Catalyst Europe 2021

May 4th - November 18th

Join as an individual

Sessions every Tuesday from 3 pm to 6 pm CET (online format).

Workload of 15 hours/week with flexible schedule format.

 An online 3-week Clinical Immersion and three virtual Intensification weeks (organized by program partners in Debrecen, Erlangen, Luxembourg, Madrid, and Boston).

You will form teams organically throughout the program. You are open to work in multiple teams.

 Compensated effort.

Leave with a high-impact and novel research project

Do you want to boost your career as a biomedical innovator by learning and using the MIT Catalyst framework for translational biomedical research?

Do you want to be involved in new and exciting projects addressing real needs in medicine? If you are a PhD student, Postdoc, researcher in a company or academia, or a clinician interested in healthcare innovation, then join Catalyst Europe!

Over a 6-month period, you, along with a diverse group of talented individuals across Europe, will spend an average of half-time compensated effort (it is, without leaving your current jobs and projects) to identify unmet medical needs, brainstorm and evaluate potential solutions and plan research project proposals. Several weeks are also spent in a focused online Clinical Immersion and Intensifications to interact with clinical experts and other stakeholders to advance your projects. At the end of the program, projects with demonstrated potential for impact may establish longer-term efforts with key stakeholders.

The Process

As a Fellow, you will identify and validate unmet medical needs, explore and evaluate potential solutions, and plan research project proposals, guided by Faculty – experts from academic, commercial and clinical backgrounds. You’ll start a journey of innovation for healthcare impact.

Identify compelling unmet medical needs around the proposed Focus Areas.​

Devise a set of possible new solutions. Meet with key stakeholders to ensure that the solutions are practical and appropriate.

Narrow down to the most promising solutions and plan research project opportunities.​

4. Transition to Research Execution Plan

Explore collaborations and further funding opportunities for those projects with greatest potential for impact.

Focus Areas

You will work through the Catalyst process to find solutions that improve patient outcomes by addressing the following high priority Focus Areas.

New technology to
improve diagnosis, therapy,
imaging or surgery

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New technology to improve diagnosis, therapy, imaging or surgery

How can we use advances in precision medicine, data science, and new science & technologies to improve diagnosis, risk prediction, medical therapies, imaging and surgical methods?

How can we provide alternative or enhanced diagnostic capabilities that would improve outcomes?

How can we leverage existing, emerging, or new technologies to improve the efficacy and/or reduce complications in clinical care?

How can biomedical imaging / image processing to help clinicians and physicians better detect, diagnose, and prevent health conditions as well as guide surgery?

How can we improve treatment monitoring and better predict the behavior and outcome of treatments?

How can we devise enhanced computational tools to drive actionable insight from patient data and medical records?

Access to
Healthcare Services

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Access to
Healthcare Services

How can we enable equitable and effective access to healthcare services?

Underserved populations experience access challenges due to factors ranging from income level, transportation challenges, lack of cultural relevance, urban/rural considerations, or anxiety about the consequences of seeking care. As illustrated by COVID-19, pandemics have simultaneously exacerbated healthcare access while creating opportunities for innovation.

How can we leverage novel technologies, new models or methods to better align healthcare services with the needs of underserved patients?

What are the opportunities to better plan and manage our public health response to pandemics outbreaks?

How can we improve access to continuing care and monitoring of conditions for people at home?

How can we improve support for patients with specific needs such as elderly patients or dementia patients and their caregivers?

The Program

May 4th - November 18th

As a Fellow, you will join Catalyst Europe to discover opportunities for research with high translational and impact potential, and prepare yourself to execute new research projects.

Proof of Need

Starts on May 4th

Identify, evaluate, and document unmet medical needs. Visit laboratories, talk with clinicians and explore the literature to create problem and need statements.

Clinical Immersion

May 11th - 28th, Madrid (Spain)

Observe the day-to-day life of clinicians, nurses, patients, and other individuals involved in a hospital. Discover needs. Interview key stakeholders. (Run partially online, partially in-person in Madrid.)

Proof of Need presentations to a panel of experts for progress review.

Clinical Immersion

May 11th - 28th, Madrid (Spain)

Observe the day-to-day life of clinicians, nurses, patients, and other individuals involved in a hospital. Discover needs. Interview key stakeholders. (Run partially online, partially in-person in Madrid.)

Proof of Opportunity

Identify and evaluate opportunities (need & solution idea). Work in teams for an in-depth analysis. Develop and document your opportunity.

Intensification in Erlangen

July 12th - 15th, Erlangen (Germany)

Proof of opportunity development. Workshops and in-person meetings & interactions with local experts.

3-weeks break
July 28th - Aug 22nd

Proof of Opportunity presentations to a panel of experts for progress review.

Intensification in Erlangen

July 12th - 15th, Erlangen (Germany)

Proof of opportunity development. Workshops and in-person meetings & interactions with local experts.

Proof of Opportunity presentations to a panel of experts for progress review.

Project Proposal

Develop a plan to launch a research project which outlines the milestones in a 12-18 month time frame.

Intensification in Boston

Sept 27th - 30th, Boston (US)

Project Proposal development. Workshops and in-person meetings & interactions with local experts.

Project Proposal presentations to a panel of experts for final assessment.

Intensification in Boston

Sept 27th - 30th, Boston (US)

Project Proposal development. Workshops and in-person meetings & interactions with local experts.

Transition to Research Execution Plan

Ends on Nov 18th

Conclude the program with a portfolio of validated research opportunities, with real opportunity to transition to project execution —including exploration of funding and commercialization opportunities.

Intensification in Debrecen

November 15th - 18th, Debrecen (Hungary)

Research Project Plan assessment, workshops and in-person meetings & interactions with local experts, mentoring for transition to Project Execution. Closing ceremony.

After the Program

What happens next?

As a graduated Fellow, you will explore collaborations with Catalyst Europe partners and other European institutions to cooperatively execute these research projects. You will also apply for competitive research grants to raise the funds required to develop the need-driven research projects.

All this process will be mentored by Catalyst Europe Faculty, who will continue helping you in your path of making an impact in human healthcare!

An EIT Health Education program

Corporate Champion

Program Partners