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On 10th July, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH (Konica Minolta) participated in the final event of the ‘Global Health Challenge’, an initiative of the MedTech OneWorld Student launched by the Center for International Medical Engineering of the Institute of Medical and Polymer Engineering at the Technical University of Munich. Konica Minolta has sponsored the initiative and supported the event as part of the jury.
The Center for International Medical Engineering was founded in 2017. It focuses on the implementation of new medical technology R&D projects for emerging and developing countries. In May 2019, the second MedTech OneWorld Student challenge was launched and more than 30 students participated with several projects including 3D-printed Surgical Tools, Automated Infusion Control, First Aid Scooter, Colposcopy for developing regions, Life Cycle Development of Medical Devices and Low-cost Oxygen Concentrators. The ultimate goal is to develop prototypes that can be low-cost, locally produced products in developing countries.
Four of these prototypes were presented in the final pitch round, in front of a jury in which Konica Minolta was represented by Marie Piraud, Digital Healthcare Research Specialist in the Konica Minolta Global R&D laboratory in Munich. The team ‘Automated Infusion Control’ won the challenge, with a very simple drop counter device that can save precious time for the nurses of developing countries. They won a place in the next MedTech BootCamp organised by the UnternehmerTUM, the Center for innovation and business creation at TUM, to further develop and refine their project.
Building upon a constantly growing network, which includes local Universities (Addis Ababa University), vocational training colleges (Tegbareid Polytechnic College Addis Ababa), regulatory bodies (EFDA – Ethiopian Food and Drug Administration) and local companies, as well as German and international companies, MedTech
OneWorld focuses on the creation of medical technology for developing and emerging countries. The developments include sufficient functionality, local production and maintaining an affordable price level without the need for external support. This approach ensures knowledge sharing allowing local maintenance and creation of spare parts.
Med Tech One World: https://medtechoneworldstudents.wordpress.com/
Center for International Medical Engineering: https://www.medtech.mw.tum.de/en/medtech-oneworld/
About Konica Minolta Global R&D
Since its establishment in 1873, Konica Minolta has a long history of innovation. Konica Minolta Global R&D is a worldwide, connected and adaptable team, operating across research laboratories and development groups in Japan, Europe and United States. The team has the singular objective to anticipate ever-changing market requirements in order to empower existing and future customers with AI and IoT platforms that include hybrid cloud computing, data-centric applications and assistive services.
Dedicated to supporting Konica Minolta’s evolution into a leading edge solutions provider of platforms, Global R&D creates end-to-end pipelines for innovation in the contexts of digital workplaces, Industry 4.0 and digital healthcare. From concept design, through research, agile development and testing, to initial stages of productisation – Konica Minolta Global R&D drives an iterative process starting from customers’ understanding and targeting the creation of meaningful values for people and society.
https://research.konicaminolta.com
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About Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe GmbH, based in Langenhagen, Germany, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Inc., Tokyo, Japan. With its unique expertise in imaging, data processing and data-based decision making, Konica Minolta creates relevant solutions for its customers - small and medium-sized businesses, large enterprises and public sector - and solves issues faced by society.
As a digital workplace solution provider, Konica Minolta helps its clients to identify and unlock the potential digitalisation holds and reach the next level in the digital maturity of their organisation by rethinking the workplace. In support of an ‘Intelligent connected workplace’, Konica Minolta offers cloud, IT, managed print and video solution services for remote working, collaboration, workflow management and automation and security. The company’s success in driving transformation is also confirmed by IDC, since the ‘IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Print Transformation 2023 Vendor Assessment’ has named Konica Minolta a “Leader” in print transformation. Konica Minolta has been a Microsoft Global Managed Partner since 2021.
Konica Minolta's Igniting Print Possibilities offering helps printers, converters and brand owners maximise workflow automation to increase efficiency. The company delivers consultancy in all communication matters as well as top-of-the-line production, packaging as well as label printers. Its finishing devices create print products that stand out and create added value. Konica Minolta has established itself as the production printing market leader for more than a decade in Europe (InfoSource).
For an increasing number of organisations, success today is more than the narrow definition of financial prosperity – it also includes protecting the environment and having a positive impact on their workforce as well as the societies they are embedded in. With its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Konica Minolta has pledged to consistently pursue its sustainability and social responsibility goals.
The company has been repeatedly recognised for its rich history of social contribution as well as for working towards achieving the SDGs throughout its business and supply chain. Konica Minolta received a GOLD Level Recognition Medal in the EcoVadis sustainability ratings for 2023.
For its remote services, Konica Minolta was awarded the prestigious ‘Buyers Lab (BLI) 2023-2024 Pacesetter Award in Remote Service for the Western European market’ from Keypoint Intelligence.
Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe is represented by subsidiaries and distributors in more than 80 countries in Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa. With more than 8,700 employees (as of April 2023), Konica Minolta Europe earned net sales of over EUR 2.26 billion in financial year 2022/2023.
Worldwide, the company has over 39,000 employees and is operating in over 150 countries.
For more information, please visit https://www.konicaminolta.eu/eu-en/news and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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