1. Exclusive e-learning for aspiring medtech entrepreneurs launches online

    Do you have a medtech idea but unsure of how to progress it? Are you confused by Medical Device Regulations?

    Translate MedTech have developed two free and exclusive online courses suitable for staff and students with an interest in medtech: giving an overview of medical device regulations, how to ensure your device meets a real-world need, and some of the common pitfalls in product development.

    Each course is broken into digestible chapters, and lasts a total 30 minutes:

    How to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems

    This course is an introduction to developing medical technologies, understanding the market opportunity, identifying unmet needs, intellectual property rights and more.

    By the end of this course, you will be briefed with everything you need to know to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems.

    What academics need to know about the regulation of medical devices

    This course is an introduction to the regulatory requirements for placing medical devices on the market and CE marking. It will help you to decipher all the regulatory jargon and understand the new Medical Device Regulations in Europe as well as UK legislation.

    By the end of the course, you should be well set up to understand requirements and responsibilities, and plan your regulatory and clinical strategy.

    These courses are exclusive to the Translate MedTech partners, and can be accessed via your individual institution:

    University of Bradford:

    How to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems

    What academics need to know about the regulation of medical devices

    University of Bradford staff can access the course anytime via the link to the Percipio channel. If searching via the Percipio library the course can be found under ‘Custom courses/Translate Medical Technology development’. Please note this resource is not available to associate staff or students.

    University of Huddersfield:

    How to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems

    What academics need to know about the regulation of medical devices

    University of Huddersfield staff and postgraduate researchers can access the course on the Researcher Environment Brightspace module using their university login details. Find using the direct link, navigate from Contents>Research Impact>Translate Medtech, or by searching for ‘MedTech’. For any problems with access, email pgrskills@hud.ac.uk for support. 

    Leeds Beckett University:

    How to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems

    What academics need to know about the regulation of medical devices

    Leeds Beckett University staff can access the course at any time by logging in to People Development Online, using their normal University username and password, and launching the course via the system’s Training Library (the course is listed under ‘Other Courses’) 

    University of Leeds:

    How to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems

    What academics need to know about the regulation of medical devices

    University of Leeds staff and students can easily access their account from the LinkedIn Learning login page using their normal University username and password. 

    Sheffield Hallam University:

    How to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems

    What academics need to know about the regulation of medical devices

    Sheffield Hallam University staff and students can easily access their account from the LinkedIn Learning login page using their normal University username and password. 

    University of York:

    How to develop robust medical technology solutions to real problems

    What academics need to know about the regulation of medical devices

    University of York staff can access the training in the Learning Management System using these links.  Please note that this is not available to associate staff or students. 

  2. Translate MedTech recognised in national skills report

    Translate MedTech have been recognised as a best-practice provider of training in digital health in a recent survey published by UKRI.

    EPSRC’s Healthcare Technologies team, Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network published the results of two surveys this week, with over 80 respondents giving views on training currently available, and the knowledge and skills needed in digital health for the UK.

    Translate MedTech was identified alongside other top training providers including Medipex, Medilink and the NHS Digital Academy.

    The outcomes of the surveys will help inform how UKRI can support academic and business communities with the training and skills needed to develop digital health solutions.

    You can read the full report on the UKRI website.

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  3. About my secondment: Edgars Kelmers

    In 2021, Edgars Kelmers (University of Leeds) was awarded a three month secondment with Medacta International, a hip and knee manufacturer based in Switzerland. Here he describes his experience through blog entries before, during and after the placement:

    Aims and objectives

    My name is Edgars Kelmers and I am currently a third year PhD student at the CDT in Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine. My PhD project consists of designing, manufacturing, and testing of a “smart” knee implant for total knee joint replacements. In our households we already have smart phones, smart cars, even smart kettles, therefore this is a good time to bring in the latest technology also into the operating theatres. The next generation of smart implants will revolutionise surgeries by implementing sensors and electronics inside the implants. The ultimate goal of smart implants is to allow surgeons and patients to track the implant performance and assess patients’ health.

