（1） The competition proposition is released by

Chinese Society of Orthopedic Innovation and Translation (COITA)

（2） Introduction

After achieving success in 2018, the 2019 Global Additive Manufacturing Application Innovation Competition will focus on the unique advantages of 3D printing in aerospace, medicine, high-end manufacturing, cities, cultural and creative industries amongst other application fields. We regard orthopedic 3D printing technologies and applications as a key aspect. Moreover, based on the concepts of innovation, commercialization and promotion, we cooperate with the Chinese Society of Orthopedic Innovation and Translation (COITA) and aim to build an innovation and commercialization platform for orthopedic doctors. We hope to form an integrated system of research, clinical practices and products, and thus link orthopedic innovation with commercialization.

Innovations are often based on practical problems and difficulties that doctors face in clinical practices. We often combine new technologies with the doctors’ innovative ideas, and then develop the ideas from invention, patent to product. 3D printing/additive manufacturing is an important means to solve the actual problems of clinical orthopedics. Relevant applications cover R&D (medical model development and orthopedic 3D printing models), customized artificial bones, tissue/organ regeneration, 3D printed surgical guides, etc. We can regard this as a technological revolution in the field of orthopedics.

"Orthopedic 3D Printing Technologies and Applications” Competition Unit of “2019 Global Additive Manufacturing Application Innovation Competition” mainly targets doctors and enterprises by aiming to use the doctors’scientific research ideas and the enterprises’ technical breakthroughs to promote and realize the commercialization of innovation results. The specific procedure is as follows: The competition would firstly collect the clinical requirements and innovation ideas in orthopedics (need to be realized by 3D printing technology) from all COITA professional academic commission members and clinicians and then select from these requirements and innovation ideas. Then we would collect technologies/products of 3D printing solutions from 3D printing companies and medical device companies amongst others entities that are capable of conducting R&D and have relevant investment support. Or we would match doctors with enterprises who can use 3D printing technology to materialize innovative ideas to form joint R&D teams. Furthermore, they would jointly produce results of certain phases (creative technical plan, inventions and patents, papers and books, etc.). Then we will organize the presentation selection and expert evaluation events in order to assess and accredit them with honors and rewards, which will also attract public attention. Moreover, these projects will be included in the 3D Printing Digital Innovation Center of Fengtai Park, a subdivision of Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park. In which, they would also be provided with supporting policies, services, funding, access to laboratories for verification, etc., We would also support the projects in applying for patent registration, application for patent registration and acquire registration party certificates and even commercialize products, thereby promoting the sustainable development of the integration of industry, education and research.

3D printing application scenarios in orthopedics are becoming more diversified as medical technologies improve and demands increase, such as:

• Personalized customization of artificial bones (such as human implants and customized joints);

• Tissue/cell regeneration

• Manufacturing of medical equipment and relavant accessories;

• 3D printed surgical guides;

• Medical model construction and orthopedic 3D printing models;

• Other aspects.

The competition encourages the participating enterprises to:

• 1. Choose the existing technical achievements or products based on the clinical needs of the orthopedic doctors;

• 2. Select the corresponding technical solutions or products to participate in the competition according to the 3D printing application requirements proposed by doctors in this competition;

• 3. According to doctors’ innovative ideas, participants should factor in 3D printing in clinical treatment; the enterprises form a R&D team with doctors and provide corresponding technical support, and then produce results of certain phases (creative technical plan, inventions and patents, papers and books, etc.)

（3） Objectives of the competition

• 1. Provide research awards (prizes of the competition) and technical support for research projects or start-up projects of orthopedic doctors;

• 2. Based on orthopedic doctors’ innovative ideas and the actual needs for relevant 3D printing technologies, we would match enterprises to support them, help them to jointly make achievements, and assist them in the application for invention patents and other patents;

• 3. Provide experimental bases for technical inventions that have been long tested in clinical practices, help doctors to continuously conduct small and medium tests, and provide support for their registration and certification;

• 4. Promote the cooperation between doctors and enterprises; build a solid platform for cooperation between the industry, academia and research to facilitate the clinical practices and independent innovation of doctors, and to incubate enterprises’ technology projects;

• 5. We would match relatively mature technologies/projects or those that can be made into products with investment, financing, and market resources whilst providing other support to commercialize these projects in an innovative way;

• 6. We will provide continuous media coverage and publicity for innovative scientific research and clinical practices of orthopedic doctors and enterprises’ technical breakthroughs and innovations so as to expand their social influence.

