The objective of POSITION-II is to bring innovation in the development and production of smart catheters by the introduction of open technology platforms for miniaturization, AD conversion at the tip, ultra-sound MEMS devices and encapsulation. Open technology platforms will generate the production volume that will enable sustainable innovation. The availability of open technology platforms will result in new instruments that have a better performance, new sensing and imaging capabilities, while the scale of volume will result in lower manufacturing costs. The production of the “brains” of these smart catheters will take place in Europe, with many European partners contributing essential technologies. The POSITION-II project will consolidate Europe’s premier position as manufacturer of cath lab infrastructure since these new smart catheters will be seamlessly integrated in the cath lab hardware and software platforms. By combining the different sensing and imaging data a more intuitive cath lab experience will be achieved. Looking forward, POSITION-II prepares the European electronics industry for the next revolution in healthcare, bioelectronics implants. Bioelectronics implants are expected to replace a considerable fraction of traditional medicine by direct stimulation of nerves. The miniaturization and soft encapsulation platforms developed in POSITION-II will be the ideal technology frame work for the manufacturing of these bioelectronics implants. The technology platforms developed in POSITION-II are demonstrated by five challenging product demonstrators covering FRR, IVUS, ICE, EP and cell therapy as well as a bioelectronics implant to treat cluster headache.

Compared to the pace of innovation in electronic consumer products, the pace of innovation for medical devices is lagging behind. It is the overarching objective of Moore4Medical to accelerate innovation in electronic medical devices. Moore4Medical emerging medical applications that offer significant new opportunities for the ECS industry including: active implantable devices (bioelectronic medicines), organ-on-chip, drug adherence monitoring, smart ultrasound, radiation free interventions and continuous monitoring. The new technologies will help fighting the increasing cost of healthcare by: reducing the need for hospitalization, helping the development of personalized therapies, and realizing intelligent point-of-care diagnostic tools. Moore4Medical will bring together 68 specialists from 12 countries who will develop open technology platforms for these emerging fields to help them bridge “the Valley of Death” in shorter time and at lower cost. Open technology platforms used by multiple users for multiple applications with the prospect of medium to high volume markets are an attractive proposition for the European ECS industry. The combination of typical MedTech applications with an ECS style platform approach will enhance the competitiveness for the emerging medical domains addressed in Moore4Medical. With value and IP moving from the technology level towards applications and solutions, defragmentation and open technology platforms will be key in acquiring and maintaining a premier position for Europe in the forefront of affordable healthcare