    During my PhD research I have been focusing on mechanical design, computational modelling, and risk assessment of smart knee implants. As a design engineer I must consider many aspects of product development. For example, the implant must be practical and easy to use, it also has to be easy to manufacture, safe, sterilizable, comply with medical regulations and the list goes on. As a student, I have limited knowledge, therefore spending time in an orthopaedics manufacturing company would help me to learn the best practice for medical product development

    I have chosen to do a secondment at Medacta International in Switzerland. Medacta International is a fast‑growing company and it is the fifth largest hip and knee manufacturer in the world. This company has  vast experience in hip, knee, shoulder, spine, and sports medicine surgeries and provides with latest technology solutions, such as, custom 3D-printed cutting guides and augmented reality surgery planning.

    This is a great opportunity for me to learn about various joint replacement surgeries and product development. Such knowledge will help with my further PhD research and future career as a medical device design engineer.

    Work in progress

    I have just completed two weeks out of my four-week internship at Medacta International. It has been great so far. I had a tour around the manufacturing facilities and the engineering departments. The company has amazing facilities. It was great to see how Medacta’s manufacturing techniques combine conventional machining with modern 3D-printing technologies of metal and plastics to produce a vast range of products.

    Medacta is based in Switzerland, near the border with Italy, making it a very multicultural place. English is the business language, and it is very practical since engineers like me of a different nationality can easily communicate about the work.

    My role so far has been to create Finite Element Analysis computational models. At the University of Leeds I have been using Abaqus software, whilst during my time at Medacta I am learning Ansys and 3Dexperience. This has been an incredible opportunity for me, since companies usually tend to use only one of the named software. This work experience allows me to broaden my skills. In the future I would be able to apply for a job in any engineering company, because now I will have work experience with the three most popular engineering modelling software.

    As a student it is always daunting to think about the future, because one can never know what skill set will be required. This internship has shown me that many years ago I made the right choice by studying programming and computational modelling. With my existing knowledge and previous experience, I was able the bring value to the company.

    Conclusion

    I enjoyed my time at Medacta International. I felt welcomed at the company and I was given the best environment to learn and develop new skills. For a student, particularly in the current COVID times, it is difficult to find an internship opportunity. Therefore, I am very happy that I was given this rare opportunity to work at Medacta International.

    The highlight of my secondment was the opportunity to work on Finite Element Analysis computational models for the entire duration of my four-week placement. As the saying goes “practice makes perfect” and luckily for me, I was given a lot of practice. Within my placement I performed a number of different computational models, which will be used to validate product performance and safety.

    Besides computational work, I was also keen to learn about other aspects of the medical industry. I was taught about the CE marking process in the EU, I got training on the latest Medical Device Regulations, and I could discuss the general differences between the EU and the USA market. Furthermore, I learned about the workflow for design and development process for any new products. My training was varied, and I could interact with various engineers from the R&D and Regulations department.

    This placement has given me a new perspective on my own PhD research. During my placement, I realised that throughout my own PhD research I have developed not one but three highly useful skills: inventing a new medical device, developing new testing methods, and development of FEA models. After three years of relentless studies, I was finally able to realise that my own research could already benefit medical companies and make their daily work easier. I would highly recommend all students gain industry experience at some point in their lives, because it would benefit them both with their academic and professional aspirations.

    I would like to say thank you to the Translate MedTech programme, without their support I would have never been able to fly all the way to Switzerland to gain an amazing work experience. I also want to thank all the employees at Medacta International for their help, especially Dario Allegretti and Alessio Beccari, who put a great effort into supervising me.

  4. About my secondment: Oliver Vickers

    In 2021, Oliver Vickers (University of Leeds) was awarded a three month secondment opportunity with You Understood, a technology start-up aiming to improve mental health and wellbeing through the creation of a mobile app. Here he describes his experience through blog entries from before, during and after the placement:

    Aims and objectives

    My placement is with You Understood; an app developer looking to build a mobile app that will track the emotions and moods of its users. By using artificial intelligence and data analytics the app aims to feed back insights to the user on patterns in their behaviour and mental wellbeing.

    As this is a digital technology-led start-up, I am hoping to gain valuable experience in how a start-up company is formed and successfully run. Furthermore, it will give me the refreshing opportunity to work on a new project and give me the chance to broaden my field of knowledge. I’d also like the opportunity to translate my knowledge and experience from my involvement in mental health schemes and initiatives, into a commercially available app that will provide comfort and benefit to its user.

