In partnership with the
10th Internation IEEE EMBS Conference on Neural Engineering, the Frontiers in Neuroscience Journal announces an article collection that will highlight cutting-edge research presented at the 2021 meeting.
Disorders and trauma of the nervous system, either at the central or peripheral level, have a profoundly disabling effect on patients, thus severely affecting their quality of life. Restoring the physiological function of the dysfunctional nervous system is then a primary mission for the scientific and medical community. Given the rapid aging of the population and the increase of diseases affecting the central nervous system, there is a growing demand for biomedical devices for immediate clinical use.
We are referring specifically to medical devices such as: neuroprostheses, exoskeletons, wearable sensors, neuromodulators, neuro-electroceutical devices, brain-machine/computer interfaces, neural bypass, to mention some. Technological advances have the potential to turn devices such as these into effective solutions to the different challenges affecting patients and also represent attractive market opportunities. For example, the market for advanced prostheses and exoskeletons has been valued at $2.11 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $3.82 million by 2024, registering a CAGR of 10.42% between 2019 and 2024 (BIS Research 2019). As of today, many different technologies are under investigation, within projects and initiatives led by both the private (e.g., companies and innovative startups) and public sectors (e.g., universities and research centers, labs, etc.). Some of these technologies and solutions have been successfully tested in controlled settings, including clinical trials, also producing important scientific achievements. Nevertheless, and despite these encouraging developments, there are still many technological, clinical as well as business barriers affecting the successful diffusion in society of devices.
To become of widespread use, a new neurotechnology should meet several criteria, such as effectiveness, usability, acceptance, safety, certification requirements, etc. In addition to technological feasibility (i.e., the device works) and human desirability (i.e., making things people want as opposed to making people want things), there are still regulatory as well as economic barriers, including economic viability, profitability, imitability, and competition and competitive dynamics. To put it differently, to be successfully diffused in society, the new devices and technologies require to be complemented by viable and scalable business models to create, deliver but also capture value in a sustainable way.
The aim of this Research Topic is to synthesize and organize state-of-the-art insights related to different aspects of neurotechnology entrepreneurship, with a specific emphasis on the opportunities, barriers, dynamics, and mechanisms involved in translating neuro-technologies from the lab to the market. We aim at covering both new theoretical concepts as well as case studies, practical examples of good practices, with possible authors coming from universities, companies, startups, researchers, incubators or accelerators, entrepreneurs, founders, funding entities, or experts (e.g., industrial property, design thinking in med-tech, science-entrepreneurship, technology transfer, etc.).
Topics covered belong but are not limited to the following:
• Frameworks and conceptual models for neuro-technologies entrepreneurship and innovation (from lab to market).
• Science and technology assessment and maturity for neurotechnologies.
• New Business and innovation indicators for neuro-technologies (including, e.g., ‘difficulty indexes’).
• Barriers for commercialization (e.g. user acceptance, usability, economic viability, certification requirements, etc.) of specific or classes of neuro-technologies and devices.
• Roadmaps for innovation in neuro-technologies (both specific as well as more general classes of tech and devices).
• Case studies, including history and evolution of the tech idea, short description of the marketable technology (including scientific outcomes, clinical trials, etc.), and insights that could add to our understanding of the nature of the phenomena involved in translating the different neurotechnologies from the lab to the market (e.g., opportunities, barriers, dynamics, and mechanisms).
• University-industry ecosystems and their role in stimulating innovation and science-based entrepreneurship in relationship to neurotechnologies.
• Opportunities and barriers in financing different development stages for the technologies.
• Open challenges and future opportunities.
Type of manuscripts: Original Research, Systematic Review, Review (and mini Review), Perspective, Clinical Trial, Case Report, Brief Research Report.