2019 Conference programme

Steered by a prestigious Committee, the MedFIT conference programme brings together bright minds to debate on innovation-focused topics, to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoke conversations that matter. Over 65 international experts will discuss current stakes of the sector related to innovative collaboration, financing, market access and regulation as well as MedTech digitalisation:

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TRACK 1 – COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE

DAY 1 – Tuesday, June 25^th, 2019

4:30 PM
6:00 PM

Big size vs mid-size companies: Different ways to deal with early-stage start-ups?

Start-ups with new medical technology on the market are becoming overpriced. Therefore, large and mid-size companies are showing a growing interest for earlier stage MedTech companies through R&D collaboration and licensing deals when looking outside for new R&D. Which strategies are those companies pursuing? Is there a difference of pattern between big and mid-size companies approaches when dealing with early stage investment and assets?

Ilya Kazi, Patent Attorney, MATHYS SQUIRE
Alp Akonur, Director Technology Strategy, BAXTER HEALTHCARE
Ron Nitzan, Vice President Quality and Regulatory Affairs, KEYSTONE HEART ISRAEL
Duko Drijfhout, Investment Manager, UNIIQ

9:00 AM
10:30 AM

Faster together: Which recent trends in academia-big players collaborations?

The shifting MedTech landscape has led big industry players to seek new collaborations to support their R&D needs rather than in-house efforts, initiating fresh ways to partner with academic institutions and speeding-up market access. On which needs are these collaborations focusing and what are the main reasons driving big players to partner with academia? To what extent are academia and industry developing common frameworks, protocols and processes to enable efficient collaboration?

Seamus Browne, Head of Industry Partnerships, ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS IN IRELAND
Terry Parlett, Commercialisation Director, CAMBRIDGE ENTERPRISE
Anne Blackwood, Chief Executive, HEALTH ENTERPRISE EAST
Perry Frederick, Senior Research Director - Europe, GE HEALTHCARE
David Murray, Senior Research Engineer, COOK MEDICAL IRELAND

DAY 2 – Wednesday, June 26^th, 2019

2:00 PM
3:30 PM

What are the key factors of success in the relationship between an academic institution and a resulting spin-off?

Networking opportunities, use of laboratories and research cooperation are key resources universities can provide to their spin-offs in their further development. How can these ventures make their academic institution of origin a long-term partner? Which benefits do universities have when continuing to provide the start-up with the support required? Are there some ideal routines and guidelines to create a profitable and long-lasting collaboration for both?

Brigitte Lavoie, Visiting Fellow, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON
Santiago Ini, Technology transfer and Innovation advisor, BIO & MEDTECH INNOVATION HUB
Franz Bozsak, CEO, SENSOME
Thomas Meier, Managing Director, YOU-CAN.BIZ

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TRACK 2 – FINANCING INNOVATION

DAY 1 – Tuesday, June 25^th, 2019

3:00 PM
4:00 PM

How will moving toward outcome-based payment models affect financing in MedTech?

Moving toward value-based care models, MedTech companies have seen increasing price pressures and the necessity to improve patient outcomes. When it comes to demonstrate the improvements in patient outcomes, it may prove longer for a company to see significant financial return. How are the new outcome-based payment models changing the way innovation is perceived? How is quality measured and how are investment criteria evolving? Who takes on risk in a value-based care model? How to ensure improved communication within the payers‘ community to ease funding and reimbursement?

Lili Brillstein, Director, episodes of care, HORIZON BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NEW JERSEY
Robbie Hughes, Founder & CEO, LUMEON
Gregory Katz, President, CONSORTIUM VBHC FRANCE
Stefan Suter, Founder & CEO, CURO-HEALTH

2:00 PM
3:00 PM

How are healthcare systems and health plans directly investing in innovative companies in Europe?

Healthcare systems and health plans have been a growing source of innovation investment and their interest in financing start-up companies and new technologies appears to be at its peak. Facing a twofold challenge to improve patient care while cutting costs, which assets are healthcare systems and health plans targeting? Is this ad-hoc innovation investment or can we observe more permanent and strategic approaches?

Tsafrir Kolatt, CEO, FERTIGO-MEDICAL
Frédéric Nouaille, Co-founder & Partner, AUDIT&RISK SOLUTIONS
Sandrine Coulange, Health Program Director, AXA NEXT
Arjun Panesar, Co-Founder & CEO, DIABETES DIGITAL MEDIA

DAY 2 – Wednesday, June 26^th, 2019

11:00 AM
12:30 PM

Agnostic investors or pure players in the MedTech sector: Who is becoming prominent in the early-stage financing scene?

Seed and Series A investments are critical to transforming new ideas into products and moving start-up teams into small businesses. From investors with a varied degree of specialisation to totally agnostic players only focusing on MedTech, who are the main players at these financing stages? What is the significance of the amount of earlystage investment today for cross-industry funds, specialised healthcare funds and pure players in the MedTech industry respectively?

Rajan Patel, CEO, IO LIFE SCIENCE
Josep Sanfeliu, CEO, ASABYS PARTNERS
Alain Chevallier, Life Sciences Partner, TRUFFLE CAPITAL
Alexander Hall-Daniels, Operations associate, RebelBio, SOSV

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TRACK 3 – MARKET INNOVATION

DAY 1 – Tuesday, June 25^th, 2019

3:00 PM
4:00 PM

European Public Procurement and Innovation in MedTech : What are the strategies and best practices to facilitate purchasing and adoption of innovative medical technologies ?

