CSEM as part of Bern’s Medtech Ecosystem
The Canton of Bern wants to establish itself as a leading medtech innovation hub by 2030. To achieve this, the Insel Group, the University of Bern, and the technology innovation center CSEM combine their expertise and collaborate in the frame of joint research and development projects with the goal to strengthen the competitiveness of local industrial businesses and start-ups.
Shape the future of healthcare and medtech: your collaboration starts here
At CSEM, collaborative innovation is our mission. By participating to initiatives like the Bern Medtech Collaboration Call (BMCC), we push technological boundaries alongside leading partners in Bern’s Medtech Ecosystem. Our expertise spans microtechnologies, medical devices, photonics, semiconductors, energy, and more.
What are the economic objectives?
The financial contributions for 2023-2025, which the Grand Council decided on June 13, 2023, enable the establishment and expansion of the CSEM Medtech department on the Insel Campus.
The CSEM Medtech department is to strengthen cooperation with local and regional companies, support and establish start-up companies, encourage further companies to settle in the Canton of Bern, and intensify cooperation with the medical faculty of the University of Bern and clinical research at the Insel Hospital Bern.
To create
value-added jobs
locally
To promote cooperation with industrial and university partners in the context of innovation projects
To strengthen the national and international profile of Bern as a center of medical research and development
How can you participate?
The Bern Medtech Collaboration Call for project proposals is jointly announced by CSEM SA (CSEM), the University of Bern (UniBE) and Insel Gruppe AG (INSEL) within the framework of the collaboration credit of CHF 5.5 Mio for the years 2023, 2024, and 2025, made available by the Canton of Bern under the Collaboration Agreement of March 21, 2023 between these three organizations.
The main purpose of this call is to exploit the synergies between the medical and clinical expertise of UniBE and INSEL, and the microtechnology and -electronics know-how of CSEM to develop digital health tools, innovative therapies and disruptive new medical devices, thereby strengthening the Canton of Bern as a national medical innovation hub.
List of BMCC projects with participation and coordination by CSEM
Based on the recommendations of medical and clinical experts from the Insel Gruppe and the University of Bern Medical School, as well as technical experts from CSEM, the BMCC Evaluation Committee has approved 24 of the proposals submitted, or 40%:
- ten research projects were launched with the parliamentary resolution mid-2023 as part of the BMCC2023,
- eight projects were approved for the end of 2023 as part of the BMCC2024,
- and a further six projects were approved for the end of November 2024 as part of the BMCC2025.
In 2025, a total of 24 joint research projects will be running with the site partners and CSEM.
BMCC2025 Projects
2504 WEAR_KIDS_SLEEP Wearables as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnea in children. The aim is to test whether the two wearables developed by CSEM, DELTA (smartwatch) and CLIP (chest strap), can also be used in children and infants for the diagnosis and screening of obstructive sleep apnea.
2509 HEROES Holistic ergometer with smart Sensoring (HEROES). The goal is to complement cardiovascular stress imaging with MRI.
2511 USAC-URO-DEVs Ultrasonically activated cilia for non-invasive removal of biofilm from urological implants. Biofilm deposits and calcifications on urological implants such as urinary stents and catheters pose significant challenges as they can lead to blockages and infections.
2512 CBT-HYPO Core body temperature during induced hypothermia in cardiac surgery: verification and neural correlates. The aim of this project is (1) to verify the accuracy of the CBTSENSE forehead and upper arm temperature measurement device and (2) to analyze the brain's response to hypothermia during cardiac surgery.
2514 FemSense Innovative sensor technologies for the creation of female hormone profiles. Female hormones play an important role in a woman's physical and mental health throughout her life. Changes in the level of female hormones not only affect reproductive function, but also various other bodily functions, in particular the regulation of metabolism. Unfortunately, there is currently a lack of reliable technologies for the uncomplicated creation of female hormone profiles (self-measurement or continuous monitoring). The development of innovative sensor technologies by CSEM in collaboration with clinicians and researchers at the Inselspital is intended to close this gap.
2516 CE4MCG Cardiac Electrophysiology and Magnetocardiography. This project aims to develop a novel medical device that integrates magnetocardiography (MCG) and electrocardiography (ECG) to provide a comprehensive view of cardiac electrophysiology.
