The EU-funded project InnoBuyer has just announced the selection of 15 organisations with unmet innovation needs, set to embark on a fast-paced journey co-creating innovative solutions in collaboration with top-notch SMEs. This innovative approach aims to become a testing ground towards the implementation of a demand-driven methodology, and speed-up the process leading to a concrete innovation procurement.
From 1 February to 31 March 2023 the InnoBuyer Project ran a Call for Challengers, looking for public and private organisations from any sector to join the programme and benefit from the 1.1 million euros available. The process ended-up with the selection of 15 Challengers to receive the programme support, along with 1 additional organisation from the reserve list who accepted to join the programme on a voluntary basis.
The 12 public and 3 private organisations chosen operate in different sectors, such as Education, Energy & Water, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Public Administration and Transports.
“We are thrilled to welcome 15 forward-thinking organisations to the InnoBuyer Programme, and to facilitate a transformative journey, enabling them to articulate their innovation needs and join forces with innovative startups. Together we will co-create groundbreaking solutions that will shape the future of private and public services and drive positive change to the benefit of citizens across Europe”
The Challengers selected and their unmet needs are…
A total of 55 unmet innovation needs have been submitted to InnoBuyer’s Open Call for Challengers, by 39 different organisations, working in 11 different sectors. A group of 9 experts collaborated as external evaluators with the InnoBuyer consortium and the process culminated in the selection of the following projects:
- AI FOR JUSTICE: Intelligent assistant to support judges and magistrates in drafting sentences by locating texts of previous judgments and jurisprudence | Challenger: CTTI – Centre de Telecomunicacions i Tecnologies de la Informació | Funding: up to €41.5k
- BLOODMANSYS: Advanced Blood Transfusion Management System | Challenger: FundeSalud | Funding: up to €41.5k
- DATA2FORK: Collaborative Data-Driven Platform for Food Procurement Strategy | Challenger: Lisbon Municipality | Funding: up to €20k*
- eDEMAP: Management tool for the digitalisation of the Early Demand Map | Challenger: Fundación Pública Andaluza Progreso y Salud M.P. | Funding: up to €41.5k
- Earlydel: Wearable system for the early detection of delirium or agitation in patients | Challenger: Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañon | Funding: up to €41.5k
- FHARMAVERSO: Breaking down barriers to patient’s access to hospital pharmacy care | Challenger: Getafe University Hospital | Funding: up to €20k
- GTCS: Gap Platform – Train in Curved Stations | Challenger| Ferrocarril Metropolità de Barcelona, SA | Funding: up to €20k
- HomeBound: Sustainable and Patient-Friendly Home-based Capillary Blood Sampling Device for Improved Healthcare Access | Challenger: Erasmus MC | Funding: up to €41.5k
- MDR-prep: IT driven QMS-tool for MDR compliance of early-stage medical device development | Challenger: Delft University of Technology | Funding: up to €41.5k
- MOTINN: MOT innovative mobility procurement | Challenger: City Council of Las Rozas de Madrid | Funding: up to €41.5k
- OptiDrive: Predictive eco driving solution for service electric vehicles to optimise energy consumption, rank, analyse and enhance driver performance | Challenger: UAB “Klaipėdos paslaugos” | Funding: up to €41.5k
- OUTSTATIONS: Autonomous system for technical inspections of lighting and photovoltaic installations | Challenger: Águas e Energia do Porto | Funding: up to €20k
- PREPLEX: Automated System for Prediction and Planification of Clinical Appointments | Challenger: Hospital Universitario del Sureste | Funding: up to €41.5k
- Safe-stay: A comprehensive solution for the safety of a patient in WSS Olsztyn | Challenger: WSS Olsztyn | Funding: up to €41.5k
- SprAI: Spray Pattern Recognition | Challenger: TRYGONS S.A. | Funding: up to €20k
Reserve list:
- DECRYPT: Advanced functional materials and components for urea electrolysis for cost-effective hydrogen and ammonia production | Challenger: German Aerospace Center (DLR)
What’s next for the selected organisations:
The Challengers selected to take part in the programme are getting support from the InnoBuyer consortium to further define their unmet needs and translate them into a challenge (Action 1), that can be launched in a call for innovation suppliers/Solvers.
Once the best Solver for each particular challenge gets selected (Action 2), Challengers and Solvers will co-create and pilot an innovative solution (Action 3). If by the end of the process the solution shows promising results, Challengers will receive support to launch an innovation procurement procedure (Action 4) for the wide adoption of the solution.
