The Roadmap is a tool for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and other companies who wish to enter the Danish or German healthcare market with their innovative product(s). It is notoriously difficult to access the Danish and German markets for healthcare products with new technological solutions and it is especially hard for SMEs that do not possess the necessary knowledge and market insight to enter the healthcare industry.
How to use the Roadmap?
The content of the Roadmap is centered on the three most common barriers to entering these markets as identified in a stakeholder analysis from 2019.
The Roadmap addresses each of these barriers and gives helpful information about the Danish and German markets as well as tips to succeed in entering these markets. Use the links in the interactive Roadmap to navigate directly to a specific topic or scroll down to start reading.
How to use the Roadmap?
Access & Acceleration - Roadmap to market (developed by CIMT, MMMI and UKSH)
1. How to comply with the European legislation?
In the section below the new medical device regulation is shortly described and we will provide you with information and tools that will help your company to solve the challenges:
Understand and get an overview of the MDR/IVDR
Share and get knowledge
Get contacts for clinical investigation/collaboration
Getting access to a notified body
Note: Scroll the mouse over actions (bullet points) to see related links.
Note: Click on actions (bullet points) to see related links.
Exchange experience with companies from your own network
Register in cluster organisations
Participate in a knowledge exchange through networking
Organise workshops for knowledge exchange
Appoint an adviser
Found a special department
Find and hire a specialist for the company
Hire an external service provider
Obtain an overview of MDR, notified bodies and Eudamed
The Medical device regulation (MDR/IVDR) replaces the Medical device directive (MDD) originates from start/middle 90. The MDR is a result of scandals and incidents with medical devices. The MDR covers all medical devices including active medical devices and is significantly more comprehensive and detailed compared to the MDD.
The key changes in the MDR is classification according to risk, contact duration and invasiveness, further expansion of the product scope. The requirement for documentation, clinical evaluation, postmarket clinical follow-up and traceability is significantly increased for all risk classes.
The European Database on Medical Devices (EUDAMED) provides an information exchange system between the European commission and the competent authorities. The Unique Device Identification (UDI) and EUDAMED shall improve the traceability. EUDAMED will now also store information regarding the postmarket surveillance activities.
All European notified bodies for medical devices will lose their designation as of the date of application of the MDR and IVDR due to the change in the legal framework and must therefore be redesignated under the MDR. All notified bodies are published on the NANDO database.
2. Understand the structure of the healthcare systems in Denmark and Germany
In the section below the structures of the healthcare systems in Denmark and Germany are shortly described and we will provide you with information and tools that will help your company to solve the challenges:
Understand the reimbursement process
Get an overview of the tender process
Share and get knowledge
Improve your development through collaboration
Get access to the catalog of assistive devices
Purchasing managers/departments for the medical equipment
Note: Scroll the mouse over actions (bullet points) to see related links.
Note: Click on actions (bullet points) to see related links.
Gain knowledge about the structure of the healthcare system
Contact potential customers (doctors, pharmacies...) at fairs, events
Obtain information about the catalog of assistive devices (Hilfsmittelverzeichnis)
Get access to the catalog of assistive devices (Hilfsmittelverzeichnis)
Aquire knowledge about the reimbursement process
Take part in the tender process
Find and hire an expert of/for the tender process
Register at international cooperation exchanges for partner search
Find a partner for the distribution of your product
The Commonwealth Fund - Healthcare system Denmark, Source
Healthcare in Denmark is provided by the local governments of the five regions, with coordination and regulation by central government, while nursing homes, home care, and school health services are the responsibility of the 98 municipalities.
Danish government healthcare expenditures amount to approximately 10.4% of the GDP, of which around 84% is funded from regional and municipal taxation redistributed by the central government. Because basic healthcare is taxpayer-funded, personal expenses are minimal and usually associated with co-payments for certain services. Those expenses are for the most part covered by private health insurance.
Use of electronic health records is universal, and efforts are underway to integrate these at the regional level. For every 1,000 people in Denmark, there are about 3.4 doctors and 2.5 hospital beds. Spending on hospital facilities, at 43% of total healthcare spending, is above the average for OECD countries, even though the number of beds has decreased considerably in the last decade.
In Germany, the principle of self-administration applies: Although the Federal state sets the legal framework and tasks, the insured and contributors as well as the service providers organise themselves in associations that are responsible for providing medical care to the population.
