Stefan Vilsmeier receives  Distinguished Service Medal from Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber (2001)

BrainLAB was born when Stefan Vilsmeier, dissatisfied with the cumbersome programs for neurosurgery procedures then in use, began work on what was to be the first mouse-controlled and menu-driven software for surgical planning and navigation.

Today, BrainLAB is an award-winning innovator in image-guided surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery. With headquarters based in Munich and regional offices across the globe, BrainLAB develops, manufactures, and markets software-driven medical equipment.

BrainLAB solutions allow expansion from a single system to operating suites to digitally integrated hospitals covering all subspecialties from neurosurgery, orthopedics, ENT, CMF to spine & trauma and oncology.

1989    BrainLAB GmbH founded in Munich
            Launch of first neurosurgery system

1990    First use of BrainLAB software at university of Vienna

1992    Establishment of a distribution network

1993    First BrainLAB radiosurgery systems sold in the US, Taiwan,
            South Africa

1994    Opening of BrainLAB USA

1995    Opening of BrainLAB China
            First customer workshop in Germany: Introduction of different
            navigation technologies

1996    Partnership with Varian: joint development of m3®

1997    FDA clearance of VectorVision®
            First patients treated with m3® at Charité Berlin

1998    First installation of Novalis® at UCLA
            Foundation of BrainLAB AG (public limited company) 
            BrainLAB offices in Madrid and Hong Kong

1999    Launch of ExacTrac® Patient Positioning System
            BrainLAB offices in Paris, Sao Paulo, Milan, London and Seoul

2000    Partnership with Johnson & Johnson
            Implementation of a direct sales force
            BrainLAB offices in Tokyo, Delhi and Dubai

2001    Stefan Vilsmeier receives Bavaria's most prestigious service award
            Stefan Vilsmeier is selected 'Entrepreneur of the Year' (Ernst & Young)

2002    Stefan Vilsmeier is awarded 'World Entrepreneur of the Year'
            Partnership with DePuy
            BrainLAB offices in Kuala Lumpur, Sydney

2003    Stefan Vilsmeier selected as 'Global Leader for Tomorrow' by
            World Economic Forum

2004    ExacTrac X-Ray: patient positioning based on x-ray technology

2005    First clinical use of BrainSUITE at Ospedale Sant’ Andrea in Rome
            Development of iPlan Flow for improved drug delivery

2006    BrainLAB develops Intelligent Treatment Framework
            Move to new headquarters

2007    BrainLAB and Varian launch Novalis Tx™
            First installation of digitally integrated neuroscience center