As Medtech4Health’s first year of operation came to an end, the next began at express speed. But before we fling ourselves into 2017, let’s summarise our activity in 2016. We think we managed to cover a lot of ground. Here is a summary of our calls for applications, strategic investments and communications during the year.

Group photo from a strategy meeting with guests.

Front row from the left: Monika Lydin (SP), Anna Ridderstad Wollberg (Uppsala Bio), Malin Wiederholm (Uppsala Bio), Kristina Svensson (Medtech4Health), Malin Hollmark (Swedish Medtech), Reidar Gårdebäck (Medtech4Health), Sjoerd Haasl (KTH), Peter Hult (Nova MedTech).

Back row from the left: Ronnie Lundström (CMTF), Örjan Smedby (KTH), Tomas Jansson (Medicon Bridge), Sebastian Strunk-Möller (Region Skåne), Mikael Persson (Chalmers), Bertil Guve (KTH), Henrik Mindedal (Medtech West), Pontus von Bahr (Vinnova) och Per Ask (Nova MedTech). Note that several people in the picture are associated with more than one organisation.

Calls for Applications

Calls for applications for funds are a way to support development and implement new medical techniques. During 2016 Medtech4Health issued four calls for applications.

Medical-Technical Innovations in Healthcare

The purpose of medical-technical innovations in healthcare is to bring together partners from different sectors to work with projects at an early stage of development. Applications opened on 29 January, closed on 1 April and answers were given during the first week of June. The application was open to co-operative projects involving at least two partners who were looking for a maximum of 50% of their total budget. Applications came in from 103 applicants. In the end 15 projects were financed to the value of 20.5 million Swedish kronor.

Innovators in Healthcare

This call for applications was directed at healthcare employees. The purpose was to give them the possibility of taking time to work with new technology. The applications opened on 12 February, closed on 12 April and final decisions were given at the end of June. The support level was up to 100% of a project’s total budget. Out of 66 applications, 6 projects were financed at a cost of 4.8 million Swedish kronor.

Skills Reinforcement for Small Companies

Through skills reinforcement for small companies Medtech4Health supports micro, small and medium-sized companies by enabling them to buy in external competences they may be lacking. Applications opened on 1 February and were accepted continually during the year until the budget was exhausted or up until 30 November. Applications were scrutinised and decisions taken once a month. The application process itself was simplified to suit smaller companies. During 2016 a total of 17 projects were financed up to a maximum of 200,000 Swedish kronor each. The total cost of financing these applications had, by the end of October, amounted to 2.7 million Swedish kronor and around 30% of applications were accepted.

Verification in a Clinical Setting

Verification in a clinical setting is directed at projects that focus on medical technology and have reached a level of development where they are clearly in need of being able to test or verify solutions. Applications opened on 1 July and closed on 14 September. Applicants could seek financial support of up to 500,000 Swedish kronor and to a support level of a maximum of 50% of their total budget. Of the 32 applications that came in, 11 were approved to a total cost of 4.4 million Swedish kronor.

Strategic Projects

Medtech4Health participates in or runs a number of strategic projects to bring together different actors, spread knowledge about what medical technology can do for the healthcare sector, and increase the number of innovations that benefit patients and users.

The Medtech4Health Innovation Award

The Medtech4Health Innovation Award shall promote and prioritise good examples of medical-technical implementation in healthcare. The prize shall be awarded to a group of employees who have successfully and actively participated in the introduction of medical-technical, technical or services that lead to a significant improvement in care. The purpose is to promote good examples and over time increase opportunities to put medical technology on the market, something which is essential in order for Medtech4Health to achieve its goals.

The prize will be awarded for the first time in 2017 in connection with the annual general meeting of Swedish Medtech, the Association for Medical Technology in Sweden. The prize money amounts to 100,000 Swedish kronor.

A specific webpage and communication material for the Medtech4Health Innovation Award was produced and nominations began to come in. The nomination deadline was 31st of January.

Co-operative Project: Medical Technology for Health and Sustainability

The purpose of the project Medical Technology for Health and Sustainability – increased knowledge through co-operation is to increase knowledge and understanding of the possibilities that medical technology offers for an innovative, effective and value-based healthcare. It is directed at decision-makers in healthcare, authorities and businesses. Care in the home is the first stage of the project and is run by Swedish Medtech.

On 11 November 2016 a number of participants from different backgrounds, with different areas of expertise and jobs met to discuss care in the home. The discussions were part of a series of activities. The purpose was to illuminate issues that can influence developments that to allow patients the opportunity of specialised self-care in the immediate future. The results of this project are to be found in a report available (in Swedish) at www.swedishmedtech.se.

The report identifies a number of hurdles in the way of the development of specialised self-care. It also makes recommendations on ways of creating the right conditions for accessible and equitable healthcare in the home.

Education in Entrepreneurship

During the winter of 2016 a course – Innovation and entrepreneurship within medical technology – was run at venues in Umeå, Uppsala and as a distance training course. The course was intended to give information about the process of medical-technical innovation, covering the whole process from identifying a problem area to the development of a commercial medical technical product. Teaching was based on lectures, literature studies, seminar discussions and work with case descriptions in interdisciplinary groups. The impression of participants and lecturers was that the course was a success and the mixture of course participants was particularly appreciated. This course was limited to 30 participants and was oversubscribed as it received in total 54 applications. A development of the course is planned based on the course evaluation that was made.

The Digitalisation of Information Systems in Healthcare

StandIN – Common framework of standards for interoperability and change management is a project that was run by Medtech4Health in the spring of 2016. The goal was, in close co-operation between experts from healthcare, enterprises, public agencies and university level education, to contribute to the future of healthcare by developing a basis to establish a technical framework for standards. StandIN has surveyed and judged international standards for future medical and healthcare environments, specifically focussing on technical interoperability. The project has taken a holistic grip in order to secure the standards’ ability to assist in managing controlling and changing the healthcare business. (A summary and the full report in English are available from links on this page.)

This means a framework that contributes to less risky investments for clients and suppliers. The results are published on the Medtech4health website (in Swedish and in English) and were presented during 2016 at the Swedish eHealth Agency’s breakfast seminar (May), MedTech Week (June), Vinnova seminar (June) and at Almedalen (July).

About the Medtech4Health Programme

Medtech4Health is led by a board with representatives from business, the academic world and local authorities. The chair is Anna Lefevre Skjöldbrand, CEO of Swedish Medtech.

Work is carried out through a national programme office with participants from “nodes” around the country. These collectively work for Medtech4Health in other capacities. This work is led by Programme Director Reidar Gårdebäck.
Medtech4Health also has a patient reference network with representatives from patients’ associations.

Communication

The programme office works together with the programme nodes to build up communication channels in a cost-effective way in order to reach out with information about the programme’s calls for applications and other activities to the primary target groups.

The next stage on the communications front is to increase knowledge of the importance of medical technology among further target groups and to work for increased co-operation between different actors.

Own Communication Channels

Our own prioritised communication channels are a content rich website, quarterly newsletters and a visible presence in the relevant social media. Our material should be easily accessible and characterised by high transparency.

During 2016 our newsletter has attracted 540 subscribers and has on average an opening frequency of 55%. The website has between 1000 and 2000 readers every month. Calls for applications, Courses and StandIN are the webpages that have been most well visited.

The 2015/16 Winter Tour: a national information campaign

In order to promote the programme, establish networks and spread information about current calls for applications the programme office carried out an information campaign in co-operation with different local organisations. At 21 different seminars, representatives for the programme met more than 700 people around the country. This initiative was very much appreciated and a 2016/17 winter tour is now underway.

European MedTech Week

The European MedTech week is a European initiative intended to increase knowledge and encourage dialogue about medical technology. Behind the event is the European trade association MedTech Europe. The theme for 2016 was how MedTech can support people in their daily lives “from diagnosis to cure”. Medtech4Health nodes, projects and the programme office arranged several open seminars around the country where opinion builders, patient associations and decision-makers were invited to hear about and discuss different aspects of medical technical innovations. MedTech week will return in 2017 from 14-21 June.

International Co-operation

In August a study trip to Germany took place during which, among others, BVMED, GTAI and business Sweden were visited in Berlin. The visit to BVMED was carried out together with Swedish Medtech. The organisations visited were given a glimpse of Medtech4Health and the constructive and open discussions focused on how respective organisations can support and complement one another through international exchange. In December Medtech took part in the European meeting MedTech Forum organised by MedTech Europe in Brussels.

Other External Communication

• The programme office, which consists of Kristina Svensson and Reidar Gårdebäck as well as all the nodes, communicate regularly about medical technology and Medtech4Health.
• During the Medicinteknikdagarna in Örebro in October, among other sessions held was one where some of the projects that received support via Medtech4Health were interviewed.
• Our LinkedIn page has more than 115 followers.
• We also participate regularly in newsletters and newspaper articles.
• The trade magazine MedTech Magazine has several times carried reports about Medtech4Health and our work.
• Medtech4Health participated in several events during the political week in Almedalen.