Leipzig. Leipzig University Hospital (UKL) has founded its own company to accelerate the transfer of innovative ideas from industry and medical research results into application. The MITCenter-Zentrum für medizinische Innovation und Technologie gGmbH will operate as a subsidiary of the UKL at the interface between the clinic and industry.
The MITCenter is being established as a central platform for collaboration between medical institutions and industry partners. "With the MITCenter, we are closing the gap between university research, medical specialists and companies working on healthcare technologies," says Dr Robert Jacob, Chief Commercial Officer of Leipzig University Hospital. "The foundation is therefore also taking place in close co-operation and with the participation of Leipzig University and the Faculty of Medicine," Jacob continues. The aim is to integrate new applications into healthcare more efficiently, safely and economically. At the same time, the expertise available at the Faculty of Medicine and the hospital is to be made available to industry partners, for example for development services or training courses. Companies that develop ideas for applications in the field of medical technology or healthcare often lack the clinical experience to test the feasibility and effectiveness of their innovations. At the same time, new initiatives in the clinic lack partners for the transfer to broad application and production.
Thanks to its direct connection to Leipzig University Medicine, the MITCenter is intended to provide partners with access to clinical expertise and the testing of new developments under real application conditions on the one hand and to attract commercial enterprises to implement new ideas on the other.
"We see ourselves as a point of contact for all phases of the entire innovation process, from the scientific validation of an idea to support during the market launch," adds Prof. Thomas Neumuth, one of the Managing Directors. Thomas Neumuth, one of the Managing Directors of MITCenter gGmbH and, together with the UKL Executive Board, the driving force behind the new company. Neumuth has been developing the ICCAS, the Innovation Centre Computer Assisted Surgery, which is based at Leipzig University's Faculty of Medicine, for more than 20 years. Neumuth now wants to use this experience to create a service in the newly founded company that will establish the MIT Centre as a central point of contact for medical innovation projects in Central Germany.
"To achieve this, we are creating a structured environment that facilitates the transfer between theoretical research and practical application and thus contributes to tangible progress in patient care," explains Christoph Möllering. The business economist, who has experience in the healthcare sector, is Head of the Commercial Department and Head of Corporate Development at the UKL and manages the MIT Centre together with Neumuth as the second Managing Director. "We combine medical, technical and economic expertise to create an innovation-friendly environment for partners from industry, research and healthcare," summarises Neumuth. This enables the MITCentre to efficiently manage the entire development process for medical technologies and address potential market launch hurdles at an early stage.
In the coming months of the start-up phase, business operations will now be set up and the MITCenter team will be further expanded. However, the MITCenter can already be contacted by interested partners. "We invite all companies and institutions to work with us on the further development of medical care in the region," says Dr Jacob.
Contact:
Helena Reinhardt
Press spokesperson
Phone: (03 41) 97 - 1 59 05
Email: presse@uniklinik-leipzig.de
Website: www.uniklinik-leipzig.de