Accelerator initiative
Accelerating the translation of innovation through Convergence Health & Technology
Convergence Health and Technology represents a unique community where the boundaries between institutions are blurred to create innovative solutions that address the pressing challenges of today and ensure the sustainability of future healthcare. However, a significant hurdle persists in translating academic innovations into real-world applications. Too often, promising projects lose momentum and miss market opportunities due to delays within academic settings.
To address this challenge, in late 2023, Convergence Health and Technology supported four “Accelerator” projects across various fields: radiopharmaceuticals—Alphapace, interventional cardiology—Kingfisher, robotic surgery—Human-Robot Interaction, and microbiome research as a prognostic tool for cancer patients—Can Microbes Converge?. These initiatives aim to accelerate the transition from research to application, ensuring that groundbreaking innovations don’t get lost in the lengthy academic-to-market pipeline.
Spotlight on Accelerator projects
Alphapace
An early-stage spin-off focused on enabling alpha emitting radiopharmaceuticals in the battle against cancer by providing a rapid quality control, enhancing the effectiveness and safety of the medicine.
Kingfisher
A project in interventional cardiology that has paved the way for a startup focused on a groundbreaking stent placement tool, aimed at reducing the risks involved in these critical procedures.
Can Microbes Converge?
The project has identified potential associations between microbial communities and the response to neoadjuvant therapy in cancer patients. These findings bring us closer to developing microbiota compositions as a prognostic tool.
Human-Robot Interaction
This project established a Capture Lab at TU Delft to study the interactions between surgical robots and surgeons. The findings are set to enhance the precision and safety of robotic surgeries at Erasmus MC.
Supporting the future of innovation
The success of these “Accelerator” projects highlights the importance of not only financial backing but also the provision of expertise, business intelligence, and market analysis. Convergence Health and Technology is committed to supporting future innovations with the resources necessary to ensure swift and successful translation into societal impact.
The future of “Accelerator” support will be guided by the needs of our community. We invite initiatives with the potential for rapid societal application to complete the form below, detailing your project and the type of assistance required to accelerate its impact. For further information, feel free to contact Neha Sahasrabudhe, Business developer for Convergence Health and Technology: n.m.sahasrabudhe@tudelft.nl
