MiNT - Masterclass in Neurotechnology

What is the society’s main goal?

The main goals of the MiNT Academy are:

• To be an active member of the neurotechnology research community in order to build the evidence base and data required for clinical practice guidelines
• To influence future product development via the clinical excellence and expertise of interdisciplinary (IDT) practitioners to better address complex clinical presentations
• To provide a clinical educational platform to integrate the use of neurotechnology into practice, based upon clinical reasoning, driving neural plasticity and influencing patient outcomes

Introduction to MiNT 

Is there a personal story behind the establishment of the society?

As clinicians we recognise the potential role of technology to increase treatment dosage and support evidence-based practice. In turn, this will optimise patient outcomes. Despite engaging with multiple devices, we struggled to embed technology into our clinical practice. We have reflected on the challenges and our experience, and subsequently developed MiNT as the solution to improving clinical application.

We know that successful device development requires clinician and end-user engagement in co-creation, focusing on the solution to a clinical problem.

We now have a global reach of 57 countries and are proud to be at the forefront of neurotech innovation.

MiNT for Practitioners

Why did your society decide to take part in the RehabWeek?

Our success at RehabWeek 2022 in Rotterdam confirmed our belief that clinical representation is paramount to furthering the neurotechnology sector. The feedback we received from academia and industry has influenced our growth strategy and resources.  Collaboration is proving essential to achieving our aims and so this RehabWeek, MiNT will cooperate with multiple different societies to integrate our ethos across the program. 

Why is RehabWeek unique and why should people attend?

RehabWeek provides a forum for all sectors to collaborate, network and engage in furthering the field and clinical application of neurotechnology. It provides multiple opportunities to connect and explore this specialist area together with other like-minded inter-disciplinary professionals. Clinicians have a unique understanding of the complexities of a heterogenous patient population and MiNT will attract these individuals to RehabWeek.

MiNT for Industry

What do you think will be the next big issue in the field? Why?

Currently there is a lack of data to inform evidence-based practice. At the same time the marketplace is vast and constantly growing, proving a minefield for clinicians to navigate. Clinicians have to rely on their individual judgement and experience to:

• choose which device to use with which patient, and when
• finance the most appropriate technology for their patient demographic

Moving forwards, data and clinical outcomes must be shared to create more guidance for clinicians, resulting in services that are more effective, responsive and answer the needs of their patients. Simultaneously, this will also support patient-specific product development, targeting devices to specific clinical problems. This requires collaboration through an intentional and unified research and education strategy. MiNT is at the forefront of resolving this challenge through its development of a Device Logbook, which we intend to introduce at RehabWeek 2023!

Any success story you would like to share?

Following the launch of the MiNT website and educational platform in 2022, we are proud to have a global reach across 6 continents! This provides a worldwide forum, accessible 24-hours a day with a realm of knowledge and opportunities for all sectors to further their work in this field.

We have completed over 10 clinical trials and have liaised with over 50 companies in the last year to help them in their commercial product development.

We are very excited for you to join our international community on this groundbreaking success story.