    Work in progress

    The task I have been assigned involves researching and developing the application of gamification into the app. Now, gamification is a crude term to describe a method that retains the attention of the user and incentivises their continued use of the app.

    One of the main themes of the app is that by actively tracking their mental health the user is making a conscious effort to make a better version of themselves. The app is data driven; data is inputted by the user and so the more data gathered on the user the more worthwhile the outputs. Therefore, maintaining the user’s interest and sustained use of the app is a very crucial aspect of the app’s design.

    Conclusion

    I have now completed my placement with You Understood. My final assignment was to present to the entire team what I had researched and learnt about gamification and how it could be included within the app. I also pitched some ideas I had formulated that would improve the user experience and provide more value to the users.

    I really enjoyed the placement and felt my voice was heard and opinion valued. I was also grateful of the opportunity to experience work in an early-stage tech led start-up and see how such a company is structured and run.

  5. Translate MedTech training courses for winter 2021

    Are you interested in medical device regulation? Want to know more about the NHS adoption pathway, market assessment or PPIE?

    We are running three courses online as part of our winter 2021 programme of learning.

    These sessions will give you an introduction to different aspects of medtech innovation, helping to navigate the pathway of NHS adoption, learn more about medical device regulation, and the importance of patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) in research.


    NHS strategy and adoption/market assessment

    22 and 23 November 9:30am – 12:30pm

    This course will look at how to start innovating in the NHS context, and will provide you with the practical tools to assess your research for potential in a healthcare setting.

    Using real case studies, we’ll explore how innovation works in the NHS, the opportunities and potential pitfalls to avoid when developing your research into something that can benefit patients.

    Register now 


    Regulatory affairs for medical devices

    29 and 30 November 9:30am – 12:30pm

    This course is an introduction to medical devices and the regulatory requirements for placing medical devices on the market and CE marking of devices.

    It will help you to understand the regulatory path to CE marking a device, deciphering all the regulatory jargon and understanding the new Medical Device Regulations in Europe as well as the UK legislation.

    Register now 


    Patient and public involvement and engagement

    9 December 9:30am – 12:30pm

    This course aims to increase knowledge about how to involve patients, the public and carers in the development and delivery of medtech research.

    The session will use hands on activities and examine real life case studies of effective PPIE methods.

    Register now

  6. Secondment opportunities: Versus Arthritis

    Are you a PhD student or post-doctoral researcher interested in research engagement? Would you like to gain experience showcasing the impact of research to a wide audience?

    Translate MedTech is offering the opportunity to work with Versus Arthritis. They are seeking two PhD students or post-doctoral researchers to work with their Research Engagement team. The team showcase the impact of research funded by Versus Arthritis and their main functions are communication, public engagement, data analysis and managing the network of research volunteers.

    Secondment 1: Research Involvement Team

    It is anticipated that the candidate would support the researcher element of the Involvement review. This would include helping to plan and run insight gathering activities to determine how researchers want to be supported in involving patients in their research and what their expectations of the charity are. It would also include analysis and report writing and working with colleagues on the wider review. Versus Arthritis are keen to offer a wide experience to align with candidate interests so there could also be opportunity for other work such as volunteer communications or website content creation.

    Secondment 2: Research Evaluation Team

    The successful candidate will carry out a variety of tasks related to deriving insight from the research portfolio. Versus Arthritis are keen to match tasks to the skills and interests of the candidate so examples of tasks could be:

    • Investigations into Versus Arthritis’ research portfolio generating insight and information for a range of audiences and for charity reporting purposes. This could be to answer specific queries about the projects we are funding or to report on trends and future directions.

    • Analysing researcher reported outcomes and impacts of their research projects and providing clear summaries for a general audience in a range of formats

    • Woking with Research Engagement colleagues to produce communication materials, such as blogs and webpage content, to share insights and stories gained from analysing our research activities.

    These opportunities can be fully flexible, full or part-time, up to a maximum of three months starting in August 2021. It is expected that these secondments will be delivered remotely with potential to meet face-to-face as COVID restrictions ease. The successful candidates will be provided with the equipment needed to perform their roles.

