Tunisia: HealthTech for the fight against Covid-19

Innov’I project redesigned to address the crisis

In Tunisia as elsewhere, the Covid-19 crisis has had a strong impact on the country’s health and economic landscape.

Tunisia’s innovation ecosystem has been very responsive to the crisis and a number of initiatives led by start-ups, support structures and engineering schools rapidly emerged. In response, as Clara Guilhem, Innov’I project manager, explains, “The funds [of the Innov’I project] have been redirected to support innovative projects to address the crisis, both directly, as with the HealthTech Challenge, and via institutional mechanisms set up by the Tunisian Government. The entire team is working on supervising the initiatives at ministerial level, providing technical assistance to project initiators and making financing available”.

Implementing solutions with the HealthTech Challenge

The HealthTech Challenge has been launched by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS), the association Tunisian Startups and its partners. It aims to promote innovative initiatives to more effectively manage the health crisis. A total of 81 solutions have been proposed based on three of the issues involved in the crisis:

• The tools and equipment to diagnose the virus and collect and/or visualise data (i);

• The physical protection of health workers (ii);

• Solutions for call centres and the management of available beds (iii).
 

The Challenge jury, of which Expertise France is a member, subsequently shortlisted 9 projects. They include solutions for low-cost automatic respirators, 3D-printed visors and a platform for the remote treatment of suspected cases of Covid-19.

After three days of mentoring by over 40 experts and a second round of selection, the two final winners were announced on 21 April: TUNIRESP and SMARTBOX CONTAINER INDUSTRY, which have proposed relevant and appropriate solutions for the current crisis and a detailed implementation plan.

These two projects will benefit from support from industry partners and funds of up to TND 220,000 (EUR 70,000) to help them rapidly materialise their ideas. In addition to its technical assistance, the Innov’I project will directly finance the winners of the HealthTech Challenge with EUR 20,000.

Innovating to produce medical equipment

In addition to its participation in the HealthTech Challenge, Innov’i is also supporting a scientific project to combat the pandemic launched by the Tunisian Society of Mechanical Engineering (ATM), in partnership with the National Engineering School of Monastir (ENIM). In practical terms, it involves providing TND 60,000 (EUR 20,000) of financial support for the design and production of innovative scientific equipment by teams of researchers and students. These teams are already producing protective face shields, full protective clothing garments and respiratory support systems. Other projects and prototypes are in the study and development phase.

Innov’i is thereby supporting and financing Tunisian scientific innovations that have a direct and immediate impact on the emergency health situation experienced by Tunisia.

More about the HealthTech Challenge Covid-19: challengecovid19.untapcompete.com

More about the Innov'i - EU4Innovation project: innovi.tn