Arundhati Parmar

Today, we are launching our 3rd annual Dare-to-Dream Medtech Design Challenge, a contest of bold ideas and limitless possibilities.

For the uninitiated, the concept of this innovation contest is simple: if financing isn't an issue, regulatory hurdles are absent and reimbursement guaranteed, what dream medical device would you design?

The grand-prize winner gets $500, while the first and second runners-up will receive $250 and $100 respectively.

To enter, please answer four questions with a maximum, total word count of 400 words describing the details of your submission. Along with the written entry, please submit a good-quality rendering or image of the device you are dreaming up.

Six judges will score submissions of the10 finalists chosen by MD+DI editors based on the following criteria:

Here are the official rules of the competition, which highlight entrance criteria - for instance, the contest is open to only those based in United States or Canada. The deadline for submission is Sept. 1/Sep.3

Here are our judges: 

Bill Evans
Evans is founder and president of product design firm Bridge Design in San Francisco, which for more than 20 years has helped design products for the medical and life science industries. Evans is also a member of MD+DI's editorial advisory board.

 Emily Gilles
Gilles is technology development manager at Mayo Clinic Ventures in Rochester, MN. In this role she identifies, develops, and facilitates the commercialization of technologies from Mayo's cardiovascular division and the department of surgery for commercialization opportunities. 

Wende Hutton
Hutton is a general partner at Canaan Partners, a venture capital firm in Menlo Park, CA. She has facilitated bringing more than a dozen medical devices and drugs to market. She sits on the board of several firms, including ReVision Optics, Butterfly Health, and Transcend Medical.

Dr. Paul Iaizzo
Iaizzo is a professor in the departments of surgery, integrative biology, and physiology, and the Carlson School of Management, and is on the graduate faculties in biomedical engineering, neuroscience, integrative biology and physiology, biological science, and mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota. He is in Minneapolis. Additionally, Iaizzo serves as the director for education of the Lillehei Heart Institute and associate director for the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, also at the University of Minnesota.

V. Kadir Kadhiresan
Kadhiresan is principal in venture investments at Johnson & Johnson Development Corp. and is based in Boston. His interests are mainly in medical devices and diagnostics. Previously, he was director of business development at Guidant, which was later acquired by Boston Scientific. 

 Dr. Stephanie Kreml
Dr. Stephanie Kreml's is principal at Popper and Company, and she develops business strategy and provides guidance to accelerate product development activities for medical device companies, and she performs diligence for investors. Dr. Kreml continues to practice as a staff physician part-time in urgent care. Dr. Kreml is also a member of MD+DI's editorial advisory board.

Good luck to all, and may the best dreamer win. To enter, please either click here or fill out the form below.

-- By Arundhati Parmar, Senior Editor, MD+DI

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