Adusei says that IAMTC will provide industry-driven, professional development and training courses to meet the needs of the consultants and the industry as a whole.

Several medtech professionals have banded together to create the International Association for Medical Technology Consultants (IAMTC), thought to be the first international group for medtech consultants. The organizers are not only aiming for a seat at policy discussion tables, but also hoping to maintain the quality of services offered by professional consultants.

“There is no association representing and serving the community of professional medical technology consultants on national and international platforms to make our voices heard on issues in the healthcare and medtech industries such as legislations, regulations, drafts of directives, and guidance documents,” says Gabriel Adusei, one of the founders.

High on IAMTC’s list of goals (see the sidebar, “Goals for IAMTC”) is the development of an accreditation scheme for consultants. Adusei says that currently, consulting firms with high-quality services and a competent team can only rely on testimonials from past projects. But in an era of increasingly rapid change in customers’ expectations, technology, and the regulatory landscape, continuous professional development and improvement is needed.

“One cannot rely on past glories alone but a combination of up-to-date knowledge and performance-enhancing strategies since different projects may have different goals,” he says. IAMTC’s creation was spurred by data gathered over a five-year period via face-to-face interviews and surveys distributed at various international conferences and exhibitions. Professionals in areas such as regulatory affairs, design and development, clinical research, manufacturing, and legal consultation were polled. The results indicated that consultants, whether working for a firm, independent, or freelance, were not represented in their respective industries
 

In addition, although large consulting firms “may be well-advertised, [some] medium and smaller consulting companies are struggling to attract clients as a result of lack of media resources.” To that end, IAMTC aims to attend all major medtech conferences and exhibitions worldwide to represent its members. The organization is scheduled to hold its own conference in London in September 2010.

For more information about IAMTC, visit www.iamtc.org.