Implement solutions for unmet medical needs
Link technology R&D with innovations in patient care
Hospitals

Neurotechnology is a revolutionary field that promises to relieve the unrelenting burden of brain diseases on patients and our healthcare system. The population is aging, and not only will the percentage of chronic brain diseases increase, but also those of vision and hearing. In 2019 there were an estimated 50,000 people in the Netherlands with Parkinson’s disease, 250,000 people who had suffered a stroke, and 300,000 people with impaired vision, and the combined economic burden from these 3 groups alone has reached 5 billion euros.

NeuroTech-NL establishes a program that connects the development of technology platforms with direct interfaces with the brain and nervous system, creating major breakthroughs for patients involving 21st century solutions that allow for stimulation and recordings in healthy as well as pathological neural tissue. The multidisciplinary co-development between clinical aims and technological innovations creates cross-pollination between applications: the results from solutions for one patient group can be leveraged to any other disease area that requires both “reading” and “writing” in the brain.

Provide the best interfaces with the brain
Lead on patient treatment and diagnostics

Our moonshots relate to bypassing dysfunctional neural systems to directly modulate the brain using smart, biocompatible materials, brain-computer interfaces, and artificial intelligence – personalizing the treatment, as well as providing information for improved diagnostics and deeper understanding of human brain signals. NeuroTech-NL is hoping to develop non-invasive technologies in the future, but to have the most direct benefit to patients currently, our focus is on hardware and software innovations for minimally invasive implants that are not yet mainstream.

Pioneer new technology

Our success is built on collaborations between researchers and engineers – who develop an idea, and industry who scales it and brings to societal use: but the critical link are the health care professionals who evaluate its utility, efficacy and safety, and fine-tune its initial concept to implement it in practice. Clinical trials, from proof of concept to market entry of a medical device are part of our roadmap.

Shape the innovations

Who are we helping? Innovations need to provide a match between an idea and a need. Input from clinicians, care providers, support staff, and patients provide the perspective of an end user, and the necessary ethical questions. Links from a research idea, new scientific knowledge, or a creative invention to the benefits for patients or health care providers are only done via insights from the healthcare environment. This is innovation. In reverse, new moonshots are defined from the unmet needs of a patient or healthcare provider, producing a point on the horizon to navigate towards.