The Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico di Torino (I3P) and the Turin College of Physicians and Surgeons (OMCeO Torino) announce the signing of a new collaboration agreement, aimed at supporting the growth of start-ups in the Life Sciences sector and the development of technological projects in the biomedical sector.
Innovation has long played a fundamental role in advancing the medical sciences and providing specialists with cutting-edge tools with which to facilitate the crucial work of timely diagnosis of diseases and better treatment of clinical cases. Many new technologies to which academic research and entrepreneurial inventiveness born on the Campus of Politecnico di Torino have given birth in recent years have entered the field test phase and, in some cases, have been permanently adopted by healthcare institutions, including international ones.
Among the examples of innovative technologies applied to the health sector that have been developed by start-ups incubated at I3P, and have already received important initial recognition, are: artificial intelligence algorithms for the early identification of different types of tumours, digital medical devices for the management of patients in resuscitation, software for 3D modelling of anatomical parts for the planning and support of surgical operations, and videogames for the early identification and intervention in neurodevelopmental disorders. Technological promises towards which the College of Physicians and Surgeons has already shown its interest and, where possible, offered support.
I3P and OMCeO Torino had a first opportunity for direct collaboration on May 2023, when the incubator organised an in-depth event on the relationship between medtech, start-ups and artificial intelligence in the framework of the Torino Digital Days with the involvement of the Order and its President Guido Giustetto, now signatory of the new agreement together with Giuseppe Scellato, President of I3P. The memorandum of understanding signed between the two bodies establishes a lasting cooperation relationship for the support of innovative start-ups in the Life Sciences sector, with an exchange of information on the most promising projects and useful contacts in the world of healthcare, with a view to synergy and potential positive impact in the area.
Today, medtech start-ups make up a significant share of the projects supported by I3P, the public incubator founded in 1999 - one of the first in Italy, about to celebrate its 25th anniversary - which closed last year with a new absolute record of capital increases in its network of innovative companies: a total of €53 million in investments raised by 2023, a sign of the growing confidence in the start-ups that have been born under the Mole Antonelliana. On the other hand, one of the priorities of the Turin College of Physicians and Surgeons is also to encourage innovation within its sector, promoting initiatives that may be of interest to its professionals and recognising in new technologies a fundamental factor for the progress of society and the improvement of the population's quality of life. It is on these common foundations, therefore, that the newly formalised collaboration originated.
Under the aegis of this agreement, start-ups will find it easier to interface with doctors - who, in most cases, are in fact the end users of the technologies developed - to exchange and collect data, opinions on prototypes and, why not, suggestions on how to further improve their products. But this synergy will also be useful in the reverse process: the doctors' innovative ideas will be able to find a home in the incubator to be developed and accompanied on a qualified path to concrete realisation.
"The College's objective is to contribute to improving the function of start-ups operating in the world of medicine, in the interest of patients and committed professionals," emphasises Guido Giustetto, President of OMCeO Torino. "On the one hand by giving an informal and realistic assessment of the practical usefulness of the proposed tools, as well as the concrete possibility of application. On the other hand by providing stimuli to companies on what problems can be solved through targeted technology or directly by helping to design devices that can make a positive contribution to medical activity."
"The new collaboration agreement will bring mutual benefit to the entire network of both our companies," comments Giuseppe Scellato, President of I3P. "Our young medtech entrepreneurs get the valuable opportunity to submit their technological products to a wide network of medical professionals and to involve them in field testing activities, through a privileged channel that will facilitate contacts and exchanges. At the same time, the doors of I3P will be open to the proposals of doctors and specialists who are members of the College, in an atmosphere of mutual assistance and fruitful confrontation."