Welcome to the OpenECG Portal

1. Background

The Industry Advisory Board was created within the OpenECG consortium as a practical tool to overcome existing barriers in order to achieve real deployment of the SCP-ECG norm.

Much thought has gone into the potential role of Industrial Partners within the IAB. Manufacturers are considered to be the key players, while at the same time the consortium had to find a compromise:

On the one hand, the number of members in the board should be kept to a minimum to make it streamlined and efficient.
On the other hand, the consortium considered it mandatory that an "OPEN" project should really be open to any interested industrial entity.

The outcome was a balanced solution, allowing OpenECG to involve industry in such a way that industrial representatives do not perceive any favouritism with regard to any particular company or companies.

2. Role of the IAB

The IAB will act as an advisory/consultative committee that provides input to the OpenECG consortium on specific issues. Its activities should be planned and concerted within the consortium.

The role of the IAB is to apply their best efforts, skills and knowledge:

To advise on new project activities or suggestions concerning new actions for the promotion and dissemination of the SCP-ECG norms.
To interface with manufacturers and users. Users are also key players since they can create a market demand for SCP-ECG.
To promote the standard within biomedical companies and towards customers, industrial boards, national/international bodies and in general, to raise community awareness regarding computerized ECG standards and interoperability efforts.
To help in the assessment of the results provided by the project.
To endorse as key people what is being done in OpenECG.
In general, to provide the OpenECG consortium with their point of view, giving valuable information in order to assist/consult the OpenECG consortium in making the moves that will promote the objectives of the network and eliminate existing barriers.

3. Composition of the IAB

There are two boards, one of them being the IAB Core, and the second the IAB Associated board, comprised of all the companies/bodies that ask to participate. This second level board is represented in the IAB Core by its coordinator, who is also the coordinator of the IAB Core.

The coordinator of the IAB Associated board is formally the interface with the industrial world. He maintains the contacts with the companies and he provides a channel of communication between the companies and the IAB Core, first, and then the Consortium.

In this way:

It is possible to limit the number of members in the IAB Core.
There is no limitation to the number of members in the IAB Associated board (all companies and bodies can be accepted); there is a clear reference for industries towards the project.
There is a clear (and formal) integration, at different levels, with external bodies and industries.
There is no interference with the OpenECG core activity.

The IAB Associated members will be included in a privileged mailing list and will receive information about the IAB Core activity and the progress of the OpenECG project. They can submit advice or information to the IAB Core board. They can communicate with their IAB referent or any IAB member. They can actively collaborate in the project by promoting new initiatives, sending news on related projects/researches/products, all filtered by the IAB coordinator and board. In general, they provide the "manufacturers' perspective" to the IAB in relation to the different tasks assigned to the IAB already described.

4. Members

Following general consensus, we have included only a few people, who are from the Industry, Health authorities and/or Hospital Managers.

IAB Core Members

Ricardo Ruiz Fernandez, RGB Medical Devices, Spain (Chair).
Didier Bouis, Principal Administrator, Medical Devices, DG Enterprise, European Commission, Belgium.
Dr. Gunther Hellmann, President, Association of Manufacturers of GP Systems, Germany.
Arne Kverneland, National Board of Health, Denmark.
Simon Meij, Physicist, Thorax Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Prof. Paul Rubel, Member of the France National Board of Health, France.
Prof. Aurelia Sargentini, Vice President, Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Italy.

IAB Associated Members

Ricardo Ruiz Fernandez, RGB Medical Devices, Spain (Chair).
Michael Breuss, Tapuz, Austria.
Magda Costi, Esaote, Italy.
Aldo De Giuli, Cardioline, Italy.
Frits Kroon, Cardio Control, The Netherlands.
Cesare Malossi, Elettronica Trentina, Italy.
Charles Parisot, Manager Standards and Testing Tools, GE, France.
Johann Jakob Schmid, Schiller, Switzerland.
Sophia Zhou, Philips Medical, USA.