Medical technology innovations - challenges for research, economic an health policy. Summary

The medical technology sector is characterised by a pronounced innovative strength, high knowledge intensity and social relevance due to its contributions to the health care of the population. In Germany, the situation of this future-oriented sector can be characterised as good overall: The scientific-technical basis of medical technology research and development (R&D) is internationally outstanding in many areas. As an industry, German medical technology manufacturers are very well positioned and occupy a leading place on the world market alongside the USA and Japan. Despite this favourable starting position, the industry faces a number of challenges resulting from intensifying international competition, the internationalisation of production and distribution structures and the changing conditions in the health care sector.
Subject and objective of the study
The promotion of medical technology and the creation of the most favourable framework conditions possible also pose considerable challenges for the public sector: In addition to taking into account the complex requirements for the promotion of this markedly heterogeneous cross-sectional technology, it must be noted that medical technology falls within the sphere of responsibility of both research, economic and health policy. ... mehrThe innovation policy problem here is to coordinate the partly synergetic, but also partly divergent objectives, measures and instruments of the respective policy fields in such a way that favourable framework conditions are created for the development and clinical application of medical technology innovations. The aim of the policy benchmarking was to analyse, with regard to medical technology at the interfaces between research, economic and health policy, which demands on research policy for medical technology arise from health and economic policy objectives and strategies, through which mechanisms, procedures and instruments this situation could be taken into account in practice or is taken into account in order to create goal conflicts. To this end, to identify good practice examples of successful medical technology funding in two countries that are also successful in medical technology (Great Britain and Switzerland) and to examine the extent to which these examples can be transferred to the situation in Germany, and on this basis to develop options for action for a successful innovation policy from a research policy perspective in medical technology in Germany.