The first “Watch Medtech Innovation” idea development challenge, jointly organised by the EPHJ-EPMT-SMT Trade Show and Fondation Inartis, has honoured four winners who will be helped to complete their impressive projects.
The main aim of the “Watch Medtech Innovation” challenge is to foster, support and assist new transdisciplinary projects based on harnessing collective intelligence.
Following a call for projects in the medtech sector addressed to current and previous exhibitors at the trade show, the challenge jury, chaired by Benoìt Dubuis, the chairman of Fondation Inartis, assessed the many entries and selected the following four winners:
1. ICB – ‘a sustainable alternative to glue’
Binding metal or ceramics to glass is a common process that requires the use of glue. This often-used method has shortcomings and entails major compromises. Sy&Se proposes impulse current bonding (ICB) technology as a polymer-free solution, which produces exceptionally strong, leak-tight assemblies.
2. Kejako – ‘non-invasive treatment of presbyopia’
Kejako is developing a computation-based, non-invasive micro-surgery technology to treat presbyopia.
3. Positive Coating – ‘atomic layer deposition technology for stent treatment’
Positive Coating has developed a technology called atomic layer deposition, which allows vacuum deposition of nanometer-thick layers of metal oxides and has many possible uses, including coating stents in particular.
4. Swiss Motion Technologies
The company proposes using micro-technology to offer custom prosthetic liners that enable high-precision compression control for amputees.
Prize money
The four nominated project teams will each receive a grant of CHF 5,000 ($5,000) for the initial development of their ideas, before they submit a more detailed draft for consideration by the jury at the end of 2018.
They will also be able to benefit from the infrastructure at the Fondation Inartis’ UniverCité community laboratory and project incubator in Renens (Vaud) and draw on the network of unique experience of the entities and experts brought together by the Fondation Inartis, particularly through the Health Valley.
The winning project will then be announced by the Challenge jury in early 2019, before the next year’s contest.
The experts who provided guidance to the winners and the members of the Challenge jury will held a roundtable discussion at the EPHJ-EPMT-SMT Trade Show, dedicated to finding the best way of moving from basic idea to prototype.
