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Innovation ecosystems continue the fight against the pandemic

Publication date - real:
05-05-2020
Category:
Community
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The Ljubljana team working remotely
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This month’s overview of some of the actions IASP members around the world are taking to minimise the impact of COVID-19 in their cities, communities and regions, and the various ways they are supporting their companies through the crisis. 

The Innovation Hub (South Africa) is calling on local innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, SMEs, research institutions, universities, and the public to submit their solutions for preventing the spreading of COVID-19 through their Open Innovation Solution Exchange programme, a platform and process which connects solution-seekers to solution-providers. They are offering successful applicants the opportunity to test, develop, incubate and commercialise their solutions.

In Kenya, Konza Technopolis has partnered with the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs, the private sector, academia, non-governmental organizations and the UNDP to launch the Great Covid-19 Innovation challenge, harnessing local creativity and innovation to co-create tech-based solutions to the virus. They are also hosting a series of webinars exploring topics such as technology and health innovation, and the future of healthcare post Covid-19.

Moving into Asia, IKP Knowledge Park in India is highlighting efforts from its life science startups, and making sure all its SMEs and startups survive the crisis by reaching out to them now to identify the support they will need to stay afloat and sharing the information with public and private sector funding bodies.

Over to North America and Sherbrooke Innopole in Canada, where the team is playing a leading role in providing daily updates to companies and regular videoconferences, covering issues such as the resumption of activities in the manufacturing sector, prevention measures in the workplace, contingency planning and business assistance measures and programmes. 

Latin America has seen some impressive community initiatives: in Colombia, Ruta N in Medellin has led community efforts to develop an open source ventilator via its #innspiraMED initiative, which has already built a prototype that can go forward to clinical trials. Once approved, it can be made by anyone for a fraction of the price of a conventional ventilator. You can find out more about it in this video feature in the Wall Street Journal, while in Peru, CIDE PUCP are taking activities online with a series of webinars for education and to help entrepreneurs. As part of their #YoEmprendoDesdeCasa initiative, IASP CEO Ebba Lund recently joined one of the sessions, updating attendees on the technology solutions related to COVID-19 shared by companies in IASP member STPs/AOIs, and some of the community initiatvies taking place in parks. You can watch the recording of the webinar here (in Spanish).

Collaborating with the community, the Creative Technology Laboratory at Tecnovates (Brazil) is producing face shield masks on 3D printers and laser cutting machines, with the support of students from the institution's design course. Tecnovates has also made its pilot dairy plant available for the dilution of alcohol from 96º to 70º, which helps in cleaning and combating the spread of the coronavirus. 2000 litres have already been shared with local hospitals, fire departments, the military and health clinics. 

Also in Brazil, TECNOPUC has set up a business analysis group, led by our colleague Professor Jorge Audy, to identify the current needs of companies and their teams, making it possible to serve them properly. They have also made three labs available to the entire community, and enabled the production of 5,000 face masks, as well as 15 requests to support product development, creating a network including the University Hospital, other PUCRS laboratories, as well as professors and researchers. Leveraging their role at the heart of the innovation ecosystem, Tecnopuc is also conducting an open call for partners interested in sharing 3D printers.

Technology Park Ljubljana (Slovenia) has taken an active approach to connecting the Slovenian technological community, to bring together the people with the best skills and good practices as well as distributing computers so that as many children as possible can attend e-schools. They have also set up an amazing group of engineers in a campaign initiated by CEO Jernej Pintar, which is currently developing the most important device for assisting the battle against COVID-19: the creation of prototype respirators.  

In France, our colleagues at Atlanpole are supporting their life science companies as they work to develop vaccines for COVID-19, putting their hard work in the spotlight and inspiring the local community. They are also helping businesses from all sectors to move operations online by connecting them with local providers of a free e-commerce platform, as well as making sure they stay informed about the financial assistance available at a national level. 

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