Medical Device Development Centre

What Medical Device Development Centre does

The Medical Device Development Centre (MDDC) is a non-profit British Columbia society founded in 1995 and headquartered at 1099 West 8th Avenue in Vancouver. Its stated mandate is to advance the collaborative development, evaluation, and commercialization of need-oriented medical technology. MDDC operates a 13,000+ square foot incubator facility adjacent to Vancouver General Hospital, offering shared boardroom, machine shop, dry lab, internet, and mail services to medical technology tenants including Claris Healthcare, Delphi Medical Innovations, Evasc Medical Systems, Gazept/Gazepoint, Pacey Medtech, and Western Clinical Engineering. The facility is reportedly at full capacity with a waitlist.

MDDC does not develop proprietary technology or commercial products. Its core offerings are programmatic services delivered across three pillars: the Insight to Innovation (I2I) pathway, which accepts unmet clinical needs from healthcare professionals in British Columbia and Ontario and pairs them with recognition, mentorship, and awards; an annual Student Design Awards program for biomedical engineering students at BC universities offering prizes from $1,000 to $10,000 (with additional COVID-19, Needs-Oriented, Discovery Sprint, and Recognition tiers layered on in 2022–2026); and incubator tenancy supported by an ecosystem connector role. The organization does not take equity or intellectual property from innovators.

The business model is non-commercial: MDDC is funded through grants, sponsorships, tenant rents, and institutional support rather than pricing on a product or service. It serves three primary stakeholder segments—healthcare professionals (vertical), engineering and technology students (persona), and medical technology entrepreneurs/companies (business unit)—connected through a horizontal segmentation approach that prioritizes clinical sourcing of unmet needs. Strategic academic partners include the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the British Columbia Institute of Technology; clinical partners include Vancouver Coastal Health, Vancouver General Hospital, BC Children's and Women's Hospital, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre. The board of directors draws senior leadership from these universities, health authorities, and successful MDDC alumni companies, reflecting the organization's role as a governance node in British Columbia's medical technology ecosystem.

Over 15+ years, MDDC-supported companies—including Neovasc, Delphi Medical Innovations, Evasc Medical Systems, Pyng Medical (later acquired by Teleflex), Neoteric (later acquired by Haemonetics), and Ultrasonix—are reported to have created hundreds of jobs and contributed materially to BC's medical technology export economy. The organization also assisted in designing two biomedical engineering programs at BC universities, including UBC's School of Biomedical Engineering.

Name

Medical Device Development Centre

Legal name

Medical Device Development Centre

Website

https://mddc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Non-profit British Columbia medical device incubator operating a 13,000+ square foot facility near Vancouver General Hospital, connecting BC and Ontario healthcare professionals, engineering students, entrepreneurs, and academic researchers to advance need-oriented medical technology through its Insight to Innovation pathway and student award programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Device Incubation Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ)

Keywords

• Medical device incubation
• Biomedical engineering programs
• Healthcare innovation brokering
• Clinical needs assessment
• Medical technology development

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-profit organization: MDDC is a non-profit British Columbia society. The organization does not take equity or IP from innovators. It provides recognition, funding (awards), mentorship, and strategic connections to help healthcare professionals advance their medical technology insights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MDDC is a non-profit British Columbia society that operates a medical device incubator in Vancouver and runs the Insight to Innovation (I2I) pathway to surface unmet clinical needs from healthcare professionals in BC and Ontario. It also offers shared innovation space (13,000+ sq ft with machine shop, dry lab, and boardroom), connects students with clinical sponsors through I2I Student Challenges, and administers annual Student Design Awards and Discovery Sprint Awards with grants of $200 to $10,000. The organization facilitates collaboration between medical technology entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, academic researchers, and healthcare workers without taking equity or IP.

