Innovation stories
Americans don’t have equal access to mental healthcare but technology is making it more democratic
One of the oldest, yet still unresolved issues plaguing the US health system is the unequal distribution of healthcare. This past August, a new study by JAMA revealed the ongoing disparity in healthcare spending by race. In particular, mental healthcare remains highly inaccessible across the board, but particularly for certain groups. Patients are screened for mental health in less than 5% of primary care visits, and Black people are half as likely to be examined than white people. And the elderly are also half as likely to be screened than middle-aged patients. However, novel health technologies are allowing us to move into a new era of equality and improved access to healthcare for everyone, eliminating the barriers between people and healthcare, by putting the patient at the center of care versus the provider.
A Congressional Briefing on Increasing Inventor Diversity
Increasing participation in invention and patenting by underrepresented groups would quadruple the number of American inventors, increase annual U.S. GDP by almost $1 trillion, and result in exciting new and different inventions.
Please join this distinguished panel to learn more about the patent gaps and how we can work together to close them. The event will take place on Wednesday, 26 January at 12pm ET / 9am PT.
Register here.
‘To be a scientist is a joy’: How a Hungarian biochemist helped revolutionize mRNA
Scientists generally don’t seek the limelight, but Dr. Katalin Kariko has been thrust right into it. The once obscure biochemist is now on the covers of magazines and newspapers because of her role in developing mRNA vaccine technology. An idea she started working on in the 1990s when no one thought it would work. She grew up daughter to a butcher, in a poor town near Budapest, where she lived in one room with her family for the first 10 years of her life. During this time, she also learned the skills for success there: determination, hard work and a positive attitude.
Australia’s medical innovation approach: Is it suitable for regenerative medicine?
Existing medical innovation pipelines have emerged to support the development of more conventional therapies and are often poorly suited to regenerative medicine. In recognition of this, a number of jurisdictions, including Japan, the UK, Canada and various U.S. states have launched state-level, system-wide strategies aimed at improving their ‘readiness’ for developing and implementing regenerative medicine. This includes the establishment of new funding mechanisms, facilitative regulatory frameworks, and initiatives to support academic networks and academic-industry-healthcare collaborations. All of these are aimed at accelerating innovation. Australia’s approach to its medical future is notably different. Despite asserting a commitment to invest heavily in medical innovation for the purpose of future health and prosperity, RM has not been identified as a specific national-level strategic priority. Australia thus provides an interesting and contrasting case study for how system-wide readiness for RM may be achieved ‘by other means’.
How healthcare innovation presents a ‘compelling universe of choices’ for investors
Healthcare innovation has been rapid and is predicted to accelerate dramatically in the coming years. As the industry moves from analogue to digital, “big data” in healthcare is set to explode. Advanced diagnostics will power the shift from treatment to prevention. Personalised medicine will lead to targeted therapies that are right for the individual. Demand for value-based healthcare in the UAE is increasing as it looks to extensively expand and upgrade its healthcare system and develop a robust world-class healthcare infrastructure. The UAE is also looking to create a patient-centric healthcare model which enables hi-tech diagnostics tools, telehealth, and robotic surgery.
How Technology is Reshaping the IP Management Industry
There’s hardly any area in entrepreneurship today that deals with innovation more than intellectual property rights protection – in fact, cutting-edge technology and inventions are at the core of the IP industry. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the real-life practices, processes, and management in the industry are as technologically advanced – it’s actually quite the contrary, or, at least, has been until recently. Following the footsteps of tech and service companies, the IP management market has also been exposed to global digitization and automation trends.
Internal culture: The hidden barrier to innovation in healthcare
As the landscape of healthcare changes at a faster pace than ever, leaders are prioritizing ways to make healthcare more equitable and accessible. With the realities of mergers, pandemics, e-commerce, payment reform, and new tech, healthcare organizations must become increasingly innovative and focused on the patient experience to stay in the game. Those committed to providing healthcare for all must empower their teams to not only create new solutions for equity and accessibility but also further deliver on that promise through every interaction and communication — internally and externally. But many healthcare organizations face a significant barrier to growth, innovation, and equitable experiences. This threat is an invisible yet powerful force that you might not expect: internal culture.
Novo Nordisk Foundation awards DKK 128 million for an innovation platform at Denmark’s university hospitals
Innovation should be a fully integrated part of Denmark’s healthcare system, both in cultural and operational terms, and researchers should find it worthwhile to pursue the development of new methods and solutions for improving patient care. This is the vision for a 5-year pilot project to be run by innovation centers at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen and Aarhus University Hospital and with local innovation employees at Aalborg and Odense University Hospitals. The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a grant of slightly more than DKK 128 million for the project.
Q&A with Denise Bierman
Innovation Council sat down with Denise Bierman, the Founder and CEO of Fontis Organic Skinfood, a premium high performance botanical skinfood brand, to talk about the beginnings of her company and what made it successful.
Unprecedented: The Rapid Innovation Response to COVID-19 and the Role of Intellectual Property
On 26 November the new research report about the role that intellectual property played in the development, manufacturing, and global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics was launched in Geneva. The report was co-authored by Innovation Council’s very own Jennifer Brant, and Prof. Mark Schultz.
The report, along with other materials including an executive summary is available here.
IC Member Techinvention nominated for SME Excellence Awards
Techinvention, a member of the Innovation Council, has been nominated for the SME Excellence Awards by the Indian Chamber of SMEs. The awards were initiated to recognise SMEs for their exceptional contribution and achievements in business and industry.
Powered Up Festival 2021
Streaming throughout October 2021, Powered Up festival features a line-up of live-streamed sessions which aim to inspire innovation, creativity & entrepreneurship through the power of intellectual property (IP). Trade marks, designs, patents, copyright, and other IP rights, help us all to grow, protect and share our ideas, creations and products with the rest of the world.
Organised by Ideas Powered for Creatives, the festival is a mix of panel discussions, keynote speeches and one-to-one interviews, which will showcase some of the most-creative young minds and talked-about companies in Europe.