A perfect pairing for medtech innovation: Switzerland and Brazil

We hosted the first Medtech Congress Jura: a two-day event for more than 80 people where we dove deep into medtech topics like robotics in surgery, additive manufacturing in the medical field and clinical trials.

The unique twist: We looked at those topics through the lens of Swiss and Brazil synergies. We invited numerous speakers from both countries, offering new connections and captivating perspectives within the medtech sector.

If you’re interested in participating in the next medtech mega event, save the date (October 11th-12th 2023) and get notified!

In this article, you’ll learn why the medtech synergies between Switzerland and Brazil are important, what’s already being done and where future opportunities are hidden.

Even if you’ve attended the whole event, there is something for you here. We asked our speakers about their main takeaways and compiled their best answers here.

A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR BIOSCIENCE MEDICAL & INNOSPINA

THREE EXPERTS ON MEDTECH SYNERGIES BETWEEN BRAZIL AND SWITZERLAND

POST-EVENT INTERVIEWS: THE MAIN TAKEAWAYS ACCORDING TO OUR SPEAKERS

JURA, THE MEDTECH HUB OF THE WORLD

We created the Medtech Congress Jura with the goal of meeting people and companies that share the same purpose. An event of this magnitude is the perfect opportunity to meet new people and companies, learn about their business, products and services and immerse oneself in the world of innovation and the spirit of startups.!

Ana Carolina Pengo Brito

CEO of Bioscience Medical

A round of applause for Bioscience Medical & InnoSpina

We couldn’t have realized this event without the help of Bioscience Medical and InnoSpina, our partners and co-hosts.

Bioscience Medical is part of the Bioscience Medical Group, a Brazilian-Swiss family group focused on the health sector, selling products and services. Located at Rossemaison, in the Canton of Jura, Bioscience Medical began operations 8 years ago in the market of high technology orthopedic implants. It’s establishing itself in the world market for premium products by developing and manufacturing innovative implants and prostheses with Swiss quality and design. Its products are recognized by doctors as unique on the market, referring to the instruments’ facility of use and practicality, simple surgical technique and implants that help improve current problems and get better clinical results. Every day, Bioscience Medical fulfills its mission: to rehabilitate the human body and spirit.

InnoSpina is a medtech device startup that simplifies spine surgery. They design and develop novel 3d printed implants and unique surgical guiding instruments enabling surgeons to treat chronic back pain in less than 30 minutes. Their technology ensures safe and accurate positioning of the implants, simplifying the surgical act and drastically reducing the operative time. They are on a mission to bring the next generation 3D printed implants on the market, setting a new standard of spinal care.

“Since InnoSpina moved into the Switzerland Innovation Park in Jura in 2020, I’m actively promoting the vibrant ecosystem and the medtech diversification strategy of the canton of Jura who joined forces with Basel-Stadt and Basel-Landschaft. It was always an objective to attract stakeholders in the medical field, from startups to SMEs and larger corporations, to catalyze medtech innovations in the region. I was in contact with Bioscience Medical for business opportunities, and throughout our discussions, we had the joint idea to create this medtech congress. I also speak Portuguese fluently and know Brazilian culture. We tried to integrate various dimensions in the organization and format of this congress, which turned out to be highly appreciated by the feedback we received. Looking forward to next year’s edition!”

Gwenael Hannema

CEO of InnoSpina

Three experts on medtech synergies between Brazil and Switzerland

Our partner and co-host, Bioscience Medical, is a Brazilian company with subsidiaries in Switzerland. While Switzerland, to them, is the ideal place for medtech innovation, Brazil has its own opportunities that we could benefit from.

The laws in Brazil are less restrictive and it’s the 8th largest health market in the world, making it the ideal place for clinical trials and development.

But still, Brazil isn’t the first country to come to mind when talking about the medtech industry.

We asked three experts from companies already benefiting from the synergies between Switzerland and Brazil where they see the biggest advantages in that collaboration.

Gwenael Hannema, Co-founder & CEO at InnoSpina

“One key aspect of bringing medtech innovation to the market is getting it approved. Clinical trials are essential to prove new devices’ safety and efficacy. One key differentiator of Brazil is its high genetic diversity, an essential part of the clinical study design. The country is also part of the MDSAP International Regulations. It’s a great opportunity for market access and being able to positively impact patients’ lives.”