    The successful secondees would be required to demonstrate the following skills:
    • An undergraduate qualification in a relevant discipline
    • ability to summarise scientific and technical detail in an accessible format
    • ability to engage with patient- expert, scientific and medical community at all levels
    • excellent organisational and time management skills
    • attention to detail and high standards of accuracy
    • excellent inter-personal skills
    • ability to work on own initiative
    • good excel and general IT skills
    • ability to work effectively as part of a team and individually
    • a sensitive attitude when dealing with confidential information.

    DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

    DOWNLOAD GUIDENCE DOCUMENT

    Completed applications should be sent to hello@translate-medtech.ac.uk by 12pm Monday 28 June.

    About Versus Arthritis

    We are Versus Arthritis. We are volunteers, healthcare professionals, researchers and friends, all doing everything we can to push back against arthritis. We’re reaching out to everybody with the information and support they need, funding vital research and changing the way society sees arthritis. Together we’ll keep running, researching, influencing, volunteering, advising, chatting, baking, listening. We won’t stop until no-one has to tolerate living with the pain, fatigue and isolation of arthritis.
    Join us and use your skills, knowledge, passion and energy to help us defy arthritis.

    If you have any questions, please contact Kelly Broadbent (K.L.Broadbent@leeds.ac.uk)

  7. Secondment opportunity: PeopleDotCom Ltd

    Are you a PhD student or post-doctoral researcher interested in startups, scaleups and digital health? Do you have an interest in mapping and coding?

    Translate MedTech are offering the opportunity to work with PeopleDotCom Ltd. They are seeking a PhD student, post-doctoral researcher or early career academic who is interested in mapping the digital health ecosystem.

    The successful candidate will support PeopleDotCom in:

    ● interviewing digital start-up companies

    ● mapping and creating an architecture for how to navigate the digital ecosystem

    ● developing a specification for creating a marketplace and automating elements of the system for a digital platform to help companies get market ready

    The successful candidate will have a systematic logical mindset, the ability to map systems and relationships within them, and be able to create a codified map as the starting point for a platform specification. The individual will be equally happy to work autonomously and as part of a small highly dedicated team. Basic knowledge of and/or interest in the digital health ecosystem is an advantage but not essential. Basic IT and research skills, as well as the ability to interact with different stakeholders (e.g. NHS, services users, industry, University) are expected as a minimum.

    This opportunity is available at 1-3 days per week for up to three months and can be completed via remote and face-to-face collaboration – flexible to the applicant’s needs and COVID restrictions. The primary location of PeopleDotCom is London with a secondary base in Leeds. Up to £2,500 is available to cover travel, accommodation and subsistence costs as required.

    Support will be provided to the secondee by other members of the PeopleDotCom team, particularly the Managing Director.

    DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

    DOWNLOAD GUIDENCE DOCUMENT

    Completed applications should be sent to hello@translate-medtech.ac.uk by 12pm Monday 28 June.


    About PeopleDotCom Ltd

    PeopleDotCom Ltd is a digital health consultancy working with the NHS, startups, academia and other system partners. The company was founded by Dr Victoria Betton. An author and public speaker, Victoria specialises in digital strategy, policy and transformation for social impact. She is a qualified social worker and coach with 20+ years’ experience in local government, third sector and the NHS. She previously founded mHabitat, a successful NHS hosted digital health consultancy and Co>Space North, tech for good collaboration space. Her current positions include:


    • Managing director – PeopleDotCom Ltd
    • Chief Innovation Officer – Mindwave Ventures Ltd
    • HIMSS UK Advisory Board – member
    • techUK Health and Care Council – vice chair
    • techUK/NHSD/NHSx User-centred Design Group – co-chair
    • Grow MedTech Advisory Board – member
    • NHSE Clinical Entrepreneur Programme & NHS Digital Academy mentor
    • Solace charity trustee & Hackney Quest volunteer.


    Victoria has created Six-Steps as a startup to help digital health innovators navigate the digital health ecosystem and access the help they need to get to market.

    If you have any questions, please contact Victoria Betton victoria@peopledotcom.com

  8. Secondment opportunity: You Understood Ltd

    Are you a PhD student or post-doctoral researcher interested in digital technology? Would you like to gain experience in the research and development of a mobile app?

