Biomedical Engineering and eHealth min Europe - Outcomes and Challenges of Past and Current EU Research Programs

Funding of research & innovation in the field of medical technologies and biomedical engineering over the different European framework programmes

To demonstrate the role of the European Framework Programmes for Research & Innovation in supporting the field of Medical Technologies and Biomedical Engineering and to show which types of medical technologies and which funding instruments are the preferred ones. Based on data available in the European Commission data warehouse for the past two Framework Programmes, funded projects addressing a Medical Technology were identified. This enabled to categorize the projects according to the intended use and to classify into different types. Moreover, the main instruments in the Framework Programme acting as funding sources were explored. The increase in R&I support led to 1961 projects and a total financing of € 3.2 bllion under the last Framework Programme. The categorization showed a balanced funding in terms of intended use, the detailed classification revealed that in-vitro-diagnostics and imaging equipment prevail in the diagnostic category, tissue-engineering products, implants and robotics in the therapeutic domain and ICT or software-based technologies in the miscellaneous category. As to funding sources, the classical health-oriented collaborative research scheme was on top, followed by instruments like the European Research Council, the Future and Emerging Technologies activities and the European Innovation Council, and completed by the Public-Private Partnerships. The European Framework Programmes are key on the global landscape for financing Research & Innovation of Medical Technology and the breadth of supported technologies is equally reflected by the different funding instruments involved.

Regulation and Certification of (Bio)Medical Engineers: A Case Study on Romania

This paper analyzes the Romanian biomedical engineering educational path and certification process in European and international contexts and emphasizes the existence of a deficient operationalization of this qualification and profession, arguing that the domestic shortcomings are both a consequence of an unquestioned process of adopting European and even international classification schemes, and of insufficiently developed national administrative capabilities to properly implement the aforementioned classification frameworks. The core part of the article investigates the current academic track of the biomedical engineering specialization and scrutinizes the classification of occupations at different jurisdictional levels. The conclusions of the study indicate that one of the possible solutions for improving this unsatisfying status quo comes from a better communication between the national and European levels, and by their pro-active involvement in the international attempts of reviewing and refining the existing frameworks. The article ends with several recommendations and policy proposals meant to strengthen the role of various profession-certifying European documents, as well as to alleviate the regulatory deficiencies that this specialization has at Romanian level, in order to maximize its potential in the labor market.

Innovative and Assistive eHealth Technologies for Smart Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Outdoor Spaces for the Elderly Demographic

The use of technology for social connectivity and achieving engagement goals is increasingly essential to the overall well-being of our rapidly ageing population. While much of the extant literature has focused on home automation and indoor remote health monitoring; there is a growing literature that finds personal health and overall well-being improves when physical activities are conducted outdoors. This study presents a review of possible innovative and assistive eHealth technologies suitable for smart therapeutic and rehabilitation outdoor spaces for older persons. The article also presents key performance metrics required of eHealth technologies to ensure robust, timely and reliable biometric data transfer between patients in a therapeutic landscape environment and respective medical centres. A literature review of relevant publications with a primary focus of integrating sensors and eHealth technologies in outdoor spaces to collect and transfer data from the elderly demographic who engage such built landscapes to appropriate stakeholders was conducted. A content analysis was carried out to synthesize outcomes of the literature review. The study finds that research in assistive eHealth technologies and interfaces for outdoor therapeutic spaces is in its nascent stages and has limited generalisability. The level of technology uptake and readiness for smart outdoor spaces is still developing and is currently being outpaced by the growth of elderly fitness zones in public spaces. Further research is needed to explore those eHealth technologies with interactive feedback mechanisms that are suitable for outdoor therapeutic environments.