CoHMed: Connected Health in Medical Mountains
With its research focuses on medical technology, medicine and human health, Furtwangen University (HFU) forms the foundation of the CoHMed research and innovation partnership.
contact details
Website
More about the partnership:
CoHMed website
Contact
Olga Liske
Project manager
cohmed@hs-furtwangen.de
The aim of this partnership is to support the ongoing structural change which many medical technology companies in the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg region are currently undergoing: a move away from simple products manufactured with high precision in favour of complex intelligent system solutions that work in a miniaturised and increasingly automated fashion. The transition from manufacturing simple instruments to developing complex systems is guided by the scientific vision of facilitating medical care by increasing automation of medical devices and autarky of implanted systems. A wide array of interdisciplinary skills is being mobilised to support this structural change, from biology and materials science through to control engineering.
The planned research activities are dedicated to current trends in the field of medical technology, such as personalisation, biologisation, networking and digitisation of systems, as well as aspects of public health. The research projects focus on intelligent surgical instruments and implants, biocompatible, biofunctional and hygienic coatings, and new materials and how to handle them.
The CoHMed strategic partnership is embedded within two existing regional clusters – TechnologyMountains e.V. and MedicalMountains AG – and has several commercial partners.
Partnership profile
The Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg region in Baden-Württemberg particularly represents one branch of industry: medical technology. Several hundred regional companies, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have made their mark on the international market for decades with their cutting-edge medical technology and precision products. But those companies are currently confronted with a structural change: global trends like digitisation and automation are opening up new opportunities in medical technology as well as in other industries. As part of the CoHMed research partnership, regional companies and scientists from Furtwangen University work in close concert to tap this potential – with the goal of maintaining the position of the region’s economy as a pioneer of innovative medical technology in the years to come.
Simple instruments manufactured with utmost precision – such as surgical clamps, scissors and knives – have long been the determining factor of the product portfolios of regional manufacturers. But those days are gone: today, innovative technologies enable the development of increasingly complex and intelligent system solutions which are smaller and can work with increasing autonomy – for example, implantable pacemakers, ventilators that adapt to the needs of the patient or surgery robots such as the DaVinci system which allows robotic assistance during urological and gynaecological operations. Companies that can offer these kinds of solutions have an advantage against the competition. But the road to get there is rough – it requires massive investment into research and development, interdisciplinary collaboration and a tight network in the sector and beyond. For SMEs, this is nearly impossible to do alone.
With this in mind, Furtwangen University initiated the CoHMed partnership. As an interdisciplinary research platform, it enables the companies of the region to engage in close-knit exchange with other disciplines and to work together with UAS scientists. The university is supported by regional clusters (MedicalMountains and TechnologyMountains) as well as individual medical technology companies, the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg Chamber of Commerce and Hochschulcampus Tuttlingen Förderverein e.V. Members of the CoHMed partnership currently include 15 professors from various fields such as medical technology, mechanical engineering, IT and life sciences, as well as 28 research partners from industry, 17 of which are SMEs (as of March 2019). Through 2020, CoHMed is funded with some six million euros from the “Strong Universities of Applied Sciences – Impulse for the Region” programme for its ongoing and planned research projects. For example, this financial support enables investigations into optimal wound healing processes, new biocompatible materials and the development of miniaturised robotics systems.
As part of the projects funded by FH-Impuls, the partners research, develop and test innovative system solutions which are ready for market in the field medical technology. In doing so, they constantly pursue the vision of improving medical care: through automated medical devices on the one hand and through implants which are tailored to the individual situation of the respective patient on the other hand. Research activities focus on personalisation, biologisation, networking and digitisation. Four project groups have already begun their work, and there are more to follow.
IntelliMed
Interdisciplinary teams are dedicated to researching and developing intelligent medical-technological instruments. One example is the optimisation of wound healing by using novel radiation devices. Additionally, research is being conducted on miniaturised, biocompatible, intelligent and completely implantable electromechanical systems which, in the form of miniature robots in the body, support the re-formation of damaged bones.
FunktioMed
This project focuses on biocompatible surface coatings for implants, for example in artificial knee, shoulder or hip joints. The objective is to identify or develop bioactive materials that protect the implant from wear and, at the same time, promote rapid integration in the body without harmful reactions such as infection or rejection.
HybriMed
In this project, the goal is to optimise medical devices and implants with regard to their form, functionality and manufacture. Doing so increases the amount of individualisation for implants, thus making them better adaptable to the individual patients. The focus here is on new materials and manufacturing processes: the aim is for individually adapted implants to be produced by a 3D printer during the operation.
DigiMed
DigiMed deals with the digitisation of manufacturing processes for medical technology products and the digitisation of operations.
Statements of the partners
Professor Knut Möller, spokesperson of the CoHMed partnership, Institute of Technical Medicine, Furtwangen University
“With CoHMed, we bring together the collective regional expertise in medical technology, thereby driving the innovative force of the Schwarzwald-Baar-Heuberg region. The interdisciplinary approach of CoHMed guarantees research and development of the highest level for which the partner companies would otherwise lack the necessary infrastructure. Bringing together various experts and companies at one location and with a common goal enables the development of cost-effective innovations that are oriented to the needs of the market. Furtwangen University also benefits from CoHMed, of course. Practical examples from the projects enrich the curriculum and the students are provided with exciting insights into the practical work of their subject areas. The companies, in turn, can maintain relationships with highly qualified potential employees and, in doing so, ensure their access to the next generation of top talent.”
Professor Bahman Azarhoushang, Furtwangen University, Kompetenzzentrum für Spanende Fertigung (KSF), head of the HybriMed project on “Hybrid processing of difficult-to-machine materials”
“Before CoHMed, we didn’t have any touchpoints with the medical technology sector, although the region around Furtwangen is leading in this field. By participating in this partnership, we were able to open up entirely new fields of application for our research work. We are also better networked within the UAS thanks to CoHMed. For instance, we work closely with the Institute of Materials Science and Engineering Tuttlingen (IWAT). An additional benefit is the long-term funding of our CoHMed project over the course of four years, which allows us to delve much more deeply into the details in our research. In addition, we are able to gain very good PhD candidates because the funding is secured for the long term.”
Dr. Harald Stallforth, CEO of TechnologyMountains e.V.
“TechnologyMountains is a technology consortium of around 290 companies in south-western Germany. We consider ourselves a link between business and science, and we initiate development and collaboration projects, which ensures and expands the leading role our member companies have in terms of technology. As a network partner to Furtwangen University, we help support the CoHMed project, because it offers a unique opportunity for companies in the region to network amongst themselves as well as with the scientific community. A significant advantage – after all, complex global trends like digitisation and automation can be dealt with much more efficiently and successfully when working together. CoHMed thus makes a significant, perhaps even vital contribution to ensuring the future of the economy of Tuttlingen and the surrounding area.”
(Text: Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft e.V. / Technopolis Group Deutschland)