Exclusive Workshop

SDC Info Day USA

MINNEAPOLIS, FEBRUARY 11, 2026

Healthcare is entering a new era of connectivity and interoperability. With FDA now recognizing several of the IEEE 11073 Service-oriented Device Connectivity (SDC) standards, vendor-independent device integration is a must-have in hospital tenders. For med-tech companies, this is no longer optional, it’s the future.

Critical Software is at the forefront of this transformation. As a product-agnostic software engineering services provider, we help medical device manufacturers embrace interoperability, cybersecurity, and innovation across embedded systems, cloud, and AI/ML – always with FDA and EU MDR compliance in mind.

Given that, Critical Software is organizing the SDC Info Day USA, an exclusive one-day workshop as a satellite event to Medical Alley 2026 Summit. The event will bring together leading med-device manufacturers, software providers, and healthcare stakeholders to explore the opportunities and challenges of SDC adoption.

WHEN & WHERE

The event will be held on February 11, 2026, at the Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis, scheduled as a standout satellite exclusive event alongside the Medical Alley 2026 Summit.

WHO WILL BE ATTENDING

This invite-only workshop will bring together med-device manufacturers, SDC software providers, and stakeholders from healthcare providers. Tailored for directors of engineering, senior interoperability engineers, chief scientific officers, and anyone responsible for device interoperability, this event puts your leadership priorities at the center.

Expected participants include industry leaders such as B.Braun, Dräger, MedCrypt, RunSafe, Vector, as well as SMEs and startups from med-tech and healthcare.

KEY POINTS ABOUT SDC

The SDC standard (IEEE 11073) is being pushed by the FDA and is becoming a must-have in hospital tenders; med-device vendors will likely adopt it.
Critical Software is at the forefront of med-device interoperability as a product-agnostic software engineering service provider.
We promote SDC as the open standard for vendor-independent device interoperability and actively participate in related industry working groups.
Our interoperability/SDC vision goes beyond current solutions, exploring digital twins (virtual patient, virtual hospital), protocol multiplexing, and built-in cybersecurity.
SDC Info Day USA will bring together manufacturers, software providers, and healthcare stakeholders to discuss SDC and interoperability.

ABOUT CRITICAL SOFTWARE

We are a software engineering services provider from Portugal/EU, with 1400 people and a growing presence in the USA. Our roots lie in the development, testing, and verification of embedded software and systems. Today, we span the med-device software engineering space from embedded to cloud, cyber, and AI/ML, always including the FDA and EU MDR clearance perspective.

WHY ATTEND?

Understand why SDC is becoming a global standard for interoperability
Learn from experts shaping the future of connected healthcare
Network with decision-makers from leading med-tech companies
Explore innovations beyond today’s standards: digital twins, protocol multiplexing, and built-in cybersecurity

AGENDA

2:00 PM - Check-In

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM | Welcome and Opening

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Building an Ecosystem of Plug-and-Trust Products: The Time is Now!
by Todd Cooper, Technical Director - Caliper

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM | The Future of Medical Device Interoperability
by Martin Kasparick, System Architect Interoperability - B. Braun

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Tackling Challenges in the Development of Plug-and-Trust Products
by Stefan Schlichting, System Architecture & Applications Engineering - Dräger

4:30 PM - Coffee Break

4:45 PM - 5:20 PM | Building Trust: Cybersecurity in Interoperable Medical Systems
with Axel Wirth, Chief Security Strategist - MedCrypt
with Doug Britton, Chief Strategy Officer and Director - RunSafe Security Inc
with Sérgio Pereira, Principal Engineer Medical Devices and Life Sciences - Critical Software

5:20 PM - 6:00 PM | Panel Discussion - Interoperability in Practice: Use Case Implementation, Challenges and Best Practices
Brian Hertel, Director Software Engineering - Dräger
Debaditya Ghosh, Senior Staff Software Architect - GE HealthCare
Nadine Schnabel, Product Manager - VECTOR Informatik
Victoria Tower, Senior Global Product Manager Monitoring - Philips
Todd Cooper, Technical Director - Caliper
Moderator: Sérgio Pereira, Principal Engineer Medical Devices and Life Sciences - Critical Software

6:00 PM - 6:15 PM | Closing Remarks

Each session is designed to be short and punchy. A number of expert speakers will share some of their experiences across a series of 30-minute talks, which will be followed up with a 40-minute panel discussion. Naturally, the breaks, networking cocktail and dinner slots are further opportunities to expand the discussion too!

NETWORKING & DINNER

6:15 PM - Networking Cocktail & Live Demonstrations: SDC in Action

7:00 PM - Four-course Dinner at the Four Seasons

If you have any questions or need any further information, we'd be happy to assist! Please email us at medical-devices@criticalsoftware.com and we will follow-up with your request as soon as possible.