Roundtable on Technology Transfer of Digital Health Solutions in Romania - a product pathway from academic research to patient life

The last Trigger Event has been organized by the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila Bucharest on 22nd February 2024. This Trigger Event focused on the relationship between technology transfer and digital health solutions in Romania.

The event was opened by the Rector of UMFCD, Prof Dr Viorel Jinga, the Vice-Rector of Research Prof Dr Simona Ruta, the Board Member of the Alliance4Life_ACTIONS project from UMFCD, Prof Dr Iuliana Ceausu and Stefan Busnatu, Director of the Innovation and eHealth Center.

The aim of this roundtable was to discuss and plan how digital health solutions identified within academic research can be effectively transferred into the lives of patients in Romania.

The invited guests from the government (National Cyber Security Directorate - DNSC), Academia (Polytechnic University - UPB, Academy of Economic Studies - ASE) and the private sector (Local American Working Group - LAWG, WING Group) contributed with their ideas and opinions to this event. The event focused on the future of pharmacy practice and how digital health will be shaped by telepharmacy. Denisa Ioana Udeanu, Vice Dean of Research at the Faculty of Pharmacy explained the impact of connecting pharmacy education and practice in the digital era. Her speech was followed by a presentation by Miruna Apetroaei, a PhD student from the Faculty of Pharmacy who addressed the opportunities and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence into pharmacy and medical research. A lively discussion of the participants followed both sessions of the participants.

During the following panel discussion, the participants discussed policies in technological transfer and their role in facilitating the pathway from academic research to implementation. The panel discussion was chaired by the director of the new Centre of Technology Transfer within UMFCD.

The event was enhanced by inspiring presentation of success stories in technology transfer of digital health solutions by young entrepreneurs from UMFCD, UPB and ASE.

National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC), a government institution under the coordination of the Prime Minister, reported about cyber security and its foremost importance for the health s Representatives of the DNSC  presented important aspects of ensuring the security of cyberspace that must be a priority of all actors involved, especially at the institutional level, where the responsibility for developing and implementing coherent policies in the field is concentrated.

The main conclusion of this Trigger Event was that the new Technology Transfer Centre will encourage innovation and technology transfer through the development of advanced medical solutions and technologies. This may include the design and testing of innovative medical devices, the development of algorithms and software for medical diagnostics and monitoring, or the implementation of digital solutions for efficient health and patient care management.

UMFCD is committed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, physicians, researchers and other healthcare professionals to address complex challenges in medical engineering and digital health.

By bringing together experts from diverse fields, the TT Centre will facilitate the exchange of ideas and expertise, leading to innovation and better solutions for patient care.