4C Accelerator Tübingen // International Qualification Programm for startUPs – Medical Life Sciences // EN

Register now for the free “4C Accelerator Tübingen” of the Medical Innovations GmbH!

This training program is funded by the ministry of economy Baden-Württemberg, the Medical Innovations Foundation and the B.Braun Foundation. It is oriented to (international) start-ups and those interested in founding one. The program includes the business model development up to “investor readiness” through the elaboration of the specific needs in the life sciences and healthcare sector with individual and intensive support by medical experts in the following 4C’s:

• C₁–Commercialization: planning revenue in healthcare system (e.g. reimbursement by insurances)
• C₂–Certification: Approval of product & company
• C₃–Clinical Studies: Prove evidence of the product
• C₄–Copyright: Use data / property rights strategically

Overview

Compared to other industries the survival of life science start-ups is particularly challenging due to long time periods and the capital requirement until market maturity. This is particularly due to the 4C’s:

• C₁: Commercialization – Many interest groups (e.g. patients, doctors, Ärztekammer, Pflegeheime) and market peculiarities (e.g. Selbstzahler, complex reimbursement rules of the gesetzliche Krankenkassen) make market access and the generation of revenue more difficult.
• C₂: Certification – The establishment of a quality management system for the company certification (e.g. ISO 13485) and the creation of the technical documentation for the product approval (e.g. Medical Device Regulation, In-Vitro-Diagnostic Regulation) are mostly the basic requirements for a successful market entry.
• C₃: Clinical Studies – Proof of the clinical evidence, safety and performance of the product is essential and also costly and time-consuming for startups.
• C₄: Copyright – Using and maintaining patents, property and data rights strategically is important for company valuation, successful negotiations with investors or licensees and for planning exit scenarios.

With the help of extensive knowledge around the 4C, medical life science startups close the gap between innovation in general and successful medical innovation in particular. Knowledge of the so-called Entrepreneurship Essentials using common methods such as Business Model Canvas, Business Plans, Design Thinking or Lean Launchpad are essential for the education of successful life science startups, but in our view not sufficient. We are convinced: Only a deep understanding of the following 4C will really help you to achieve more investor readiness!

Therefore, this program i.a. seeks to answer the following questions:

• Am I actually developing a medical device and if so, how do I determine this?
• Which norms and standards do I have to consider?
• Do I know the similarities between company certification and product approval?
• What renumeration options does my product have in the health system?
• Is a reimbursement by health insurance companies desirable for my product?
• Is my product attractive for the self-pay market?

Benefits

Free participation: The program is funded by the ministry of economy Baden-Württemberg, the Medical Innovations Foundation and the B.Braun Foundation.

• Top-class experts: The program works with top-class experts who represent a decisive added value for participating teams. These hold senior positions in industry, are proven subject matter experts or seasoned entrepreneurs which guarantees the appropriate experience and quality of guidance to offer.
• Individual Feedback & Education: During 17 days high-profile external experts will elaborate the 4C’s on the individual needs of each team in sessions that are individually tailored.
• Continuous project management: During 1 year we will guide you in processing the work packages resulting from the 17 days of feedback & education. Progress is discussed in frequent project review meetings and necessary measures are derived.

 Who can apply?

Eligible are all (international) students, professionals, founding teams and innovators, including clinicians, nurses, lab technicians, scientists who want to translate their innovative ideas into health solutions of the following domains:

• Medical Devices (gadgets, machines, instruments, implants)
• Therapeutics (drugs, active ingredients)
• Diagnostics (laboratory tests or procedures)
• Digital Health (data, analytics, software, monitoring)

The working language is English and the program is free of charge. Individuals and teams can apply until 03.09.21. via the following Website!

What is the objective?

The participants can survey the life science-specific start-up topics of the 4C’s and thus plan ahead. The early strategic consideration of possible complications in the 4C’s creates the prerequisite for attaining the necessary maturity in the shortest possible time and for convincing investors. Corresponding barriers to shortening the time to market have been identified and structured in an individual project plan.

At the end of this program the participants will be familiar with the reimbursement options in the healthcare market. They will know how quality management systems and regulatory processes become a strategic concept and how they effectively lead to market approval of a medical product. Participants can decide whether and what type of clinical trials they need and how best to implement them. At the end of the program, they will know how to deal with data protection requirements and how to strategically protect and exploit the product idea.

Dates (14 days Feedback & Education)

• Format: Online video conference
• Date: 01.10.2021 – 11.02.2021 (every Friday)
• Time: 09:00 – 17:00 h
• Total hours: 136 h
• 6 days in C₁-Commercialization
• 4 days in C₂-Certification
• 2 days in C₃-Clinical Studies
• 2 days in C₄-Copyright
• 1 day in International Health Markets
• 1 day Workshop with a statutory health insurance company
• 2 days in project planning

Contact Details

Christian Dorn: dorn(at)stiftung-medizininnovationen.org
Fabian Eppinger: eppinger(at)stiftung-medizininnovationen.org