Potential Supervisor: Nazokatkhon Akhmadjonova
Level: Adaptable
Strategic Orientation: Digital Health · Sustainability · Data Platforms

Background

Medical devices placed on the European market are subject to extensive regulatory requirements, including registration, conformity assessment, and post-market surveillance. With the introduction of EUDAMED, the European Database on Medical Devices, a large-scale digital infrastructure has been established to enhance transparency across the medical device lifecycle. EUDAMED integrates data on manufacturers, notified bodies, and certificates, creating new opportunities for system-level analysis of the European medical device market from an information systems perspective.

At the same time, circular economy principles are gaining importance in healthcare, particularly with respect to waste reduction, reuse, reprocessing, and improved lifecycle management of medical devices. However, empirical insights into how circularity-relevant characteristics are reflected in digital regulatory infrastructures remain limited. It is largely unclear how actors are interconnected within the EUDAMED ecosystem, how device categories differ in terms of regulatory and organizational structures, and where potential leverage points for circular strategies may exist.

This thesis aims to analyze the European medical device market using EUDAMED data, with a focus on stakeholder networks and their implications for circularity, governance, and information flows within regulated digital infrastructures.

Research Directions

Possible research directions include:

• Mapping the European medical device market using EUDAMED data, including manufacturers, device categories, and regulatory actors
• Analyzing stakeholder networks and structural patterns within the medical device ecosystem
• Exploring how market structures and regulatory characteristics relate to circularity-relevant aspects of medical devices
• Identifying device categories or actor constellations that may be particularly relevant for circular economy strategies

The thesis is exploratory in nature and focuses on descriptive and network-oriented analysis rather than causal inference.

Methodological Orientation

The project emphasizes data-driven and exploratory methods, potentially including:

• Descriptive analysis of EUDAMED datasets
• Network analysis of stakeholder relationships
• Comparative analysis across device categories

The scope and analytical depth can be adapted depending on the student’s background and interests.

Requirements and Administration (optional)

An interest in digital health, sustainability, and data-driven analysis is expected. Basic skills in data analysis or network analysis are advantageous. The topic can be scaled for Bachelor’s or Master’s theses.

References

Hoveling, T., Nijdam, A. S., Monincx, M., Faludi, J., & Bakker, C. (2024). Circular economy for medical devices: Barriers, opportunities, and best practices from a design perspective. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 208, 107719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2024.107719

Melville, N. P. (2010). Information systems innovation for environmental sustainability. MIS Quarterly, 34(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.2307/20721419

Recker, J., Zeiss, R., & Mueller, M. (2024). iRepair or I Repair? A dialectical process analysis of control enactment in the iPhone repair aftermarket. MIS Quarterly, 48(1), 321–346.