Biomedical engineering for improved health

A midterm evaluation of the eight projects awarded grants in 2007 has been conducted within the scope of the call for proposals called “Medical Technology for Better Health”. The call for proposals was a joint five-year initiative, totalling SEK 81 million, between the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), the Swedish Research Council (VR) and Vinnova. According to the call for proposals, the grants for the 4th to 5th years were to be determined on the basis of a midterm evaluation, which has now been conducted in the form of a remote evaluation with international experts in the fields the projects represented, followed by a visit by an international panel with other experts with a good overview of medical technology in general and knowledge of opportunities for innovation and utilisation.

The recommendation from the panel is to continue funding the seven projects that applied for funds for an extension. An eighth project, which received separate additional funding via the Swedish Research Council, declined to apply for more. In addition to the assessments of the eight projects, the panel presented a number of general observations of an overall nature. The panel is impressed with the all-round high quality of the research presented and also praises the projects for their ambitions to build bridges between the technical and clinical disciplines.