The Healthcare & Medical Technologies Sector covers a broad range of technologies, products, equipment and devises. Recent trends underline the principles of Circular Economy – reducing material inputs and resource intensity, greater durability or reusability of healthcare and medical devices.
Relevant sub-sectors include:
- Assistive technologies: Homecare and rehabilitation equipment, to assist elderly people or people with reduced functionalities. Devices and prosthetics to assist or train elderly people or people with reduced functionalities.
- Medical equipment: Any instrument, apparatus, device or material used in diagnosing, treating and/or preventing of human or animal diseases, thereby excluding the use of pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means.
- ICT for health: New or improved equipment might be used for enhancing healthcare, such as miniaturised and cheaper electronics and sensors, high-density memory, micro-electromechanical systems, and novel combinations of existing devices.
- Telemedicine and remote health monitoring: Homecare, telecommunication networks, radiographs, pathology freeze frames. Examination, observation and treatment of patients and the training of personnel by utilising telecommunications.
- Nanotechnology healthcare
- Life Science/ Biotechnology for health: Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use in healthcare; recombinant DNA, cell fusion, and new bioprocessing techniques to produce large molecules useful in treating and preventing disease.
- Research & Development technologies and services: Any instrument, apparatus or device used in Research & Development for the healthcare and medical sector; specific methodologies and/or databases used in delivering services offering e.g. feasibility studies, prototyping, simulations, technical support, and assistance in commercialisation of research findings.
- Dental products: Diagnostic technologies, Preventive technologies, Oral hard tissue disease treatment technologies, Regenerative medical technologies, Dental laboratory technologies.