Development of a Specific Training on Additive Manufacturing Technologies for Hospitals. Erasmus Project

Project Title

Development of a Specific Training on Additive Manufacturing Technologies for Hospitals.

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); Health and wellbeing; Recognition, transparency, certification

Project Summary

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is proving to be a disruptive enabling technology with a huge potential to be applied in the Health Sector (HS) . If there was still any doubt, the current situation with COVID19 has shown the potential, flexibility and agility of this technology to answer critical situations (1).
Then why has not been globally integrated in hospitals? There are recognised barriers to the integration of AM in HS, one of them being the lack of knowledge and skills on the use of technology and the related organizational models (2).
ALADDIN aims to contribute to this integration by developing a specific training programme on AM in Hospitals (as health cornerstones they will have a multiplying effect in the whole HS) for two key players identified in the European value chain on AM medical devices (3):
– health professionals working in hospitals (doctors, surgeons, biotechnologists, …)
– engineering students for their future incorporation into the health sector.
It will have the next specific objectives:
– Develop an innovative training on AM in Hospitals. (First version m12 final version m24).
– Assess the training programme, the materials and the contents developed through pilot training courses.
– Disseminate project results to the main stakeholders at European Level. It is estimated to reach 5000 stakeholders (see Follow-up section for more information).
– Exploit project results after the end of the project.
The execution of the Project will be structured according to:
1. Development of Training Methodology and the Teaching guide.
2. Development of Training Contents.
3. Development of the E-learning Platform.
4. Pilot Training activities.
Consortium is composed by 6 members with complementary capacities and in charge of different project activities.
– AIMPLAS, the Technological Institute of Plastics with more than 500 associated companies. They have participated in more than 100 EU projects (FP5, FP6, FP7, LIFE+, EcoInnova. & H2020). AIMPLAS will coordinate the project and will be in charge of the Development of the Training Contents.
– Jobs@skills (Belgium) is an incubator of high level innovative lifelong-learning training programs located in Belgium. They gather local universities, higher education schools and local public training centers around strategic and innovative training topics. Very much active in “New ways of learning”, with lot of expertise, methodologies and top level equipments to produce Digital learning and Hybrid learning products such as MOOCS, SPOCS, Webinars, Virtual classrooms, Gamification. They will be in charge of the Development of the Training Methodology.
– The Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre is part of the AMRC Group, a cluster of world-class centres for industry-focused research and development of technologies used in high-value manufacturing sectors. It has a global reputation and has become a model for collaborative research involving universities, academics and industry, worldwide. AMRC will be in charge of the Development of the Eplatform.
– ITEMAS aims to promote innovation in medical technology as an essential tool in making the Spanish National Health System more sustainable. The core of the ITEMAS comprises the innovation units of 30 large hospitals, in addition to the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality and the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC). They will be in charge of the Validation Actions as well as of the quality assurance of the project.
– NUI Galway representing the Translational Medical Device Lab & Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI). Partnership of clinical and academic centres. HIHI works directly with 23 public hospitals in Ireland.. HIHI will be in charge of the Exploitation and Sustainability activities of the project.
– The European Hospital and Healthcare Federation (HOPE) is a European non-profit association that includes national hospital associations or representatives from national hospital owners’ organisations of the 27 Member States of the European Union. HOPE members cover almost 80% of hospital activity in the EU. They will be in charge of Communication Activities.
The main results of the project will be the Training on AM for health professionals working in hospitals and engineering students for their future incorporation into the health sector, which will have an impact at long term by allowing HS to get the most of AM technology so it will on one side contribute to increase the quality of the Healthcare system and on the other increase the competitivity of the AM Industry.
(1) https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/eu-industry-touts-3d-printing-as-immediate-solution-to-covid-19-shortages/
(2) The future of Health Care. Potential impacts and models of 3D printing in the Health Care sector. Deloitte 2018
(3) https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/kets-tools/sites/default/files/documents/analytical_report_nr6_3d_printed_medical_devices_fina

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 222410 Eur

Project Coordinator

AIMPLAS – ASOCIACION DE INVESTIGACION DE MATERIALES PLASTICOS Y CONEXAS & Country: ES

Project Partners

• THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
• FUNDACION INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION MARQUES DE VALDECILLA
• FEDERATION EUROPEENNE DES HOPITAUX ET DES SOINS DE SANTE
• NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND GALWAY
• SCES JOBS@SKILLS