MT-Connect & MedTech Summit to show future of medical technology

MT-Connect and MedTech Summit 2018 bring research, management and young companies together.

An insight into the future of medical care will be offered on 11-12 April 2018 at the next edition of MT-Connect, the international exhibition for the supply and manufacturing sector of medical technology, and MedTech Summit, the international congress for medical technology. “Our exhibitors do more than simply display marketable and successful solutions,” says Alexander Stein, director exhibition for MT-Connect. “We want our extensive programme to act as a platform for innovations, and to provide an insight into the future of medical technology.” A major focus for the event, in addition to digitalisation, will be to provide clarification about the new Medical Device Regulation (MDR). “Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular are expressing growing concern about the short periods allowed for the transition,” observes Dr Matthias Schier, CEO of Forum MedTech Pharma e.V., honorary sponsor of the MedTech Summit. “At the MedTech Summit we can provide information about the challenges and offer important practical suggestions for business operators.”

The exhibitors at MT-Connect represent the whole breadth of the supply and manufacturing sector in medical technology – from traditional components through to consulting and services, and from research and development through to the market launch. Many exhibitors deal with digitalisation through their products and processes. IT expertise is provided by suppliers like Sepp.Med, Infoteam Software and ITK Engineering, to name just a few of the exhibitors in this field that have been confirmed so far. Institutes like the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) will display the latest developments and cover this topic of great current interest. A field of particular interest within the larger area of digitalisation is IT security. Digital association Bitkom will contribute on a similar theme with its own presentations as part of the exhibition forum and congress.

MedTech Summit: customised medical technology and drug delivery

From innovative implant technologies, neuroprosthetics and customised medical technology to Connected Health and Drug Delivery, the MedTech Summit offers a broad spectrum of topics as part of its congress programme, which is aimed at encouraging discussion between different disciplines. Participants can thus learn about the opportunities offered by medical technology tailored to the individual patient’s needs, and the latest developments regarding alternative forms of drug administration to make handling easier and improve compliance at the same time. “A further group of topics covers the various aspects of the innovation process: design, patenting, registration and reimbursement all play a part here,” says Schier. “We will join with the BVMed (German Medical Technology Association) in devoting a separate session at the congress to the new MDR and IVDR regulations, and will explain what manufacturers need to take into account.”

Successful discussions at the partnering event and exhibition party

One of the high points from last year offers a promise of fascinating discussions again in 2018: the Partnering Event is an extremely successful event format that brings exhibitors and congress and exhibition visitors together in 30-minute rotations. Participants arrange times for these sessions on-line in advance, making things swift and uncomplicated. In addition, the exhibition party on the evening of 11 April is available for all congress participants and exhibitors to make new contacts.

International appeal

MT-Connect will once again attract major international interest in 2018. Exhibitors have already registered from locations such as Switzerland, India, China and Taiwan, and pavilions have been confirmed for Austria, Japan and the Netherlands. The German government will once again be represented by a combination of Federal agencies and ministries.

Innovation Market Place: from research to application

Ideas, new developments and innovative services come together at the shared Innovation Market Place. A dedicated location offers young companies, founders and research groups the opportunity to present their solutions and services. At the same time, advisers and other companies will introduce themselves and a range of supporting services for new business start-ups. The Innovation Market Place, right at the heart of the exhibition hall, will be supported this year by Medical Valley EMN, EIT Health and German Accelerator Life Sciences, among others. Compared to its launch event last year, MT-Connect will have more space available, with presentations from many different young companies, service firms and professional consultancies.

Results from MedTech.Dialog.Bayern

Last year’s event also marked the launch of MedTech.Dialog.Bayern. Initiated by the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs and Media, Energy and Technology in collaboration with the State Ministry for Public Health and Care Services, four working groups were created to deal with the most urgent challenges facing the industry in the areas of regulation and digitalisation. The proposed solutions and concrete recommendations that have been worked out will be presented in the exhibition forum from 3:00 p.m. on 12 April. As the process develops, these could serve as a basis for dialogue between all of the players involved to make a collective start on putting actions in place, with particular reference to providing lasting support for the small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry.

MT-Connect and the MedTech Summit will take place on 11 and 12 April 2018 in Nuremberg. For all information for exhibitors and visitors, and tickets for the exhibition and congress, see www.mt-connect.de.