Call for ideas and expertise to help tackle novel coronavirus

Published:  25 March, 2020

The Royal Academy of Engineering has commented that it recognises the critical role that engineers can play in managing the impact of the pandemic, and is asking its Fellows, awardees and partners to use their combined engineering expertise and UK and global networks to help identify solutions, organisations and contacts that could help governments address challenges and assist the public health response.

The Academy is supporting the following calls for assistance:

• The UK government’s urgent call for assistance from engineering and manufacturing organisations around the UK to help boost the supply of ventilators and ventilator components across the UK to support the National Health Service in its response to COVID-19

• The Frontier Tech Hub’s urgent call to emerging markets for Rapidly Manufactured Ventilation Systems, inviting applications for an existing, proven technology that can be rapidly adapted to be built in the UK. The winning technology will be adapted for manufacture and use in the UK by a team at UCL’s Institute for Healthcare Engineering with GDI Hub, and will receive a licensing fee

• In addition, there are other key areas where the engineering community may be able to provide new approaches to specific challenges through technological developments. The Academy is calling on its Fellows, awardees and partners to help accelerate innovations, provide relevant policy advice and establish communications and engagement channels for people to share experiences and knowledge with governments and other organisations.

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, commented: “The Academy is committed to supporting both the near-term and longer-term response to COVID-19 and to help build resilience against future waves of this or other pandemics. While there is an immediate need to support ventilator manufacture, we also want to encourage innovation and collaboration across all relevant areas of engineering, including healthcare systems, critical infrastructure, business management and the supply chain.”

Anyone who wishes to share information or ideas can do so at: https://www.raeng.org.uk/policy/engineering-response-to-covid-19

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