（4） Competition dates:

Registration for the competition starts on: June 10th, 2019

Deadline for submitting entries: August 30th, 2019

The preliminary evaluation: September 2019

The Second-round evaluation: October 2019

（5） Scope of the entry collection：

A. For Orthopedic doctors:

• 1. Orthopedic doctors’ research or start-up projects which involves 3D printing technology

• 2. Cases of illness for which orthopedic doctors use 3D printing technology to carry out clinical treatment

• 3. Innovative ideas in which orthopedic doctors can apply 3D printing technology for research and clinical practices

• 4. 3D printing technology relating to needs proposed by orthopedic doctors

• 5. Technical inventions of orthopedic doctors that have been long tested in clinical practices

• 6. Relatively mature technologies/projects or those likely to be made into products

B. For enterprises:

• 1. Existing technical achievements or products based on the clinical needs of orthopedic doctors (relatively mature technologies/projects or those likely to be made into products);

• 2. Corresponding technical solutions or products designed according to the 3D printing application. Requirements proposed by doctors in this competition;

• 3. According to doctors’ innovative ideas to factor in 3D printing in clinical treatment, the enterprises should form a R&D team with doctors and provide corresponding technical support, and then produce results of certain phases (creative technical plan, inventions and patents, papers and books, etc.)

（6） Competition process:

• 1. Collect ideas from orthopedic doctors and enterprises (scope of collection is specified above);

• 2. We would build an expert panel to conduct preliminary evaluation and discussion of the entries. And then they will select excellent projects, technologies and products that are innovative, clinically feasible/implementable and have more optimized medical solutions whilst possessing the potential to become marketable;

• 3. After the preliminary evaluation, we will exclusively release doctors’ projects to enterprises (upstream and downstream 3D printing enterprises and medical equipment companies) (in other words, to invite enterprises to participate in the competition). Participating enterprises need to provide technical solutions according to the schedules and demands of doctors’ projects. Otherwise, enterprises can provide technical support to assist the doctors to improve their project and produce outcomes for the second-round evaluation (final evaluation);

• 4. The participating teams need to make a presentation for the final evaluation. Besides professional experts, there will be investment specialists and industrial representatives who will offer advice on how to improve the projects and materialize them;

• 5. We will hold the COITA Orthopedic Innovation and Commercialization Annual Meeting - Orthopedic 3D Printing Session. This session aims at integrating medical researches and industrial applications, and gathering resources from the strong points of industries, academia and research. And we hope to publicize outstanding projects of the competition and promote their exchange and cooperation with relevant parties;

• 6. The "2019 Global Additive Manufacturing Application Innovation Competition" and the Third 3D Printing Industry Development Summit will be held in December. We would bestow awards to prize-winning projects, doctors and enterprises. Then we would promote patent registration and innovative commercialization of these projects via the incubation system of "Orthopedic Innovation and Commercialization Experimental Base" in 3D Printing Digital Innovation Center of Fengtai Park, a subdivision of Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park. We would provide them with supporting policies, services, funding, resources for verification in laboratories, etc., thereby continuously promoting the realization of patent registration and innovative commercialization of these projects.

（7） Competition rewards process

• 1. We would give research awards to orthopedic doctors’ research or start-up projects (30,000 yuan for the First Prize, 20,000 yuan for the Second Prize, 10,000 yuan for the Third Prize) and technical support;

• 2. We would provide experimental bases for technical inventions that have been long tested in clinical practices, help doctors to continuously conduct small and medium tests, and provide support for their registration and certification;

• 3. We would match relatively mature technologies/projects or those that can be made into products with investment, financing, and market resources whilst providing other support to commercialize these projects in an innovative way;

• 4. We will provide continuous media coverage and publicity for innovative scientific researches and clinical practices of orthopedic doctors so as to expand their social influence.