AO Innovation Funding

As part of the AO ITC, the Technology Transfer manages the AO Innovation Funding, driving the development and acquisition of innovative solutions to advance surgeon education and patient care in trauma and musculoskeletal disorders. The AO offers inventors and product developers a pathway to transform their ideas from workbench to bedside through funding, expert knowledge, proof-of-concept, clinical validation, and valorization.

There are two funding streams, the Development Incubator, which partners with inventors to advance product and treatment concepts in musculoskeletal surgery toward clinical implementation, and the Strategy Fund, providing seed funds for innovative early-stage ideas strengthening the AO in strategic areas.

The Technology Transfer Board supervises the Development Incubator funding, whilst the Strategy Fund Committee does it for the Strategy Fund. Both provide leadership and mentorship to applicants, thanks to expertise in clinical practice, the orthopedic industry, company building, financing, marketing and sales, and research and development (R&D).