directly related to the Company’s core businesses, such as ophthalmology and microsurgery. The Carl Zeiss Meditec Group would like to help provide as many people as possible with access to modern healthcare. Therefore the Company supports projects that aim to enhance the level of medical care for people in underprivileged parts of the world. Support for the training and continuing education of physicians and other medical personnel is a priority:
Diagnosis, treatment and training centers
Help for self-help
In line with the motto “help for self-help” ZEISS has been providing medical care to people in underprivileged regions since 2005 through five diagnosis, treatment and training centers for eyecare.
At these centers, doctors are trained in the use of modern instruments to diagnose and treat eye diseases using reliable, state-of-the-art technology.
In order to provide economically weak regions with medical care, ZEISS has formed sustainable partnerships with international organizations such as the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and the Christoffel Mission for the Blind (CBM).
Special training centers
Training in cataract surgery
©CBM/Fundación Visión
In 2018, ZEISS began funding the establishment of phaco training centers, i.e. dedicated training centers for cataract surgery:
- 2019 – Phaco training center at the H.V. Desai Eye Hospital (Pune, India)
- 2018 – Phaco training center at the IAPB Latin American Center of Excellence (Asunción, Paraguay)
During placements lasting several months at hospitals equipped with modern tools, doctors can improve their skills in ophthalmology and later harness the knowledge gained for their work in their home countries.
IOFF Fellowship
Training as key to good medical treatment
Good medical training forms the basis of good health care. That’s why the Carl Zeiss Meditec Group supported the foundation of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) in enabling young doctors from developing and emerging nations to spend time at hospitals in Europe. Since 2020, the Fellowship Program has been organized by the International Ophthalmological Fellowship Foundation e.V. (IOFF). During placements lasting several months at hospitals with state-of-the-art equipment, doctors can improve their skills in ophthalmology and later harness the knowledge gained for their work in their native countries.
As part of the ICO Fellowship Program, the Carl Zeiss Meditec Group supported ten fellows in the period from 2012 to 2020. As part of the IOFF Fellowship Program, the Company has facilitated a stay of several months for one scholarship holder and also co-financed two one-year scholarships over the past two years.
Equipment donations
Help for nonprofit organizations
Alongside training and continuing education, the key to delivering good medical care can also be found in supplying technical equipment to hospitals and medical practices. By donating equipment, the Carl Zeiss Meditec Group is going some way towards supporting nonprofits that campaign to improve medical care worldwide. The commitment here extends beyond the donation of medical technology: at the end of fiscal year 2021/22, the Company decided to make a major equipment donation to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NAS Ukraine). The research projects of NAS Ukraine are supported by microscopes purchased by microscopes from ZEISS.