IMDI

Background

To support the efficient deployment of healthcare personnel as well as to reduce overall demand for care, it is important to develop new medical technologies, to improve existing ones and to put the findings of past research into practice as soon as possible.

With wider use of medical technology in patient self-care and in informal care, fewer professional staff will be needed. And technology that prevents existing conditions from worsening or becoming chronic reduces the demand for care. The same applies to technology that contributes to more effective diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

Goal

The aim of the IMDI programme is to stimulate the development of new medical technology as the basis for useable products, which can then be validated, marketed and implemented in practice.

About this programme

IMDI has two programme lines, both issuing multiple calls for proposals.

Technology for Staffable Care programme line

Technology for Staffable Care features two calls: one for breakthrough projects and one for demonstration projects.

The call for breakthrough projects focuses upon new ideas for technological solutions. Its aim is to challenge researchers and users to come up with new insights and unexpected innovations in the field of medical technology. These projects should provide a basis for new lines of research and collaborations in the future.

The call for demonstration projects provides an opportunity to take promising innovations several steps further along their development path. It is intended to take technological innovations that have already been validated in the lab (TRL4) to the level of a minimum viable product (MVP).

Technology for Sustainable Care programme line

Technology for Sustainable Care also features two calls. The first, from 2017, focused upon taking forward innovations in medical technology that were already in development, with the aim of making high-quality care more affordable and accessible.

The other call is Heart for Sustainable Care. Its focus is the development of medical technology for the earlier detection and better treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The aim is to prevent damage and/or to ensure that the patient does not transition to a more severe stage of cardiovascular disease or enter a chronic phase, thus reducing the demand for care.

Collaboration

Technology for Staffable Care is a collaboration between ZonMw, the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and Health~Holland. Heart for Sustainable Care is a collaboration between ZonMw, the Dutch Heart Foundation and NWO.

Committees

The IMDI programme has a steering committee and a number of assessment committees for each call for proposals. For some rounds, a monitoring committee has also been established.