BMCC2024 Projects
2401 EIT-PAP@ICU Non-invasive measurement of changes in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) in intensive care patients using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). This technology could be used as an alternative to invasive catheterization, thus making patient management safer and more comfortable.
2402 QUESTIONED Impact of quantitative EEG-guided anesthesia titration on postoperative delirium in elderly patients after major surgery. Use of a wireless high-tech electroencephalogram (EEG) solution from CSEM in combination with an intuitive quantitative EEG display.
2405 PCVACMPD Prediction of cardiovascular mortality and all-cause death using techniques based on pulse oximetry data. To determine and compare the performance of various software-based algorithms, trained on signals obtained from nighttime pulse oximetry, to predict cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality in a cohort of patients referred for the diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing.
2419 Swiss2024FeverMonitoring Swiss 2024 fever monitoring study. The study will investigate the effectiveness of continuous fever monitoring using small portable devices (wearables) in pediatric cancer patients during periods of increased susceptibility to infection after chemotherapy. The main objective is to reduce the duration of intravenous antibiotic treatment. A secondary objective is to predict infections by analyzing vital sign patterns using artificial intelligence.
2420 PV-CATH-LUTDs Urinary bladder pressure volume catheter: a new approach to improve the diagnosis and treatment of lower urinary tract disorders. The goal of this project is to improve the quality of life of patients with overactive bladder (OAB), who suffer from persistent urinary urgency and often also from incontinence.
2421 Upistalis Influence of uterine peristalsis on the reproductive process: a prospective pilot study to evaluate the dynamic pattern of uterine activity using electro hysterography and 4d ultrasound in natural versus stimulated in vitro fertilization.
2422 CLAMP AI-based prediction of lung cancer metastases. Development of an AI-based companion diagnostic tool for the early prediction of metastases in NSCLC patients using time-resolved automatic cell localization in artificial micro-blood vessels and genomic characterization of tumor cells.
2424 CIRCLE-Neurotechnology Neurotechnology for controlling epileptic seizures with real-time and closed-loop electrophysiology. Implantable devices with closed-loop interventions have revolutionized medical care in cardiology (defibrillators) and diabetology (insulin pumps) and are currently being developed for Parkinson's disease.
BMCC2023 Projects
2301 DCD4LTOT Feasibility study on the topic of digital companion diagnostics for long-term oxygen therapy.
2302 EIT CLD-PH Electrical impedance tomography for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in chronic lung disease.
2303 ELAINE Fetal monitoring using transabdominal electrocardiogram recording: The aim of the ELAINE pilot project (ELectronic fetAl monitorINg System) is to investigate whether sensors developed by CSEM are able to measure fetal ECG and clearly distinguish it from maternal signals.
2304 ENHEART Research into a heart rate monitor for continuous measurement of cardiac arrhythmias. The aim is to develop a reliable and robust algorithm for detecting and classifying cardiac arrhythmias using an optical signal recorded by photoplethysmography (PPG).
2305 GLEAM Development of a non-invasive methodology for the detection of hypo- and hyperglycemia and measurement of blood sugar using impedance tomography.
2306 HYPOVOICE Voice-based detection of hypoglycemia. Objective: Detection of hypoglycemia in people with diabetes using only speech.
2307 LONGBP Long-term blood pressure monitoring in patients with hypertension and adjusted medication or patients after pregnancy-induced toxicosis. The aim is to measure short- and long-term blood pressure fluctuations using a CSEM-developed sensor based on photoplethysmography (PPG).
2308 ULTEEMNite Long-term EEG during sleep in people with new-onset epilepsy in the second half of life. The ULTEEMNite headband records electrical activity in the brain, enabling the study of the relationship between sleep and epilepsy.
2309 VOCALIZE Change in voice characteristics in patients with gastroesophageal reflux (“acid regurgitation”). Identification of specific changes in voice characteristics. To do this, voice samples were taken from patients with confirmed reflux before and after therapy, as well as from patients without evidence of reflux.
2310 TELEREB Tailoring tele-rehabilitation with wearable devices and biofeedback together with those affected. This study investigates five methods of measuring muscle strength during the rehabilitation of patients with heart and lung diseases. It also develops a personalized feedback algorithm that uses wearable devices to provide patients with real-time feedback on their training, thereby improving rehabilitation progress.
Partnership