    Translate MedTech is offering the opportunity to work with You Understood Ltd. They are seeking a PhD student or post-doctoral researcher who is interested in digital technology, and can help research and apply the concept of gamification to their mobile app.

    The main focuses of the secondment will be:

    1) to assist in identifying research into gamification and digital health that supports their hypothesis that the application of gamification within an app encourages users to invest and maintain the necessary time and effort to gain the maximum benefits for their own mental health

    2) to further help define possible methodologies for implementing gamification into an app

    This opportunity is available at two days (or 15 hours) per week for two months, starting as soon as possible.

    The successful candidate will have an interest in digital technology for good, knowledge of gamification in mobile apps, its advantages and how to implement it, and the skills required to present research to a broad spectrum of team members. A basic understanding of mental healthcare will be useful but not essential.

    You Understood Ltd is based in Edinburgh, but you will be expected to work remotely, with team collaboration via video conferencing. There may be potential for face to face group meetings, but this will be entirely dependent on what is permitted by coronavirus restrictions at the time. Funding is available to cover travel and accommodation.

    DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

    DOWNLOAD GUIDENCE DOCUMENT

    Completed applications should be sent to Mohua Siddique (m.siddique@leeds.ac.uk) by 12pm Monday 29 March.

    About You Understood Ltd

    You Understood Ltd is a technology startup aiming to improve mental health and wellbeing through the creation of a mobile app. By tracking emotions and using artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide data analytics and intelligent insights back to the user, the app will identify patterns of behaviour and external influences that affect wellbeing. By increasing self-awareness, we hope that users will be better able to make fact-based decisions that will positively impact their emotional health.

    If you have any questions, please contact Mohua Siddique.

  9. Secondment opportunity: Medipex

    Are you a PhD student or post-doctoral researcher interested in novel technologies? Would you like to gain experience in identifying and evaluating new technology ideas?

    Translate MedTech is offering the opportunity to work with Medipex. They are seeking a post-doctoral researcher or early career academic who is interested in helping to identify and assess novel technologies that could deliver patient benefit with a view to securing investment to take such technologies to market.

    The successful candidate will help to:

    • source new technology ideas (from NHS, University and SME sectors) that fit a defined remit (e.g. in terms of clinical area, technology type and potential market)

    • evaluate those ideas in terms of commercial potential (clinical need, market size and IP protection).

    • present the findings to potential investors and/or commercial partners in order to secure a route to market for the best candidate technologies.

    This opportunity is available at 1-2 days (or 7.5-15 hours) per week for 3 months. The ability to be flexible with days would be advantageous.

    Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Medipex team are all working from home. The successful candidate will need to be prepared to also work from home or such other remote location and communicate with other members of the team via telephone and/or Zoom. A computer/laptop that can access Googledrive will also be necessary. Should things change, then it may be that the candidate will be asked to attend the official offices, which are located at Thorpe Park, Leeds, LS15 8GB, either for work, meetings or both.

    Some knowledge of Intellectual Property and the steps involved in taking a healthcare product to market would be advantageous. Basic IT and research skills, as well as the ability to interact with different stakeholders (e.g. NHS, services users, industry, University) are expected as a minimum.

    DOWNLOAD APPLICATION FORM

    DOWNLOAD GUIDENCE DOCUMENT

    Completed applications should be sent to Mohua Siddique (m.siddique@leeds.ac.uk) by 12pm Monday 29 March.


    About Medipex

    Medipex is a healthcare innovation hub working with the NHS, industry and academia to improve patient care. We aim to accelerate knowledge transfer by bringing together the necessary key partners and by providing expert advice and support to take new healthcare products to market.

    If you have any questions, please contact Mohua Siddique.

  10. COVID-19 Hackathon paper published in the British Medical Journal

    The results of the MedTech Foundation’s COVID-19 Innovation Response Virtual Hackathon have  been published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

    Translate MedTech sponsored the Hackathon, which took place in April 2020, and sought to address critical health-related issues resulting from COVID-19.

    One hundred and twenty three potential innovators – 64 academics, 38 medical students, 12 industry representatives and 9 NHS doctors – gathered online to address challenge topics ranging from hospital care and public health to health education and digital training. They were split into multidisciplinary project teams, and successfully generated 12 unique solution concepts by the end of the virtual hackathon.

    Read our full write up of the event.