Forming effective relationships between academia and the medical devices industry with a focus on launching a smart heart valve prosthesis for pediatric patients

Abstract

Background This article presents examples of how to utilize the research output, to initiate academia-industry interaction, with the ultimate task of launching a new product: a smart heart valve prosthesis for pediatric patients. The article summarizes our efforts in a way that may also be informative to researchers working in fields other than medical devices development. Our task is not to provide a step-by-step guide, but rather to create inspiration, also by describing differences in expectations of business and academic entities. Methods We analyzed market reports, surveyed the scientific literature and conducted interviews with the key players in the field of medical devices. We also obtained a feedback from clinicians, academia and industry-related researchers, technology transfer centres, representatives of public organization and the creators of legislation. Results We have obtained and reported the definitive answers that together constitute a critical review of strategies that should be used by researchers who seek to commercialize the outputs of their research. Conclusion As a result of our investigation, we discovered that the commercialization of research is a complex process, which in some critical aspects does not depend solely on the researcher himself. The most promising ideas, supported by strong experimental evidence, can simply be overlooked by industry representatives, without the proper support of institutions such as a technology transfer centre. Besides, the involvement of scientists in a business project takes them, at least temporarily, outside the regular academic environment, which may cause discomfort and pose a risk to the career path. The limitation to be addressed is the reluctance to report the unsuccessful attempts, which should be considered a legitimate educational experience that ultimately leads to improvement.