Innovation or optics? Malta's Medtech challenge

Dr Dylan Attard

MedTech World has played an essential role in putting Malta on the global map as a hub for Medtech innovation. The annual conference has drawn entrepreneurs, investors, and medical professionals to the island nation. However, the question remains: Can Malta's Medtech ecosystem evolve beyond visibility and deliver long-term innovation? To explore this, TECHMAG sat down with Dr Dylan Attard, founder and CEO of MedTech World, to understand his vision for the future of Malta's Medtech landscape.

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While Malta benefits from a skilled workforce, strong government support, and a strategic location, achieving long-term sustainability will require significant investments in infrastructure and research.

Malta has promoted itself as an attractive location for Medtech firms, leveraging tax incentives and a favourable business environment, especially in digital health and biotechnology. However, Attard notes that Malta's Medtech sector relies heavily on international partnerships and needs more critical infrastructure for sustained growth, such as clinical trial facilities and interconnected healthcare systems.

According to Attard, MedTech World's success must go beyond the event to ensure lasting impact. "We must focus on year-round research, development, and innovation opportunities. MedTech World can't just be a conference; it must foster ongoing collaborations and partnerships."

A critical challenge facing Malta's Medtech sector is the gap between academic research and practical, commercial solutions. To close this divide, Attard calls for stronger ties between universities and the private sector. He advocates for a more developed ecosystem that encourages innovation through research commercialisation.

"Our universities need to do more in medical engineering and device innovation. With better support for knowledge transfer offices, we can transform academic research into market-ready solutions," Attard emphasises.

Looking ahead, Attard stresses that Malta must invest in infrastructure, research and development (R&D), and the next generation of Medtech professionals to transition from an emerging player to a global leader in fields like AI-driven diagnostics and digital health. This includes fostering local talent and building stronger partnerships with international players.

"We need to invite larger international players to set up accelerators or incubators here in Malta," says Attard. "With the right support, we can help local projects scale and compete globally."

With ongoing efforts to attract global investors and nurture local innovation, Malta has the potential to lead the Medtech landscape. However, the journey will require a comprehensive approach integrating education, government policy, and international collaboration.

MedTech World has brought significant attention to Malta's growing medical technology industry. What are Malta's most critical challenges in becoming a long-term global leader in medical technology innovation?

One of the biggest challenges we face is size. Malta is a small country, which limits its ability to promote itself as a hub where Medtech companies can set up and scale globally. However, Malta can act as an excellent test base due to its diverse population, especially for medical devices. We have a good mix of genomes and healthcare needs, which is invaluable for testing. Yet, our ecosystem needs more critical infrastructure, such as a Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) for clinical trials and interconnected healthcare systems. The absence of clinical trial facilities and basic infrastructure, like an integrated electronic medical records system, are obstacles we need to address. For example, Malta only recently attracted its first notified body for medical device certification, a service company that needs to bring its products to market. To truly compete, we must invest in essential infrastructure like anatomy labs for private industry, clinical trial capabilities, and research facilities.

MedTech World provides excellent networking opportunities, but how do you ensure that the event translates into sustained research, development, and local innovation beyond the conference itself?

The key is attracting the right people to the event. It's not just about the stage content but the side events, evening meetups, and networking opportunities. We aim to foster an environment where meaningful connections and relationships go beyond business transactions, encouraging long-term collaborations. MedTech World's success is measured not just by what happens during the event but by how we connect people year-round, helping with referrals and creating opportunities for ongoing research and development. MedTech World is more than a single event; it's an ecosystem that nurtures these relationships and allows them to flourish.

Given the reliance on international partnerships and investment, how do you see Malta balancing external capital with the need to foster homegrown talent and innovation within the Medtech sector?

Like any emerging industry, we need external help, particularly from more established countries that are years ahead of us. It's important to be humble and acknowledge that Malta cannot build this alone. We can leverage their resources and knowledge by partnering with key international players while developing local talent. For instance, MedTech World has been building bridges with institutions like the Texas Medical Centre in Houston, creating pathways for companies that start in Malta to expand globally. External capital and partnerships are essential to growing Malta's Medtech sector and transforming it into a globally competitive force.

What role do you envision Malta's academic institutions in building a more robust Medtech ecosystem, and how can MedTech World help bridge the gap between academia and industry?

Our local universities need to do more regarding medical engineering and device innovation. There's a gap between research and commercialisation; universities must invest more in their knowledge transfer offices. This would help take academic research and transform it into real-world solutions. For example, in Houston, medical doctors can take a course that teaches them how to invent medical devices while continuing to practice. We need something similar in Malta to encourage innovation at the university level and ensure that research projects aren't stuck in academia but rather moved towards commercialisation.

What steps must Malta take over the next 5-10 years to evolve from a growing Medtech player into a true global leader, especially in areas like AI-driven diagnostics, digital health, and biotechnology?

The key is to invest in the younger generation. Encouraging students to study relevant topics like AI, digital health, and biotechnology is essential. More importantly, we must allocate enough funding for research and development and provide opportunities for ideas to be taken from the bench to the bedside. Our Knowledge Transfer Office needs more support to carry out commercialisation efforts. We must also invite more prominent international players to set up accelerators or incubators here in Malta. Their influence and resources can help local projects, which may otherwise fail, succeed globally.

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