25 / 05 / 2020

Latest Updates on EARTO Members’ Actions against COVID-19

As key RD&I actors, RTOs around the world are currently developing an array of supporting activities in the fight against COVID-19, while having to face in parallel their own technology infrastructures’ operational challenges.To give a peek of RTOs’ efforts, here are some latest updates from EARTO Members’ Actions:

In Austria, AIT develops a modern tour planning system which optimises the use of mobile medical teams, home care and the provision of auxiliary persons (e.g. in-home quarantine) and a SIMULATE software tool which can examine flows of people and evaluate the effectiveness of various measures. AIT provides its know-how, infrastructure and service experience for high-throughput testing of patient samples for COVID-19 infection and offers its Telehealth Service used in standard care for monitoring chronically ill patients at home, to support the care of infected persons put under home quarantaine in order to use the resources of the national health system more efficiently. Together with the Medical University Vienna, Medical University Graz, Lech-Zürs Tourism and the Management Center Innsbruck AIT set up an online longitudinal study to investigate COVID-19 symptoms and takes also part in an Austrian research group, funded by the Federal State of Lower Austria, in order to develop a low-cost and easy-to-use smell test to detect COVID-19 infection. In this regard, AIT develops an antibody test for clinical diagnostic laboratories which determines whether a patient has had a SARS-CoV-2 infection and has already produced antibodies against the virus. AIT also analyses changes in mobility behaviour in Vienna using taxi data and conducts an Austria-wide corona study, which enhances better preparedness for similar situations in the future;
In Thailand, NSTDA opens a call for proposal to support entrepreneurs who are interested to transfer the research and develops innovative UV germicidal robot to help disinfecting the disease by UV light. NSTDA also develops several systems: for tracking health of travellers entering Thailand, managing health products and services, enabling business operation under the health crisis and it establishes Research and Knowledge Emergency Operation Center (RKEOC);
In Spain, Tecnalia is involved in supporting Spanish manufacturers to increase their manufacturing capacity of ventilators and, at the same time, is undertaking several initiatives to develop rapid diagnostic tests, as well as to protect material equipment, using artificial intelligence. Tecnalia is making all its technological and laboratory capacities available to collaborate with the Basque and Spanish Health Departments in the prevention, diagnosis and management, treatment and post COVID-19 crisis. Tecnalia is currently developing a pilot of the first contact tracking system that guarantees privacy to deal with the spread of COVID-19 and to prevent future outbreaks.