The Federal state holds most university hospitals, while municipalities play a role in public health activities and hold about half of all hospital beds. Patients health insurance covers costs that are directly associated with the treatment in the hospital. The State in which the hospital is located finances so-called ‘investment costs’ such as diagnostic machinery, ambulance vehicles, and building maintenance.
Source: "Report: Comparison of the Danish and German healthcare system"
The German health care system is supported and self-managed by many institutions and actors. The core area, also known as the first healthcare market, comprises the area of "classic" health care, which is largely financed by statutory health insurance (SHI) and private health insurance (PHI) including nursing care insurance. All privately financed products and services related to health are referred to as the second healthcare market. Source: "Bundesgesundheitsministerium - Gesundheitswirtschaft im Überblick"
The Commonwealth Fund - Healthcare system Germany, Source
3. Funding opportunities to support your company
In the section below the different funding programs, networkgroups that can support you and help matchmaking. The challenges we will adress are:
Overview of funding programs
Ideas for network groups
Investment possibilities for companies
Get contacts for funding/collaboration
Note: Scroll the mouse over actions (bullet points) to see related links.
Note: Click on actions (bullet points) to see related links.
Get an overview of funding programs
Obtain an overview of foreign trade promotion
Become a member in networks
Get in contact with economic development associations
To have the right product idea is not always enough. The product will often need adjustments to fit the content. There are different funding programs that support public and private innovation both nationally but also internationally. To navigate in the different funds, search for relevant network etc. is difficult for SMEs, this section will provide you with an overview of relevant funding programs, relevant networks, and where get the support for cross boarder collaborations.
The European Union (EU) supports companies and research institutions with a variety of funding programs and financing instruments. In addition to research and development projects, the EU also funds projects in the area of opening up new markets. Horizon Europe is the research and innovation framework programme running from 2021-2027.
EIT Health is one of the largest healthcare initiatives worldwide. Its goal is to sustainably advance the fundamentals of healthcare and thus promote suitable future conditions for healthy living of people across Europe.
Brief introduction to target markets Denmark and Germany - Facts & Figures
In 2019, health expenditure in Germany amounted to 410.8 billion euros, or 4,944 euros per inhabitant. To mark World Health Day on 7 April 2021, the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that total health expenditure rose by 19.3 billion euros or 4.9% compared with 2018. In 2019, health expenditure accounted for 11.9% of the gross domestic product. By far the largest share (56,7%) of this amount is accounted for by spending on statutory health insurance. The next largest item, 13.3% (Euro 54,8 billion), is for private households and private non-profit organisations. The third position in the list of expenditures is for statutory long-term care insurance with 10.3% (Euro 42,1 billion). Source: "Destatis - Health Expenditure 2019 - Pressrelease #167 from 6 April 2021"
Compared with the economy as a whole, the German healthcare industry is showing above-average growth rates with a 4.1% annual increase over the past ten years. The German healthcare industry employs 7.6 million people and generates almost 370 billion euros. This corresponds to a share of 12.1% of gross domestic product. The industry makes a significant contribution to achieving key economic policy objectives and influences them in terms of adequate and steady economic growth and high employment levels.
The medtech sector in Germany is dominated by medium-sized companies. 93 percent of medtech companies employ fewer than 250 people. There are 13,000 micro-enterprises alone with around 60,000 employees. Only 90 medtech companies in Germany have more than 250 employees. The medtech industry is innovative and has very short product cycles. Source: "BVMed - Branchenbericht Medizintechnologien 2020"
About 250 companies in Denmark work in the various branches of the medical industry. But in total, just over 1,000 companies are to a greater or lesser degree active in the medical field as one of several customer bases. The 20 largest companies account for approx. 75% of revenue. 2/3 of the companies in the industry have less than 50 employees.
The Danish market for medical devices accounts for 0.5% of the global market. Expenditure on medical equipment amounts to approx. 5% of the total public expenditure on the Danish healthcare system. Source: "Espicom".
The public health service via the five Danish regions is the largest buyer of the industry's products. Other customers are municipalities (e.g. in connection with care and rehabilitation), private hospitals or private citizens.
In 2014, the USA was Denmark's largest export market for medical equipment with 25% of exports. This was followed by Germany (15%), Sweden (6%), Japan (4%) and China (4%). Source: "Espicom". Over 95% of Danish production of healthcare technology is exported.
For questions regarding the roadmap, please contact Camilla Stryhn, Project manager, Centre for Innovative Medical Technology (CIMT), University Hospital Odense
The companies and institutions listed below supported our work in developing the roadmap. Many thanks!
