Take your innovative idea to the next stage
12 March 2018

Whether you are a surgeon with disruptive ideas for advancing patient care, or an experienced inventor looking to address clinical problems that have not yet been resolved, you will want to answer the AO Development Incubator’s (AODI) third call for proposals. The third call for proposals opens on March 12, 2018 and closes on May 3, 2018.
As part of the AO Foundation’s innovation engine, the AO Development Incubator provides support for selected inventors to build and execute their projects toward a proof of concept and valorization, with the AO Foundation and the inventor sharing project development and generated value.
Inventors are encouraged to bring their ideas, concepts, patent applications and research to the AO Development Incubator, which supports approved projects by working with the inventor to secure intellectual property, pursue proof of concept and develop valorization plans over one to five years.
The AO Development Incubator looks for innovations promoting excellence in the treatment of trauma and musculoskeletal disorders. Among the proposals submitted during the first two calls in 2017 were a wide range of inventions, from surgical instruments and implants, digital solutions to 3D printing projects.
"This call for proposals is an exciting opportunity for young surgeons with innovative ideas"
Prof Dr Michael Schütz, AO Development IncubatorB Chair
Schütz added that “We only have a few guidelines for applicants: concepts should be patent protected or not yet published. After we receive all proposals, we screen them according to our guidelines, narrow the pool down to those that meet our requirements, and create our first shortlist.”
Proposals are considered by the AO Development Incubator’s board of experts, including representatives from the worlds of trauma and musculoskeletal treatment as well as industry.
Distinct benefits for shortlisted projects
Inventors that are shortlisted by the AO Development Incubator are asked to sign confidentiality agreements and are invited to present their projects to the AO Development Incubator board in confidential, face-to-face roundtable sessions—an opportunity that offers distinct benefits, even for those projects not ultimately chosen for AO Development Incubator support.Applicants whose projects are approved are assigned a mentor and milestones are spelled out, Schütz says.
“We hope that, when feasible and depending on the inventors’ requirements, ongoing steps should be done with the AO Research Institute to use our own infrastructure,” he says. “We do expect milestones to be met, and projects’ progress is measured against the milestone dates set out after approval.”
Ultimately, Schütz explains, the AO DI is an opportunity for inventors to take critical steps toward applying their ideas to advance patient care. A next step after incubation with AO DI could be, for example, AO Invest , which invests in start-ups that can make a significant contribution to advancing patient care through innovative medical products and services applied in orthopedic and trauma surgery.
"Our AO network of surgeons—the largest in the world—is invaluable to inventors because it can play an important role in whether innovations become accepted and successful."
Prof Dr Michael Schütz, AO Development IncubatorB Chair
Expanding the AO’s innovation potential
“The bottom line is, we would like to care for the injured patient. From its founding 60 years ago, the AO Foundation has done this by standardizing operating procedures and making them easier to apply with technologies. Throughout our history, most of our ideas have come from our network of surgeons and researchers,” he says. The AO Development Incubator expands the AO’s innovation potential by opening up support to the world and beyond the internal fixation devices for which the AO Foundation and its primary industrial partner have become so highly respected.“Our AO network of surgeons—the largest in the world—is invaluable to inventors because it can play an important role in whether innovations become accepted and successful,” says Schütz.
More information can be found on the AO Development Incubator website including details about the application process and guidelines.