Fraunhofer Center for Assistive Information and Communication Solutions – AICOS
Smart medical technologies for better health and care
Motivation:
The global healthcare market represents an immense window of opportunity. In 2017, the medical technology market was worth US$405 billion, with a growth forecast to close to US$600 billion in 2024, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate of 5.6% (Source: EvaluateMedTech).
This growth is driven by new opportunities and new business areas resulting from changes in both the demand and supply sides:
> On the demand side, the opportunities generated by the following trends should be highlighted: i) growth, increased longevity and aging of the world population; ii) changes in epidemiological patterns (linked, for example, to the progressive increase in the incidence/prevalence of oncological, neurological, brain-cardiovascular, metabolic, osteoarticular diseases, etc.); iii) more informed citizens/customers with greater digital literacy, more demanding, and greater geographic mobility; iv) increased purchasing power in populous countries and with emerging economies; v) need to contain costs (“doing more with less”) in developed countries.
> On the supply side: i) intense scientific and technological development; ii) development of solutions in emerging areas, such as digital health, artificial intelligence, nanomedicine, etc.; iii) tendency to change the paradigm of health/disease management, towards a more predictive, preventive, personalized, participatory, and pay-for-performance medicine – “P5 Medicine”, under models of healthcare and well-being. increasingly integrated and centered on the individual.
Many of the trends and opportunities listed converge to justify an increasing commitment to the development and dissemination of technologies and solutions (including products, processes, systems, and services) that can be generically classified under the concept of Smart Health. This may include a wide spectrum of medical technologies, including medical devices and digital health solutions based on information, communication, and electronic technologies (ICT) and, in certain segments, on future and emerging technologies (FET), such as nanotechnologies.
Objectives:
The SMART-HEALTH-4-ALL project aims to boost, in Portugal, an ecosystem dedicated to research and development (including clinical and translational research), production, commercialization and dissemination of medical technologies of Smart Health (including medical devices and digital health solutions), based on ICT and FET.
Thus, among the global objectives and lines of action of the SMART-HEALTH-4-ALL project are:
> Development of medical technologies and eHealth and Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) products/services, including systems for monitoring/management of health conditions in hospital and out-of-hospital environments.
> Design of a support platform for the development and testing of eHealth and AAL products/services, with cohorts of end users and in a real environment.
> Definition of new business models for Smart Health product and service companies.
> Definition of procurement and health technology assessment systems/models.
> Awareness and training actions in eHealth and AAL for users and professionals.
> Internationalization actions.
Consult the project's Spec Sheet here:
Partners:
SIEMENS Healthcare Unipessoal, Lda (Líder); Altran Portugal, S.A.; Sonae S.A.; CITEVE; Têxteis Penedo S.A.; Health Cluster Portugal; APINEQ; ROPAR; Universidade do Porto – FMUP, FEUP, ISPUP; INESC TEC; HLTSYS; INEGI; Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto – ISEP; Associação Fraunhofer Portugal Research; NeuroInova, Lda; CENTITVC; CCAB; Universidade de Aveiro; Sensing Future Technologies, Lda; Instituto Pedro Nunes; NEUTROPLAST; PLUX S.A.
Co-funded by:
For any additional information, please contact us using the inquiries form.