Product overview

The Medical Device Development Centre (MDDC) is a non-profit British Columbia society that operates as an incubator and support organization for medical technology development. MDDC does not offer a commercial product portfolio but rather provides programmatic services including: an incubator facility for medical technology companies at 1099 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver; the Insight to Innovation (I2I) pathway connecting healthcare professionals in British Columbia and Ontario with opportunities to identify unmet clinical needs; student challenges that connect students with clinical experts to develop solutions; and various recognition awards and grants for student innovators. The organization facilitates connections between medical technology entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, academic researchers, and healthcare workers without taking equity or IP in developed solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MDDC Medical Device Incubator Physical incubator space near Vancouver General Hospital providing shared boardroom, machine shop, dry lab, internet access, and mail services to medical technology companies and entrepreneurs. Currently operates at full capacity with a waitlist.
• Insight to Innovation (I2I) Pathway An online submission pathway that invites doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, clinical engineers, and other healthcare professionals in British Columbia and Ontario to submit unmet needs observed in clinical settings. Submitters receive recognition, mentorship, and award funding to advance their medical technology ideas.
• MDDC Student Design Awards Annual student competition with awards ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for biomedical engineering student design and innovation at BC post-secondary institutions. Recognizes top projects through Principal, Innovation, and Distinction tiers.
• I2I Student Challenges Student project program that pairs biomedical engineering students with clinical experts and published challenges derived from frontline clinical needs. Students receive clinical feedback, observations, and shadowing opportunities to keep solutions clinically relevant.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies from MDDC have created hundreds of jobs and significantly contributed to BC's export economy
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Simon Fraser University (SFU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFU is a key academic partner of MDDC. The organization facilitated collaboration for biomedical engineering programs between BCIT, UBC, and SFU. SFU students participate in MDDC awards program.
• University of British Columbia (UBC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBC is a primary academic partner. MDDC assisted in designing biomedical engineering programs at UBC (including SMBE program). UBC students and researchers actively participate in MDDC programs including student awards.
• British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBCIT is an academic partner in biomedical engineering education collaboration facilitated by MDDC. BCIT students regularly participate in MDDC student awards program.
• Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCH is a key healthcare partner providing clinical expertise and unmet needs for the Insight to Innovation pathway. VCH staff including environmental services directors and occupational therapists submit challenges and serve as clinical resources.
• Claris HealthcareminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCurrent tenant of MDDC incubator space. Claris Healthcare is a medical technology company developing products for patient monitoring and connected health.
• Delphi Medical InnovationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCurrent tenant of MDDC incubator space. Notable success company that emerged from MDDC, creating jobs and contributing to BC's technology sector.
• Evasc Medical SystemsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCurrent tenant of MDDC incubator space. Notable success company that emerged from MDDC, developing medical devices and contributing to BC's export economy.
• Gazept (Gazepoint)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCurrent tenant of MDDC incubator space. Eye tracking technology company that originated from MDDC ecosystem.
• Pacey MedtechminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCurrent tenant of MDDC incubator space. Medical technology company with products for urological applications.
• Western Clinical Engineering Ltd.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCurrent tenant of MDDC incubator space. Clinical engineering services company.
• Vancouver General HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVGH is the adjacent healthcare facility that MDDC incubator is situated near. VGH staff participate in I2I pathway and student challenges, providing real-world clinical needs.
• BC Children's and Women's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical partner where healthcare professionals submit unmet needs through I2I pathway. Staff including clinical engineers participate in student challenges.
• GF Strong Rehabilitation CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare facility whose staff (occupational therapists) submit unmet needs through I2I pathway and serve as clinical sponsors for student challenges.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL): Canadian-based venture-building program with a Health stream that mentors early-stage health and biomedical ventures through academic founders; operates in the same Canadian ecosystem as MDDC but with a stronger equity-style objective-setting model.
• Switch Health / Switch Medical Innovation: Canadian health-innovation organization focused on patient-centric medical technologies; less direct in incubator model but relevant as a Canadian medtech peer in MDDC's network geography.

Direct peers

• Cedars-Sinai Accelerator: Hospital-embedded accelerator that mentors early-stage healthcare and medical device companies using clinician-led needs sourcing, closely mirroring MDDC's hospital-adjacent incubator and clinical-needs model.
• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub supporting health, cleantech, and other ventures with incubator/accelerator services, mentorship, and partnerships with Canadian hospitals and universities—directly comparable to MDDC's role as a Canadian medtech connector.
• MedTech Innovator: US-based medical device accelerator and competition that surfaces early-stage medtech startups and connects them with manufacturers, providers, and investors—directly comparable to MDDC's award-based startup surfacing function.
• Fogarty Institute for Innovation: Non-profit medical device incubator offering mentorship, prototyping resources, and clinical partnerships to entrepreneurs—functionally similar to MDDC's role and stage.
• UCSF Rosenman Institute: Medical device-focused accelerator based at UCSF that connects clinicians with entrepreneurs, investors, and designers. Comparable to MDDC's Insight to Innovation pathway by sourcing needs from frontline healthcare providers.

Others

• BC Tech Association: Industry association supporting BC technology companies including medtech. Not a direct incubator, but overlaps with MDDC's mandate to grow BC's technology ecosystem and connects to the same founder/investor pool.

Emerging players

• Biolocity (Emory/Georgia Tech): University-affiliated translational accelerator funding and advising medical technology ventures emerging from academic research; comparable to MDDC's biomedical engineering program collaboration with BC universities.

Broad incumbents

• JLABS (Johnson & Johnson Innovation): Global network of life-science incubators providing lab space, mentorship, and corporate resources to early-stage medical device and biotech startups; broader in scope but functionally analogous to MDDC's incubator model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MDDCofBC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3336806

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Medical Device Development Centre