Around 60 speakers from the areas of research, industry, healthcare facilities and numerous start-ups illuminated how cooperative projects come about, what the challenges are and how great the opportunities are, especially in the healthcare sector. Key notes, inputs, discussion rounds and, last but not least, around 230 B2B meetings, organized by the Enterprise Europe Network, ensured a lively exchange within the health tech scene.
From the innovative idea to the patient
The world of healthcare product development is complex and full of hurdles. Long development times with large financing requirements, strict approval regulations that vary depending on the target market, as well as different priorities, needs and expectations of healthcare providers, researchers, investors and companies make the path from the product idea to the patient a journey that only takes place with good cooperation partnerships and intensive exchange.
The speakers included Bettina Resl (Novartis), Andreas Mühlberger (Infineon), Maurice Deuss (Payer), Franz Aigner (WILD Group), Günter Winkler (Ottronic), Gerold Winkler (MEDS), Daniela Pak-Graf (Merkur Innovation Hub ), Christoph Magnes (JOANNEUM RESEARCH Health), Katharina Proske (CANCOM) as well as Annelie Weinberg, Lars Kamolz, Harald Sourij, Sebastian Schwaminger, Dieter Szolar and Alexander Micko from the Medical University of Graz.
It was moderated by Emma Somerville and Michael Kerschbaumer (SFG), Sophie Narath (Med Uni Graz), Craig Matthews (Science Park Graz), Lorenz Neuhäuser (Human.technology Styria) and Karin Hölbling (ICS).
Start-ups and transnational cooperation
Start-ups such as RobotDreams, Vertify, SteadySense, DECIDE, Predicting Health, CommuModo and arterioscope presented their perspective on the need for cooperation. The social entrepreneur Frank Leyhausen highlighted the importance of collaboration between product developers and the target group, while Olivier Colin, CEO The French organization “La Maison de l'Innovation de la Médecine Spécialisée (MIMS)” emphasized the importance of transnational cooperation.
Among neighbors
Cooperations within the DACH and the Alps-Adriatic region are – in the literal sense – obvious. Business agencies, clusters and representatives of foreign trade centers therefore presented the opportunities for market entry in these neighboring countries and particularly highlighted the many connecting points of the health markets in Croatia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Italy.
From Murinsel to LKH underground
The two-day, English-language event was accompanied by a “Life Science Breakfast” in the Center for Knowledge and Technology Transfer (ZWT), an evening networking event on the Murinsel, as well as guided tours of some of the highlights of the Graz Medical Science City, including the “underground” of the state hospital, biobank, blood bank and in the anatomy institute of the Med University as well as in the research laboratory of Joanneum Research Health.
The event was organized and financed by an organizational team led by the Styrian health cluster Human.technology Styria.
The HTH team organizations are: SFG, Med Uni Graz, Science Park Graz, ESA Space Solutions, City of Graz, JOANNEUM RESEARCH, ICS Internationalization Center Styria and Human.technology Styria.
On behalf of this team, cluster leader Lejla Pock was very satisfied: “The HTH shows how innovative Styria is. The key to this certainly lies in the strong willingness to cooperate of all important players in the health sector - both here locally and beyond Austria's borders. As this very successful event shows: Cooperation is key.”
Photographic impressions of the event
Photos by Oliver Wolf
