On Tuesday evening, after an exciting evening of pitching, an international jury chose the winners of the first Diabetes Centre Berne Open Innovation Challenge. The winner, a project from Norway, was selected from among the total of 72 projects submitted on the topic of glucose measurement. Two Swiss start-ups made it into the top 20.
Diabetes Center Berne identifies promising projects and start-ups and helps prepare them for larger funding rounds through targeted training. This year’s innovation challenge worked in the same way. “We want to make sure that all innovators and entrepreneurs who have a connection to diabetes technology know who we are and how we can support them on their journey: with expertise, a network and our own clinical research department”, said Cordelia Trümpy, who is responsible for innovation and communication at Diabetes Center Berne.
A total of 72 projects were submitted in response to the call for ideas from Diabetes Center Berne, which asked: “Can your idea change glucose measurement forever?” Over 300 innovators from 37 countries took part by registering for the challenge, joining a team or supporting the projects as mentors. The participants benefited from access to the Diabetes Center Berne network and to expertise and coaching. There were four Swiss projects among the top 20 including projects from Tom Medications and Mithras Technology. They will continue to have access to the comprehensive network of Diabetes Center Berne.
At the event last Tuesday at sitem-insel (the Swiss Institute for Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine) in Bern, Diabetes Center Berne clearly demonstrated what translational medicine and entrepreneurship are all about: addressing unmet needs and bringing promising solutions from the areas of research and entrepreneurship to the market. Five finalists pitched their projects in Bern in front of a hundred guests and a large fan community watching online. The first prize of USD 100,000 went to the Norwegian start-up GlucoSet. The company has developed a glucose monitoring system for intensive care units. GlucoSet’s technology makes it possible to measure glucose levels continuously in real time. The second prize went to meala from Germany. They developed an app that helps people with diabetes evaluate their meals accurately. The winner of the third prize, GlucoGear from Brazil, develops a system that will use artificial intelligence to further automate insulin therapy.
(Press release / SK)
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