The South Transdanubian Regional Innovation Agency Nonprofit Ltd. (STRIA) is partner of MEDTECH4EUROPE Interreg Europe project from 1st June of 2018, which aim is to optimize the impact of public policies in favour of research and innovation facilities in the field of medical technologies.
The European Commission had launched the Lead Market Initiative (LMI) for Europe between 2008-2011. Its aim was to encourage the emergence of lead markets of high economic and societal value. The initiative had six markets, one of which is e-health due to its market potential in terms of growing demand and market growth opportunities, changing demographics and disease patterns, and healthcare capabilities.
Medical technologies are a key sector for the future in Europe by bringing solutions to reduce healthcare costs in a context of ageing population. With emergence of new and cross-sectorial technologies, it is one of the most innovative high-tech sector which faces a strong world competition requiring each time more innovation. But the sector is fragmented with a high number of products and SMEs; RDI infrastructures offers do not always meet effectively companies demands.
The Medtech4Europe project aims to obtain positive aspects on the “social pillar” of sustainable development by taking in consideration the needs of the population and of the patients in healthcare terms through social and open innovation approaches (living labs for example) allowing the development of more adapted medical technologies.
The project brings together 9 partners from 8 EU countries (FR, IT, NL, D, FI, DK, HU, PL) with a mix of regional public authorities, innovation agencies and a cluster (all having delegation of competencies from their public authority) and an advisory partner. They are supported by strongly involved skilful stakeholders: managing authorities, centres of research, clusters, hospitals.
The kick-off meeting The lead partner Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region welcomed the eight other project partners in Lyon on 25 June 2018. The partners introduced themselves and their medical technology sectors in a non-formal way and they also discussed with each other what benefits they may expect from the Medtech4 Europe experience exchange. Following these, during the rest of the first day, upcoming project activities of management and communication – dissemination, based on Programme rules and Medtech4 Europe Application Form were discussed in detail. The second day, 26 June 2018 was dedicated to a methodology workshop focusing on medical technologies, led by advisory partner Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. Related innovation policies will include the regional innovation ecosystem, the Research, Development and Innovation and the medtech ecosystems, so as to provide for a more focused approach. Business related aspects of medical technologies, also the typical medtech application domains were addressed by the professional debate of the second day. Medtech4 Europe partners will elaborate methodoligcal issues and start working along those in the forthcoming months of 2018. As a result of the two days spent in Lyon, Medtech4 Europe partnership is ready to start their work on optimizing the impact of public policies in favour of research and innovation facilities in the field of medical technologies.
Medtech4Europe had started on 1st June 2018, will end in November 2022 and can count on 1.71 M€ of ERDF fundings. The lead partner is the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Region, France. Steinbeis-Europa-Zentrum der Steinbeis Innovation gGmbH will host the next project meeting in Stuttgart.
The Medtech4 Europe PGI04950 project is implemented within the Interreg Europe Programme with the co-finance of the European Regional Development Fund and the Hungarian State.
