The program
The CAS Swiss Biodesign for MedTech Innovators provides future innovation leaders with tools to identify major market opportunities and invent high potential products in the field of MedTech, HealthTech and Invitro Diagnostics.
This course is modelled on the pioneering Biodesign training concept of Stanford University, that has been adopted by leading universities around the world. Participants will benefit from lectures by Stanford and local faculty, top tier MedTech innovators and medical experts, clinical immersion and an exclusive international network.
Target audience and objectives
This training aims at aspiring corporate intrapreneurs and start-up entrepreneurs passionate about developing radically new medical technology. Candidates must possess at least three years of professional healthcare experience in e.g. medicine, clinical research, product management, sales, business development, R&D, or software development. The program is limited to 12 participants (max. 2 of the same company) to ensure a highly effective learning and coaching experience.
Objectives
- Empowering future innovation leaders to initiate and successfully commercialize high-risk product innovations and drive change within your organisation
- Systematically identifying unmet needs and ideating innovative solutions
- Objectively validating needs, concepts and market potential
- Accelerating projects with in-depth understanding of design thinking tools
- Understanding board and investor criteria for compelling business cases
- Addressing common pitfalls in health technology projects in start-ups and corporations
- Benefiting from hands-on experience of serial-innovators and industry experts
Content
The course will build upon the industry-leading Stanford Biodesign process and textbook:
Biodesign – The Process of Innovating Medical Technologies
- Design thinking
- Needs finding and selection
- Disease and current treatment standards
- Global health technology market
- MedTech regulation US and Europe
- MedTech regulation Europe
- MedTech reimbursement
- Business case analysis
- Patent search
- Funding options
- Clinical study overview
- Startup and corporate challenges
- Concept development and testing
Workshops, coaching and insider talks will provide ample opportunity for direct interaction with experts.
Admission
- Permitted are graduates of universities of applied sciences or universities with at least three years of professional experience in technical, medical or business-related fields and sufficient knowledge of English (at least level B2).
- Professionals without a university degree can be admitted provided they have at least six years of the above-mentioned professional experience and corresponding further education certificates (higher technical college or higher technical examination with federal certificate/diploma).
- Also expected is a letter of motivation in englisch and sufficient knowledge of Englisch (at least Level B2).
- The final admission decision is made by the study management after an admission interview.
Costs
- CHF 11'800.00
- The fee includes tuition, extensive group coaching, the Stanford Biodesign textbook, other reading materials, exam fees, and related social events. Not included are traveling expenses and hotel accommodation (except for seminar hotel to start Module 1). Please contact us, if interested in the corporate participant packages, or hospital scholarships.
Location:
Campus ZHAW Winterthur & Zurich, partner hospitals, off-site hotel.
Methodology
Methods of instruction include lectures, creativity workshops, study of genuine cases and interdisciplinary group work, e.g.:
- Several days of clinical immersion in clinics and operating rooms
- Interdisciplinary exercises and group work
- Shadowing and interviews of physicians, nurses and patients
- Coaching by senior industry experts and entrepreneurs
- Frequent presentations
An online test on the pre-readings (25%), a presentation of the customer needs validation to conclude Block I (25%) and the presentation and report of the final product and business concept at the end of Block II (50%).
Classes
Part-time course with classes from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm plus evening group work. Participants are expected to be proficient in oral & written English.
The ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences is one of the leading universities of applied sciences in Switzerland. Teaching, research, continuing education and other services are both scientifically-based and practice-oriented. The ZHAW School of Management and Law (SML) is the largest of the eight schools of Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), which is based in Winterthur, Switzerland. Its origins go back as far as 1968. The SML offers advanced, interdisciplinary education programs at a demanding academic level in the areas of management, economics, and business law. Rigorous theoretical research and practically oriented consulting contribute towards the development and innovation of private enterprises as well as government and nonprofit organizations, both in Switzerland and worldwide.