BETiC, IIT-B Launches 5th Edition of Medical Device Innovation Camp for Working Professionals

The Biomedical Engineering & Technology incubation Centre (BETiC) of IIT Bombay, which recently concluded a series of medical device hackathons at Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, recently announced their annual training workshop MEDIC – Medical Device Innovation Camp from 28 September to 2 October 2019 to be held in the Powai campus.

Over the five days of MEDIC, participants will form inter-disciplinary teams and work on real-life projects guided by mentors. They will learn how to define an unmet need, develop an innovative solution, deliver a validated product, and deploy it in market. Interactive FAQ sessions with domain experts and story-telling by successful innovators will enrich the learning experience and create a friendly network to access in the future.

The BETiC network now comprises 14 institutes across Maharashtra, the latest one being the GH Raisoni College of Engineering, Nagpur on 28 July 2019. Other engineering partners include KJSCE Mumbai, COE Pune, MIT-ADT Pune, SIU Pune and VNIT Nagpur. Medical partners include JJMC & GDCH Mumbai, HITRT Mumbai, MGMIHS Sanpada, BJMC Pune, BKLWRH Dervan and DMIMS Wardha.

Prof. B. Ravi, Founder of BETiC, said, "Since the first MEDIC in September 2015, BETiC partner institutes have brought together more than one hundred doctors and engineers every year to explore medical device innovation. These centers enable quickly traversing the 'valleys of death' from idea to invention to innovation to impact. In the last four years, team members have filed 50 patents, incubated 12 startup companies, and licensed 5 products to industry. The Camp allows us to share the best practices of how to define, develop, deliver and deploy innovative medical devices."

This camp is meant for working professionals including innovators, entrepreneurs, mentors, innovation managers and faculty guiding med-tech projects. Recent winners of any innovation event, including MEDHA (Medical Device Hackathon), BIG (Biotechnology Ignition Grant), IIGP (India Innovation Growth Programme) and GYTI (Gandhian Young Technological Innovation) can also utilize the 5-day camp to accelerate their innovation journey in healthcare field.

Participants will form 15 teams- each team will have members from four streams

a. Medical (biomedical, medicine, dental, physiotherapy or Ayush)

b. Design (industrial design, product design, graphic design or visual arts)

c. Engineering-I (mechanical, materials, production or industrial engineering)

d. Engineering-II (electronics, electrical, computer science or info tech).

There is no age limit. Previous participants have come from all corners of India.

On the first day of the Camp, participants view curated videos of unsolved medical problems- also called unmet clinical needs. They form teams and select projects. On the second day, they brainstorm, select ideas, sketch concepts, and start fabricating proof-of-concept. On the third day, they learn about manufacturing, testing, validating and certifying medical devices. On the fourth day, they learn how to draft patents, evolve business models, create effective presentations and practice pitching to investors. On the final day, the teams present their proof-of-concept to an expert jury panel for critical feedback about the problem and the solution.

Several participants of previous MEDIC camps have gone on to incubate their own startup companies for commercializing their innovations. Adarsha is the founder of one such startup called Ayu Device, which makes smart stethoscope modules to convert conventional stethoscopes into digital devices along with sound enhancement, noise cancellation, data visualization, storage and sharing capabilities. Their team has already sold several hundred units to primary health centers and telemedicine companies.

Adarsha said, "Our journey started with MEDIC in September 2015, when we discovered the unmet clinical need of remote auscultation (a doctor listening to the chest sounds of a patient who is far away). The Camp helped in finding compatible partners, developing a proof-of-concept within four days, and obtaining valuable feedback from senior doctors. In any other setting, this could have taken us weeks or months. Soon after, we joined BETiC, developed and tested our product, received BIRAC BIG award, and started Ayu Devices. Senior mentors of BETiC, especially Prof. Ravi and Dr. Rupesh guided us in every step of our journey."

Participation in MEDIC is by invitation only. Interested participants need to pre-register at betic.org website before 28 August 2019 and will be selected based on their biodata and portfolio of projects. There is a registration fee of Rs. 4500 to cover basic costs, and accommodation (to be paid separately by the participants) can be reserved in the guest house of IIT-B for those who register before the deadline.

Winners have a chance to develop their ideas further at any of the BETiC centers and start their companies at any suitable incubator including SINE, IIT Bombay or Venture Centre, Pune, who are partners for the Camp.