Personalization, demography and connectivity determine technical progress in medical technology

In the past years, no other target market has stimulated the microtechnology industry as much as medical technology and health care. The trend towards personalized medical, demographic developments and digitalization, but also health policy and cost pressure are driving technological progress in medical technology and health care.
 
Almost two-thirds of the microtechnology companies in Europe offer products, technologies or services for medical technology and health care; for almost one-fifth these are the most important target markets. The proportion of companies that address the medical technology market with priority will once again rise by five percent over the next three years.
 
Medical microproducts and technologies are used predominantly in diagnostics and treatment today and in the near future. Applications that address age-appropriate living or the second health market still have a subordinate, but growing importance. From the perspective of microtechnology companies, the aging society is currently the strongest driver for innovations in medical technology and health care. R&D efforts in micro- and nanotechnology are driven more strongly by the need for personalized methods of diagnostics, treatment and prevention. Digital transformation and cost pressure in the health care sector are also considered to be major driving forces behind innovation in the industry.
 
The information has been collected by the IVAM Microtechnology Network in its annual economic data survey among microtechnology companies and research institutions throughout Europe.