DEVASPIM – Development of a tool based on new technologies for the design and evaluation of spine implants. A project sponsored by the European Union involving a total of two research institutes and five medium-sized companies in three countries of the EU in an interdisciplinary way to minimise the number of failures due to inadequate lumbar spine implants, by optimizing design process of lumbar spine implants; minimising technical failures due to the selection of inappropriate configurations; improving communication between surgeons and manufacters providing the surgeons a better biomechanical knowledge of the product and the manufacturers with a deeper understanding of major clinical problems. 1 November 2001 to 30 April 2002