7. Innovation Forum Medical Technology in Tuttlingen: Networking and New Product Ideas

There are many opportunities to network during organized B2B discussions.

At the stands of over 50 exhibitors, companies from Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland present themselves.

What drives medical technology? Which trends must medical device manufacturers consider today? Answers to these and other questions will be provided on October 29, 2015, by the Innovation Forum for Medical Technology of the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), the Technology Network TechnologyMountains, and MedicalMountains AG in the Tuttlingen City Hall.

The organizers are once again relying on cross-industry exchange: The forum brings innovative-oriented medical technology companies together with creative scientists and developers, providing decision-makers with a platform for discussion and networking.

The forum is aimed at both managing directors of small and medium-sized medical technology companies and employees from production, research, and development departments of renowned companies. They can make contacts nationwide, share experiences, and explore future developments at the event. "Many developments arise through dialogue with other companies and in collaboration with doctors and surgeons — small manufacturers of surgical instruments can often act particularly quickly in this process," explains Yvonne Glienke, Managing Director of TechnologyMountains.

High-caliber speakers have been engaged for the main lectures: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Verl, Chair of Technology Marketing and Business Models at the Fraunhofer Society, will speak about the digital future of medical technology. Prof. Dr. med. Karl-Walter Jauch, Medical Director and Chairman of the Board at the University Hospital Munich, will give a lecture on medical technology and university medicine. Over 50 exhibitors from Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Switzerland offer medical technology companies the opportunity to get to know new suppliers and their portfolios — perhaps finding a solution to an existing problem within their own company.

In the afternoon, numerous lectures will cover topics such as sensors, 3D printing, coatings, and hygiene. These sessions provide visitors with insights into various institutes and companies, helping them find partners for collaboration and get a feel for future innovations.

"Our daily experience shows, however, that innovations often only emerge — or do so much faster — through cooperation among various actors, each contributing their own expertise as a building block for joint success. While around two-thirds of large companies conduct highly successful research and development in collaboration with universities, colleges, and research institutions, the rate among smaller and medium-sized enterprises here in the region is still well below one-third. TechnologyMountains has been successfully bringing companies and research institutes together across industry and technology boundaries for years to form joint projects that work on solutions together," says Yvonne Glienke.

For the first time, as Glienke states, there will be twice as many lectures this year as in previous years. The number of registrations also suggests we will once again set a new visitor record: Over 200 experts and decision-makers from the medical technology industry, as well as national and international scientists, are already expected to attend.

Interested parties can register until October 23 via the website www.technologymountains.de/anmeldung. For more information, contact Marcel Trogisch at the IHK, phone: 07721 922-170, fax: 07721 922-9170, or via email: trogisch@vs.ihk.de.