This paper describes the establishment of the new joint laboratory for medical materials science in Tomsk in the framework of the Technology Platform “Medicine of the Future”. The objective of this paper is to analyze the promising research areas within Medicine and Healthcare in the field of medical materials science. The study has been carried out using patent analysis and the method of critical technologies. The research object is the science and technology thematic area “biodegradable composite materials for medical applications”. According to the analysis of patent databases of the Federal Institute of Industrial Property (Russia) and the European Patent Office, the authors have made conclusions concerning the level of inventive activity with regard to “biodegradable composite materials for medical applications”, and determined the common and distinct country features of patent activity in medical materials science. Besides, the authors have suggested a new approach to improving the inventive activity in Russia and abroad, based on the method of critical technologies.