Anna Carolina Pengo Brito, CEO at Bioscience Medical

“There are numerous mutual benefits to be gained from further developing relations between the two countries. While the Brazilian healthcare market is vast, Switzerland has technology and innovation. The opportunity to develop new products and services in the Swiss ecosystem draws Brazilian entrepreneurs, universities and doctors. Switzerland, which has been elected 12 times as the most innovative country in the world, adds a high value to a brand and holds a good share of Brazilian demand. In addition to being the 8th largest health market in the world, Brazil has a high level of know-how in medical services and internationally recognized professionals. These two forces work together to create opportunities in the health market for countries.”

Rodrigo Araujo Fraga da Silva, CEO at Comphya

“For Swiss companies, the Brazilian market is attractive, while a good opportunity for clinical development. For Brazilian companies, Switzerland represents a good opportunity for high-quality technological development, as well as the best door to the EU and world, adding to their product quality label and visibility.”

Post-event interviews: The main takeaways according to our speakers

We further wanted to know what was being done already to support and promote this transnational cooperation

“Both the Swiss and Brazilian innovation agencies are promoting collaboration between the two countries. From applied research and product development to clinical trials and market access, this collaboration between the two countries offers a lot of opportunities to create innovations adding value to the economy and society.”

—Gwenael Hannema, Co-founder & CEO at InnoSpina

“The synergy between Brazil and Switzerland can be seen among companies that sell products and services. The combination of Swiss innovation with Brazilian creativity has created many business opportunities and important solutions for both countries. I have observed several startups that are successfully internationalizing their processes between these countries promoting product development and commercialization.”

—Ana Caronlina Pengo Brito, CEO at Bioscience Medical

Post-event interviews: The main takeaways according to our speakers

During the two days of the congress, more than ten medtech experts talked to us about many interesting topics like minimally invasive robotics for surgery, additive manufacturing technologies in the medical field and 3D virtual simulation.

After the event, we asked them in short interviews what they’d learned.

Copy of Meet our speakers - FIRST MEDTECH CONGRESS JURA (7)

Philippe Potty Professeur Ordinaire, Responsable groupe Dispositifs Médicaux at He-Arc

Very interesting talks from all the speakers. I was impressed by the synergies and collaboration that are already established between Switzerland and Brazil.

Barbara Fialho, PhD, coordinator of clinical research for CiTen Clinical Research

Most interesting was the short and easy way to do clinical trials in Brazil and meet people we could connect with.

Copy of Meet our speakers - FIRST MEDTECH CONGRESS JURA (6)

Christoph Joder, Head of Regional Development & NW-CH at CSEM

“I think we can always learn from the other side. Brazil is a big market. Actually, it’s the 8th largest population in the world. You need to know about the rules in Brazil, which are different. We will soon see whether the development will take place in Switzerland and be exported to Brazil or vice versa.”

Prof. Dr. Hans-Florian Zeilhofer, Professor Emeritus University Hospital Basel, Member Board of Directors Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area

The gap is minimal, and you can easily surpass it to access all the benefits. But you need an open-minded community for that. And here, we see people from every industry, sector and country coming together at this event. That was amazing, fruitful, and inspiring. I know of one or two startups that will be created just out of this congress.

Chui Fung Chong, Senior Global Medical Leader in Drug Development – Medical Affairs at Roche

“It was interesting to learn about the potential synergies between the Brazilian health care or medtech innovation community and innovation community in medtech for collaborating in clinical trials. If I were to find patient populations in a global clinical trial or a trial for a new medical device, I could do it in Brazil.”

Jura, the medtech hub of the world

In Switzerland, every canton is known for something special. Jura, with its industrial basis, is the perfect breeding ground for medtech innovation.

This medtech congress was just one of many events and initiatives we’ve launched to develop Jura further as the medtech hub of the world.

With a focus on medtech, we support startups, SMEs and local institutions in accelerating their development and innovation projects.

Are you looking for the place to grow your startup, build a community and have access to our network and events? We still have spots for you at our site Jura! Reach out to our Community Manager Tiphaine Charretier and learn more about what we offer or join our accelerator.

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