A large part of Europe’s medical technologies are purchased using procurement processes. EU’s 2014 Public Procurement Directives introduced a number of changes in the European legal framework, including a focus on the role of public procurement in achieving innovation as well as good-practice examples on reducing administrative procedures, adjusting selection criteria, mobilising innovation brokers and designing an SME-friendly payment scheme to better attract innovators to public procurement.
This roundtable discussion will bring together public institutions, policymakers and innovative companies to provide a comprehensive overview of initiatives and good practices to foster and support public procurement of innovations.

Ole Ravnholt Sørensen, Senior policy consultant, DANSKE REGIONER
Yolanda Puiggròs Jiménez de Anta, Partner, ROCA JUNYENT
Jean-Luc Sanne, Senior expert, DG Research & Innovation, EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Frank Weber, Co-creation entrepreneur, HEALTHCARECOCREATION

2:00 PM
3:00 PM

Final stretch to MDR/IVDR implementation: How are companies revising their strategy to comply with the key requirements and associated timelines?

EU new regulations are introducing an enhanced framework around the definition, supervision, traceability and risk-based classification system for medical device equipment. They will shortly apply after a transitional period: May 2020 for the medical devices and May 2022 for in-vitro diagnostic medical devices. How has the upcoming deadline impacted the MedTech and diagnostic players both from a European point of view and for foreign companies conducting business in Europe? What long term implications may this new legislation have on innovation and market investment? How are companies and regulatory authorities dealing with the remaining uncertainties?

Elena Kyriacou, Founder, ELEMED
Laurence Matheron, Director, Regulatory Team, IVDs and Medical Devices, NSF INTERNATIONAL
Carole Robin, Director, Regulatory Affairs, THUASNE SA
Corinne Delorme, Global Head of Regulatory Affairs, GMED

DAY 2 – Wednesday, June 26^th, 2019

2:00 PM
3:30 PM

Shifting to value-based care models: What are the challenges for the diagnostic tests and technologies?

Health systems worldwide move from treatment to prevention, and from volumebased to value-based care model: Diagnostics can deliver significant improvements eased by the huge opportunities offered by digitalisation. As diagnostic services are a pivotal stage in patient care, early diagnosis can increase the probabilities of a positive outcome for patients and save costs of further treatment. How are the diagnostic providers aligning with value-based care? From diagnostic imaging to companion diagnostics, this panel discussion will explore the key challenges and share best practices for this strategic industry of the shifting healthcare system.

Philippe Grandjean, Executive Vice President Commercial Operations, BIT
Senan Doyle, CEO, PIXYL
Robyn Meurant, Executive Director, Regulatory Services, Medical Devices and IVDs, NSF INTERNATIONAL
Ravi Chana, Head of Business Development, ROCHE DIAGNOSTICS
Alexis Hernot, Co-founder, CALMEDICA

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TRACK 4 – DIGITAL INNOVATION

DAY 1 – Tuesday, June 25^th, 2019

9:00 AM
10:30 AM

Connected devices redesign healthcare: How are MedTech companies adapting to this new environment?

Digital health technology and services are fastly growing, offering a wide new range of connected devices, transforming and personalising the way care is delivered. Information and data generated by medical technologies, paired with the advances in AI should play a vital role in improving health outcomes and making health systems more efficient. How are innovative companies, large and small, adapting their business models? How do they deal with the flow of data and the legal and regulatory related issues?

John E. Milad, CEO, QUANTA DIALYSIS TECHNOLOGIES
Ulf Hengstmann, Digital Innovation Manager, BAYER BUSINESS SERVICES
Alex Bone, Partner, Patent Attorney, AA THORNTON
Frédéric Lievens, Vice Executive Director, INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR TELEMEDICINE & EHEALTH
Jean Nehme, Co-Founder & CEO, TOUCH SURGERY

DAY 2 – Wednesday, June 26^th, 2019

4:00 PM
5:30 PM

How do IT tools contribute to accelerate the process of completing clinical trials in the MedTech sector?

Clinical data and evaluation of that clinical data is an explicitly defined legal requirement for medical devices. Solutions to fast-track market access may emerge from wearables and data analytics programs and allow a stronger and more efficient patient engagement and monitoring. What impact and scalability do these IT solutions have on the medical device clinical trial design? How are they integrated in the market access strategies of MedTech players?

Aly Talen, Co-Founder & Sr. VP Business Development, GENAE
Elie Lobel, CEO, ORANGE HEALTHCARE
Silvia Casellas, ANAGRAM, Director of Clinical Research and CEO
Barbara D’Haene, CEO, AKCELIS
Christophe Amiel, Senior director, Medical devices & combination products, VOISIN CONSULTING LIFE SCIENCES

9:00 AM
10:30 AM

MedTech & digital industry: Which grounds for collaboration?

The MedTech sector has been subject to a substantial transformation during the past decade due to the arrival of new digital technologies and is now facing a growing inspiration from digital disrupters and tech giants expanding their healthcare reach through mergers and acquisitions. As more collaboration and integration across companies and sectors will be a vital part of the next wave of innovation what are the recent trends in jointly developing cutting-edge medical devices technologies? To what extent are MedTech and digital industry working together to deliver new products and services for patients? Which collaborative models are emerging? What are the successful examples, benefits, limits and constraints to these collaborations?

Steven Dodsworth, CEO, D HEALTH
Danyal Akarca, Research Fellow, MEDICALCHAIN
Tom Braekeleirs, Director, BLUEHEART INNOVATION CENTER SUPPORTED BY MICROSOFT
Meriem Benmelouka, Global Business Development Manager, ROCHE DIABETES CARE
Jan Pensaert, Founder and Managing Partner, VALIANCE