Support for pioneers of medical technology

Interconnected thinking: “Checked shirt meets polo neck”
What does the market really need? Because so many projects for the development of products and services lack the business component, Medical Valley EMN brings together experts in technology and business management in order to promote innovations in healthcare as early as possible. The issues at the forefront of the unique “checked shirt meets polo neck” format (German: Karohemd meets Polokragen) include how a good idea can be turned into a good product and how the development and marketing processes can complement each other usefully from the outset. In cross-functional teams, the participants in the inter-disciplinary series of events in June, for example, developed possible modes of application for a 3D camera with real-time image processing. One result from the workshop: The new dynamic technology could be used to monitor and optimise hygiene standards in the operating theatre. A specific research project is currently being devised with the OTH Amberg-Weiden university of applied sciences.

Meeting point: “Healthcare Entrepreneurs Club”
Especially in the initial stages. entrepreneurs tend to have many questions and seek close interaction with experienced stakeholders from the sector. As a business incubator and nerve centre, this is where the Medical Valley Center lends a hand. The initiators of the Healthcare Entrepreneurs Club provide a platform from which start-ups, young businesspeople and experts from the medical technology sector can meet up and share experiences. With this format, the medical technology cluster is not focusing on financial support, but instead on initial assistance through networking, sharing expertise and exchanging experiences. The aim is to form a network of young entrepreneurs in which knowledge can be passed on and new projects can get off the ground. In addition, synergies can be exploited in order to cut down on the high costs that often arise for external procurement. The club promotes entrepreneurial spirit within the cluster and inspires individuals to start their own businesses.

Hotbed of ideas: “Healthcare Innovation Camp”
A first for the Medical Valley EMN: Students and alumni from all universities in the region with links to healthcare, as well as local businesses in the healthcare and medical technology sector, will come together for the first time on 10th December 2014. At the Healthcare Innovation Camp held in the Medical Valley Center, university stakeholders from a wide range of disciplines will address current challenges facing healthcare. Companies have until 10th November 2014 to submit any specific issues, which will then be passed on to interdisciplinary research teams, who will deal with them using their technical expertise and subject and marketing knowledge. The results will then be presented and prizes awarded for the best proposals during the Medical Valley Summit on 23rd February 2015: an international cluster conference and exchange fair for stakeholders in the healthcare sector. The Healthcare Innovation Camp is therefore intended not only to serve as a hotbed for new ideas and solutions, but also to facilitate the recruitment of qualified young talent and act as a platform for forming contacts across sectors.

Medtech Business Design Boot Camp
At the entrepreneurs' boot camp held in Munich in September, young entrepreneurs were able to put their business model to the test before an audience of experienced coaches and potential users. The boot camp was initiated by the “UnternehmerTUM” in Munich in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits and the Medical Valley Center, as part of the Science2Market project.

Topical blog: “Entrepreneurship”
In the newsroom section of its website, the cluster management of the Medical Valley EMN focuses particularly on young talent within the medical technology sector. For instance, the “Entrepreneurship Blog” by Julien Denis reports from Silicon Valley, explaining what makes California's entrepreneurial heartland so successful and what can be learnt from this.

Up-and-coming location: Würzburg
The Innovations- und Gründerzentrum Würzburg is also equipped with modern office space and a laboratory infrastructure specifically geared towards biotechnological issues, providing start-ups and entrepreneurs with optimum conditions – including free services and direct contact with the sector clusters

MEDICA meeting point: Health IT and more
Many of the issues which drive Bavaria's medical technology companies forward are also the main focus of the world forum for the medical sector, being held on 12th and 15th November 2014 in Düsseldorf. Invest in Bavaria will be present at the Bayern Innovativ stand and invites guests to the “Bavarian-French-Israeli-Czech B2B Meeting” at 11am on 13th November. You can also meet us as at the “Innovation & Investments in Healthcare” event on 13th November 2013 at the Sheraton Hotel Düsseldorf. You can find more information on both events here.