SymbIASIS workshop on intellectual property of healthcare startups products & services

An online workshop, "From Idea to the Health Market: Protection of Intellectual Property, European Certification and maturation of technological solutions", organised by the National Documentation Centre (EKT) and the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship ‘Archimedes’ of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, as part of the SymbIASIS programme, was held on Monday 25 September 2023.

The purpose of the event was to inform startups participating in SymbIASIS and other interested parties on issues of protection and registration of Intellectual Property (IP) rights, on issues of CE marking certification of products and issues of services aimed at the technological maturation of solutions.

The event featured experts on IP protection and registration, product certification, etc. Those speaking included Dr. Nikos Minas, European Patent Attorney, Coolroe Consulting, Dublin, Dr. Yiannis Dimitrakopoulos, Head of Technology Transfer Office at Archimedes Center NKUA, Konstantinos Konstantellos, LL.M. Lawyer, Sioufas & Associates Law Firm and Kostas Karamanis, Digital Health Transformation at FORTH and SmartHealth EDIH.

Representatives of the startups were then free to put questions to the speakers and clarify any queries on specialised issues related to the protection of intellectual property in the health sector.

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Yiannis Dimitrakopoulos, Head of Technology Transfer Office at the Archimedes Centre NKUA. The event took place online.

For more information, please contact George Megas, coordinator of the EIT Health Hub in Greece, tel. 2102204921, megas@ekt.gr, and Marios Roidis, EIT Health HUB/ Enterprise Europe Network Hellas Innovation Consultant, tel. 2102204924, mroidis@ekt.gr.

The project SymbIASIS

The SymbIASIS acceleration programme connects hospitals and start-ups, aiming at the development of innovative products and services. The pioneering programme for Greek standards began in 2022. It is implemented by EIT Health and coordinated by the National Documentation Centre (EKT) in collaboration with the Archimedes Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The initial expectation was that in the first year of the project, the dialogue and capacity building of the startups and ambassadors would be initiated in order to increase their readiness to set up pilot projects and to immediately launch four pre-pilot projects. However, SymbIASIS has far exceeded the initial objectives and has established itself as the first accelerator for health startups in Greece.

SymbIASIS now includes 15 hospitals and clinics and 50 of the most dynamic startups operating in the health sector in Greece and Cyprus.

About EIT Health

EIT Health is one of Europe's largest networks for innovation in health. It consists of 280 partners including leading companies, universities, research and development centres, hospitals and institutes. Its role is to build an ecosystem that enables the future development of healthcare, offering European citizens better health and longevity. EIT Health upgrades the skills of health professionals, invests in the best talent and facilitates the commercialisation of innovative products/solutions within the EU. It is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. For more information, please visit: www.eithealth.eu.

The National Documentation Centre (EKT) is EIT Health's hub in Greece and coordinator of the pioneering SymbIASIS programme. Since 2017, it has been giving Greek start-ups the opportunity to participate in programmes, and receive funding, high-level training, consulting services and networking opportunities in the health sector.