23 February, 2026
Twenty-one innovation projects and nearly DKK 20 million. In early February, MedTech Odense invited all 2025 grant recipients to a kick-off meeting. The atmosphere was marked by curiosity, engagement, and a shared desire to make a difference in the healthcare system.
The day featured a series of inspiring talks from some of the key players behind MedTech Odense: SDU RIO’s commercialisation team and the three OUH/SDU innovation centres CAI-X, CCR, and CIMT. The focus was on how projects can be supported on their journey from idea to clinic to market. There was also ample opportunity for networking and dialogue across disciplines and projects – all with the aim of strengthening collaboration within the emerging MedTech Odense ecosystem.
Needs-driven healthcare technology with growth potential
In her welcome address, Grant Program Manager Christina Udesen from MedTech Odense emphasised that commercialisation is about moving from one’s own drawing board to implementation and scaling beyond one’s own department or hospital.
- That is the ambition we have with MedTech Odense and our grant programmes, she stated.
By the end of 2025, MedTech Odense had awarded nearly DKK 20 million in total to 20 research and innovation projects and one pioneer project. These grants are intended to help drive innovation in healthcare and create value for patients, staff, and treatments, when clinical needs meet cutting-edge research.
You have to go out and do it together – across clinical practice and research. That is where we can create something meaningful: strong teams with diverse disciplines, knowledge, and competencies.
Peter Børker, Coordinator at MedTech Odense
Strong, interdisciplinary teams create successful medtech startups
One of the key themes of the day’s kick-off was therefore how to successfully bring new ideas to fruition. The statistics speak for themselves: 80 per cent of medtech startups shut down within the first five years. A few key recommendations for avoiding the classic pitfalls included getting a handle on regulatory requirements early on, keeping the clinical need in focus throughout the process, and assembling the right team – across disciplines. This exact approach was a built-in requirement in the two calls from MedTech Odense. As MedTech Odense Coordinator Peter Børker put it:
- You need to go out and do it together – across clinical practice and research. That is where we can create something meaningful. Strong teams with diverse disciplines, knowledge, and competencies.
Know your innovation journey and get off to the right start
With the introduction of the GAITS® model, participants were given a concrete tool to navigate their innovation journey – from identifying the clinical need to exploring the potential for scaling.
- You need to be able to answer why you are actually doing this, what added value it creates for end users, and who will pay for the product, was the message.
Regulatory considerations were once again put under the microscope by MedTech Odense to ensure they do not become a barrier to innovation. The message was clear: Do the right thing in the right way. Document it from the beginning. And think business from day one. In a presentation by the regulatory specialists from TECQAN, the closing remarks were:
- The place where you will sell your product is out in the world. Denmark is excellent for test environments. It is truly unique that the university and hospital are located side by side, as they are here in Odense. But the market is international, so get compliance and ethics right from the start – and you will have access to a vast market.
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A cohort is taking shape
The strong curiosity and interest in each other’s projects bodes well for the next phase, when the grant recipients meet again. The kick-off meeting was the first in a series of ongoing network meetings, where strong partnerships and knowledge sharing will be key to realising the projects’ potential and the shared goal of creating future patient care through new healthcare technologies.
In 2026, MedTech Odense has allocated an additional DKK 20 million to further boost the field. Calls will open later in the year and can be applied for by employees in the Region of Southern Denmark and at the University of Southern Denmark.