THIS MONTH
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The Georgia Institute of Technology is to locate its first overseas institute in Athlone, Ireland. The Institute, which is the applied research unit of the technology college based in Atlanta, USA, plans to employ 50 researchers and conduct research programmes and industry collaboration worth €20 million over the next five years. This move is expected to increase research and development (R&D) and commercialisation capability in the Irish medical technology sector. Sharon Higgins, Director of the Irish Medical Devices Association, commented, “The Institute has a well-deserved reputation of excellence and delivery having the third-largest volume of engineering research and development of all US universities.” The sector in Ireland comprises more than 140 companies that export approximately €6 billion worth of product. She said, “It is no secret that competitor economies have already and will continue to erode our historical strengths of low cost, highly educated available workforce and corporation tax. Proactive initiatives by Ireland will ensure that we continue to enhance our expertise and reputation as a world centre for medical technology manufacture and R&D.” www.imda.ie
Seek out tomorrow’s products
The conference, Products of Tomorrow – Exploiting Global Trends and Technologies, will deal with the revolutionary, not the evolutionary, say its organisers. It promises to teach delegates how to systematically create new-to-world and new-to-market products and services. This will involve finding and commercialising technologies and knowledge from outside a company’s current business model, creating new opportunities in adjacent market sectors, and understanding how changes in global markets should drive the innovation programme. Being held on 8–9 May 2006 in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, the speakers are Navi Radjou, VP, Forrester Research; Tim Jones, Principal, Innovaro; and Jay Paap, President, Paap Associates. Medical Device Technology readers qualify for a discount of £150 per day and should quote MDT when registering. For more details, contact tel. +44 191 350 6171 or visit www.europe.knowledge-roundtable.com/prodoftom
IT to grow in Germany
New integrated care approaches and disease management programmes are set to trigger increased demand for health-care IT solutions in Germany, says a report by Frost & Sullivan (F&S). This means expanding market opportunities for suppliers of clinical systems in particular. Spending on heath-care IT represents 0.5% of the total German expenditure on heath care, which is extremely low compared with other countries. Government initiatives are set to change this. Legislation that requires all patient and procedure data to be transmitted in electronic format to the sickness funds for reimbursement purposes and new reimbursement regulations for inpatient treatment has compelled hospitals to invest in the necessary IT systems. Segments with the highest potential include picture archiving and communication systems/radiology information systems. Demand for clinical systems has been rising and a growth rate of 15–20 % is expected up to 2006.
In a separate report on patient-monitoring systems in Europe, F&S says that a change in data protocols and more innovative approaches to formulating standards for data formats are required to accelerate the integration of IT systems with patient-monitoring ones. Currently, connectivity issues are restraining
manufacturers and vendors from being more proactive, and overcoming these difficulties requires considerable investment. http://healthcare.frost.com
New chair for BVMed
Anton J. Schmidt has been re-elected as Chairman of the Board of BVMed, the German medical technology trade association. Schmidt is Executive Chairman of Ethicon GmbH, which consists of 15 business divisions within Johnson & Johnson, and Director of Ethicon Products Deutschland. For details of other BVMed board members visit www.bvmed.de
Trading with China
A seminar focussing on trading and outsourcing opportunities in China will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 25 April 2006. Hosted by Invest in Hong Kong and representatives from the Chinese region of Dongguan, attendees will receive help with identifying collaborative partners and contacting authorities. www.lnp.dk
New regulatory advisor
Anne O’Connor, Medical Devices Director at the Irish Medicines Board, has joined TOPRA’s Advisory Council. TOPRA is a nonprofit organisation for regulatory affairs professionals that offers training including postgraduate and MSc qualifications. www.topra.org
Active RFID
Technical advances in radio frequency identification that employs a power source in the tag (referred to as active RFID) are facilitating greater use of the technology in health care. The primary advances are real-time location systems, disposable RFID sensor systems including smart active labels, and sophisticated multifunctional devices. A report, ”Active RFID 2006–2016” is available from IDTechEx. www.idtechex.com
Joint Directive
Joint replacement devices are being reclassified from Class IIb to Class III. A conference being held on 17 May 2006 in London, UK, will outline the requirements of the new Directive 2005/50/EC. Subjects will include the purpose and format of a design dossier and planning the conformity assessment strategy. www.management-forum.co.uk
