Cluster for Health and MedTech Visits MedTech Hotspots in Minnesota!
Our Health and MedTech Cluster visited the Mayo Clinic, the University of Minnesota, MedTech companies, and political representatives in Minnesota to intensify transatlantic cooperation!
Minnesota is the Health and MedTech hotspot in the USA. Our TECH.LAND delegation spent exciting days at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, and the BAKKEN Medical Devices Center at the University of Minnesota.
The focus of the visit: Find concrete fields of collaboration on common Health and MedTech challenges over the next five months! And that is just what we did!
“There was one of those special moments when everything fits together - the ideas, the people working on these ideas, and a very powerful ecosystem,” said Carsten Schröder, Vice President of the University of Applied Sciences Münster (FH Münster). And Carsten Schröder knows what he is talking about because for seven yearsthe FH Münster has been working with the University of Minnesota on Energy and Circular Economy projects. Christof Wetter and Sabine Engel are the leading figures behind this success story.
The special moments were triggered by the University Clinic of Münster and the University of Twente, which presented their approaches to new MedTech solutions and 3D printing. A few moments of silence were enough to understand that this is the right fit on both sides of the Atlantic.
But it wasn’t just a visit between universities. The delegation was led by the mayor of the City of Münster, Markus Lewe, and included innovative MedTech companies like InnoCoding, UseLab, and IG&H Consulting, as well as the Chamber of Commerce North Westphalia and the Business Development Agency from Münster, which organized the triple-helix trip for the TECH.LAND delegation. Thank you, Elke Wirtz and Enno Fuchs, for your herculean efforts -- great job!
The trip also had a political and economic dimension, including visits with Commissioner Senjem and Senator Hoffman at the Minnesota Capitol, and meetings with the GACC Minnesota (AHK Chicago), the Department of Employment and Economic Development , and the Minnesota Trade Office. At the Department of Employment and Economic Development office, the delegation met with Medical Alley, the Minnesota Trade Office, Imricor, and Starkey to discuss common business opportunities. It was a very fruitful exchange.
The final event was a meeting with Dr. Harvey Charles to talk about the next steps in university and TECH.LAND cooperation. It was also a very energizing conversation with concrete results! An awesome time! Thank you very much to the whole TECH.LAND, Minnesota, and GACC teams! A very productive and unforgettable time!
Also thank you to Provost Rachel Croson, Kimberly Kirkpatrick, Arthur Erdman, Paul Rotheilwer for welcoming us!