Health & BioTech Accelerator project, 6 finalist startups awarded

Robotic exoskeletons in orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation; wearable devices that communicate in real time with artificial intelligence platforms for the telemonitoring of post-discharge patients; regulatory strategies for the marketing of innovative drugs for rare diseases and with significant unmet clinical needs. These are some of the innovation and digital transformation objectives pursued by the pilot projects of the 6 international startups selected in the first edition of the Health & Biotech Accelerator (https://healthbiotechaccelerator.io/), a project coordinated by Deloitte Officine Innovazione in collaboration with Msd Italia, Intesa Sanpaolo Rbm Salute and various scientific and technical partners. Among the ‘finalist’ startups, chosen from over 350 after an 8-month selection process, there is a wide representation of Italian excellence, with 4 startups active on the national territory and 2 based in Finland and Norway. The selected startups are awarded today during the Health & BioTech Accelerator Summit, scheduled in Rome: an event that sees the participation of institutional representatives, the academic-scientific world and companies to stimulate the debate on the value of open innovation in the field of the digital transformation of Healthcare, in order to increasingly improve products and services for citizens. “Innovation in the health and pharmacological field is, in effect, a priority to guarantee the well-being of a country – declares Nicoletta Luppi , President and CEO Msd Italia – The pandemic has accelerated the use of technology in all areas of our life, including that of Health and there is no turning back. I believe, in fact, that a rapid and systemic adoption of new technologies, at the peer of innovation in drugs and vaccines, plays a fundamental role in defining resilient and accessible health services eg r the management of chronicity and public health in general “. “In order not to be left behind in the race for innovation – continues Luppi – it is necessary to be able to intercept the trends of a constantly evolving ecosystem and select the right partners. In this perspective, projects such as Health & Biotech Accelerator represent a precious tool for connecting different actors in the health supply chain. Each of us (companies, small startups, institutions and the scientific world) is in fact the bearer of a know-how and a distinctive value. Only together, through a healthy and transparent public-private collaboration , we can make a difference to people’s lives and health, “he concludes. In order for digital transformation to fully realize its potential – reads a note – a plurality of skills is needed that companies do not always possess: for this reason, open innovation becomes fundamental which, through the signing of partnerships between complementary entities in the supply chain technology and pharmaceuticals, can foster true innovation. “The acceleration in digital transformation, which has affected all areas of social and economic life at a global level, has also had a decisive weight in the scientific world, because it is thanks to the speed with which to which today it is possible to share data and information that it has been possible to give the first answers, quickly, to the pandemic “, says Bjorn Oddens, VP Global medical & Scientific affairs of Msd. “This ecosystem – he underlines – requires a remarkable plurality of skills, which is why we are investing in projects such as Health & Biotech Accelerator, which support open innovation by creating valuable connections between the academic world, start-ups and the bio-pharmaceutical industry” . “For the growth of a company, open innovation represents a particularly sustainable way to generate innovation: it reduces costs, accelerates time to market, stimulates market differentiation and can pave the way for new areas of development”, adds Khatereh Ahmadi, Executive Director, Head of search and evaluation business development, Europe and Middle East of Msd. The Health & BioTech Accelerator – the note details – is the first Italian multi-corporate accelerator, with an international scope, with an innovative content on the Health & Biotech supply chain. The goal is to develop pilot projects, integrating the innovative solutions of the selected startups and scaleups with the skills and assets provided by the partners, in order to enhance the core business of the companies or launch new solutions on the market. “The opportunities for growth linked to partnerships to foster digital transformation are innumerable both for large companies and for small businesses “, concludes Michel De Baar, Executive director Business development Europe of Msd.” Projects such as Health & Biotech Accelerator – continues Michel De Baar – are essential to enable the meeting of supply and demand and I must admit that I am very impressed by the liveliness and level of the Italian ecosystem of small startups in the scientific and technological fields: a sector in which it is really worth continuing to invest “. The selected startups – informs the press release – have already started work on pilot projects that will see them as protagonists alongside MSD and other corporate partners, the Deloitte team and scientific, clinical and financial partners. All in an entirely virtual setting that will also allow international startups a full and continuous interaction with project partners for the acceleration weeks. The initiative is supported not only by the corporate partners (Msd Italia and Intesa Sanpaolo Rbm Salute) but also by the clinical partners of the San Donato Group, Humanitas and Santagostino, by the Italian Institute of Technology, the University of Milan and Ifom as scientific partners, from Life Science District as supporting partner and Smau, Digital Innovation Days, Notizie.it, Makinglife and InnovUp as ecosystem partner; Panakés Partners, Digital Magics and Italian Angels for Growth hold the role of investment partner.