Taking part in the Open Innovation Challenge – Injection 2.0, which initially began in June, 18 participants consisting of four teams submitted their ideas on how digital trends can be made to be both useful and profitable in the everyday life of its users. Following workshops and field phases, Vetter has now awarded the winner of the challenge.

A method to improve the documentation process as it pertains to the administration of drugs, helping to make the process easier, faster and safer. The winning team received a prize of EUR 10,000. As a next step, the Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) will decide which project ideas or elements will be worked on in the future.

The four teams were arranged in a  multidisciplinary fashion, including students and professionals from the fields of medicine and economic sciences, as well as members of the Vetter staff. The project itself is considered innovative, as is the employment of the user-centered method ‘Design Thinking’. Following the June kick-off workshop, participants entered into dialogue with the users of injectables, in particular, caregivers and patients. With the help of this first-hand knowledge, the teams first designed initial idea concepts and prototypes for discussion and testing among potential users. Further development followed. On September 25, the four groups presented their ideas in short presentations at the company’s Ravensburg Vetter West site. The jury deciding the final winner consisted of Prof. Dr. med. habil. Folker Wenzel, a practicing physician and academic dean for technical physicians at the HFU Furtwangen, Eva-Maria Makutzik, an innovation manager at EIT Health Germany, complemented  by senior management representatives of the organizing company Vetter.

"As a leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization that teams up with our globally active pharma and biotech customers, we want to bring the needs of users into even greater focus for future activities. Only through this action can we provide patients around the world, in alliance with our customers, with even better and more up-to-date services related to the delivery of injectables," said Dr. Claus Feussner, Senior Vice President Vetter Development Service. "The format of the Open Innovation Challenge – Injection 2.0, which targets new approaches in injectable delivery, was an overall success. We were impressed not only with the results of the participating teams, but also their general approach and team spirit created during the challenge."

These positive outcomes are the reasons why Vetter is considering the establishment of such formats, in addition to its proven processes. In this way, the company strives to promote and advance its innovation capabilities. Through the application of these measures, the CDMO significantly contributes to the preservation of quality of life for patients, both today and into the future.

Participant Tobias Schloegl, a project manager with responsibilities for realizing development projects of pharma and biotech customers within Vetter, also expressed his satisfaction for the challenge. "Joining the Vetter Open Innovation Challenge was a great experience. By doing so, we had the significant opportunity of developing, testing and implementing our own ideas in close consultation with subject matter experts as well as the end-users themselves. This was an exciting and demanding challenge for everyone involved, and one which only a few companies are able to offer."

Caption: Vetter management representatives including Managing Director Thomas Otto (second from right), jury members Eva-Maria Markutzik (EIT Health Germany, first right) and Prof. Dr. med. habil. Folker Wenzel (HFU Furtwangen, fifth from right) congratulate the members of the winning team at the symbolic check hand-over. Picture source: Vetter Pharma International GmbH

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