Exploitation
Exploitation activities address the prospects and opportunities for the commercialisation of the project platform and its post‐project sustainability. An important criterion for measuring the success of the project is effective conversion of its research outputs into technical products with market capabilities. Exploitation and commercialization of results will be the joint responsibility of LiU (project Exploitation Manager) and the commercial entities involved (AAE, LinkoCare, OPMEDT, Novaliq), in consultation with the External Advisory Board. In the end of the third year (M36), deliverable D8.6 Market analysis and final business plan will summarize the exploitation activities performed in the project and its exploitable outcomes.
The technological partners of the project consortium and the External Advisory Board have a proven track record in bringing innovative technology and services to the market. Several products are already sold by the SME partners, for example, AAE markets the ologen® Collagen Matrix, an implantable biodegradable scaffold for supporting tissue repair processes in the eye. Novaliq markets NovaTears®, the company’s first ophthalmic product which received the CE Mark in July 2013, and is an eye drop applied to the cornea for the relief of dry eye symptoms. OPMEDT markets the intraoperative OCT (iOCT) which is CE‐marked and distributed by Haag‐Streit Surgical GmbH, a large international medical device distributor. Thus the product development, approval, and marketing systems are in place to ensure rapid translation of project results to the next stage in the path to market. Moreover, the External Advisory Board members, investors, and Boards of Directors of companies in the consortium can be called upon for additional support in establishing networks and channels for expediting the path to market.
Several exploitation activities are on going in parallel of which few are listed below:
- A fish-scale derived artificial cornea as an alternative for human donor corneal tissue (AAE, UKK),
- New medical device for corneal surgical implantation (LinkoCare, LiU),
- New carrier membrane material for endothelial cell culture (LinkoCare, NIIOS),
- New therapeutic compound promoting functional nerve regeneration (UMH),
- Non invasive in vivo imaging of corneal lymphatic vessels transferred to humans (UKK, OPMedT, MLL),
- Etc.
A short information about the artificial cornea developed by the AAE partner in collaboration with the UKK partner is presented below: