International customer workshop on software innovation in smart health – June 15 and 16, 2022

Request for Expression of Interest

The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) is pleased to invite Canadian small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) to submit an expression of interest to participate in the ITEA international customer workshop on software innovation in smart health. This workshop will take place in Eindhoven, Netherlands on June 15 and 16, 2022.

1. Workshop objective

The purpose of the workshop is to establish relationships with key global customers, end-users and other international firms to help set the stage for potential collaborative projects in the upcoming 2022 ITEA Project outline days event in September 2022.

2. Sector of focus

Software intensive systems and services in smart health.

3. Canadian participant profile

Canadian participants should meet the requirements below in order to participate in this initiative:

• The Canadian applicant must:
  • be an incorporated, profit-oriented small or medium-sized business in Canada
  • have 500 or fewer full-time equivalent employees
  • pursue growth and profit by developing and commercializing innovative, technology-driven new or improved products, services or processes in Canada
  • have a differentiated and protectable technology that could become competitive in global markets
  • have sufficient working capital and resources to undertake a multi-year R&D collaboration and commercialize the results
  • be committed to significant growth through international market expansion

• Preference may be given to SME applicants who:
  • have a minimum of 15 full-time equivalent employees
  • have commercialized 1 or more products domestically or internationally
  • have greater than $2M CAD in annual revenue

Note: Canadian SME applicants must be eligible for funding as NRC IRAP clients before they can be considered for funding through this opportunity. For more information on NRC IRAP eligibility and becoming an NRC IRAP client, please contact NRC IRAP at 1-877-994-4727.

Canadian SME applicants may apply to more than 1 NRC IRAP opportunity simultaneously.  However, NRC IRAP may limit the number of funded projects per applicant. Canadian SME applicants who are applying to more than 1 opportunity or who have ongoing NRC IRAP projects should speak to their NRC IRAP representative for more information.

4. Workshop description

ITEA organizes an annual 2-day international customer workshop to stimulate and generate strong co-innovation project ideas for the ITEA Project outline days event in September. This by invitation only workshop will gather 40-50 participants, including international key customers and end users, ITEA key industrial board members, and innovative small and medium‑sized enterprises. This year's theme is smart health. Participants include: Philips, Atos, Barco, NXP, Esri Canada, and others.

NRC IRAP will select 3 to 5 companies to participate in the workshop.

Potential roundtable topics:

• Telehealth, remote interaction patient/healthcare staff, patient at home monitoring, virtual care
• Hospital optimization: capacity monitoring, management of the resource, more patient centric
• Data exploitation (with a good balance with ethical and privacy concerns)
• Towards systems for digital pathology
• Moving from care to prevention and more personalised health care

5. Background information

ITEA is a transnational and industry-driven research, development and innovation program in the domain of software innovation. ITEA is a Eureka Cluster program that enables a global and knowledgeable community of large industries, small and medium‑sized enterprises, start-ups, academia and customer organizations to collaborate in funded projects that turn innovative ideas into new business, jobs, economic growth and benefits for society. Once a year, ITEA organizes a Project outline days event to broker collaborations and formulate consortia amongst over 300 participants from over 40 countries.

6. Financial support for participants

Canadian SMEs selected for participation will be invited to apply for up to $3,000 for reimbursement of travel and accommodations costs associated with the workshop. Selected participants will be sent instructions and information about this support.

7. How to apply to participate

Interested SMEs must register by clicking the register button below.
An Expression of interest form will be provided to potential eligible applicants. Completed Expression of interest forms must be submitted no later than May 11, 2022.

8. Contacts

For more information, contact the NRC IRAP International Office or Vance Pan.