Philips teams with Russians for imaging technology R+D

Royal Philips Electronics has embarked on a five-year joint research and development program with the Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University, the Vavilov State Optical Institute and the Ioffe Physical Technical Institute in the field of medical imaging technologies.

Philips will be investing up to EUR 2.5 million ($3.1 million USD) in the program, comprising direct funding and in-kind support, including research staff.

The joint program will focus on the development of scintillation materials to improve the sensitivity of the detectors used in CT, PET and SPECT scanners. In addition, the researchers will seek to develop new computer algorithms for improved image reconstruction and processing, Amsterdam-based Royal Philips said.

The Saint Petersburg State Polytechnical University will serve as the central hub in the joint research and development program and support in coordinating the research. It will connect the spokes as represented by the Vavilov State Optical Institute, the Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, and Philips’ research laboratories in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Hamburg, Germany and Paris.

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