A Proposal for Structured Development Methodology for Biodevices - Advanced Design and Manufacturing Technologies for Biomedical Devices - page 308

make their laboratories and research centres available to students. In addition,
having the support of sector companies and hospitals to offer internships linked to
fi nal degree or end-of-course projects is also very positive for achieving the teach-
ing aims of this type of course.
Additional aspects on how to promote collaboration between academia and
industry can be found at the forthcoming special issue of the International Journal
of Engineering Education on “Impact of Collaboration Between Academia and
Industry on Engineering Education”, which I am currently editing with the help of
contributions from several universities worldwide, covering teaching methodolo-
gies, case studies linked to blended learning, systematic student grants for industrial
training, impact of spin-offs/start-ups on students learning, project-based learning,

student competitions, win-win strategies and future directions for improvement.

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17.3 Preliminary Studies: The Need for Addressing

and Medical Problem

As mentioned when analysing systematic development methodologies and the spe-
cial considerations for medical devices, it is essential to have a medical need requir-
ing a solution as the main objective. This factor needs bearing in mind from the very
beginning of the “defi ning objectives and planning” stage as well as in the “prelimi-
nary studies”. If there is no such need, it is not logical to start developing a new
product to provide a solution to a non-existent problem or one that is being ade-
quately solved by other methods.
The appearance of new technologies or other materials, which is happening now,
normally arouses tremendous expectation, as to the different fi elds in which these
technologies or materials can be applied. A use obviously needs to be found for this
scientifi c-technical progresses, but on occasions a desire, normally from teams of
engineers, to fi nd an immediate application of a technological advance can lead to
awkward situations or to the offering of solutions to problems, for which there is no
demand either by medical specialists or by society.
When using novel design and manufacturing technologies, together with novel
materials as a basis for the development of medical devices with enhanced capabili-
ties, one should act prudently. A real goal arising from a real medical need should be
pursued and the novel technologies and materials used for this end should be prop-
erly mastered, characterised and tested due to their novel properties and possibilities
they offer. If this is borne in mind and selection is made according to specifi c criteria
in the “conceptual design” stage, the rest of the development process will be a
straighter road, with fewer obstacles, what will lead to a more successful solution.
To ensure that new technological supply meets the existing social and medical
demand, we must once again focus our attention on the importance of encouraging
these issues to be taught on courses at different programmes, even from high school
to centres for professional training and universities.