Following the “StartupsVsCovid19” call for projects launched in April, a total of 15 innovative solutions proposed by startups to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis have been selected; each will receive up to €150,000 in grants from the Ministry of the Economy.
The “StartupsVsCovid19” call for projects was launched to encourage young innovative companies to develop innovative technology-based products and services intended to limit, or even overcome, the economic, health and societal effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
By 30 April, the closing date of the call for projects, more than 300 startups had responded. A pre-selection of 29 applications was made and hearings were held at the beginning of May by a jury composed of representatives from the Ministry of the Economy, Luxinnovation, Technoport, Luxembourg-City Incubator, the House of Startups and the Luxembourg house of Financial Technology (LHoFT).
“I am absolutely delighted about the large number and high quality of the projects submitted,” said Luxembourg's Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot. “It proves that our startup community is full of talent and is able to demonstrate outstanding innovation.”
“The responsiveness and creativity of startups in proposing innovative solutions in the current context is a sign of a mature ecosystem that fully fulfills its role as a driver of innovation for our economy, but also our society and our healthcare system”, confirmed Luxinnovation’s CEO Sasha Baillie.
A first instalment of 75% is to be released now, with the remaining 25% to be paid after the project has been finalised.
The owners of projects that are not selected can still benefit from support from Luxinnovation and the other partners of the startup ecosystem.
The selected startups & the winning projects:
A352: Mobile application designed to help small and micro enterprises in the management of their finances, thanks to artificial intelligence.
ARSPECTRA: Mobile headsets equipped with thermographic sensors and an augmented reality capability allowing the detection of a possible fever and can also help with the checking of personal documents remotely.
COCO WORLD: Online study platform for secondary school students in Luxembourg (11-19 years old) that allows one to arrange individual or group study sessions as well as share knowledge and educational resources.
EMAILTREE AI: Solution to automate the processing and analysis of the level of urgency of messages (emails, online forms, instant messaging) sent to medical units and healthcare professionals in Luxembourg.
GLOBEEYE: Mapping solution for the levels of polluting gases in the atmosphere, which are aggravating factors in the mortality of people affected by Covid-19, through the use of satellite data and other remote sensors.
GROUPLUNCH: Online platform allowing the delivery of commodities to private customers at home from many small businesses heavily impacted by containment measures as well as restaurants.
KEYMITT: Mobile application allowing to check the compliance of protection measures against Covid-19 in buildings remotely.
MU DESIGN: Integration of an ultraviolet irradiation system into door handles to allow self and germicidal sanitising of these objects which are a very common vector of contamination.
SHAWBE: Mobile application allowing to creation of virtual queues to help restaurants enforce social distancing rules.
SOFTBRIK: Digital assistant allowing doctors to maintain frequent contact with their patients, especially in relation to the early symptoms of Covid-19, thanks to a voice messaging system combined with artificial intelligence.
SOVI: Application to improve communication between Covid-19 patients intubated in intensive care and caregivers, thanks to a technology combining artificial voice and a pictogram system.
STAMPIFY: Online platform fully compliant with the Luxembourgish legal framework allowing to automate decision-making processes, including remote document signing, within organisations.
UFT: Smart dispatching system of the emergency assistance that optimises and coordinates ambulance routes and automatically schedules vehicle disinfection following interventions related to Covid-19 cases.
VAGALUM: Online learning platform tailored to school programmes to remotely support schools in the follow-up and monitoring of their students during the containment period.
VIRTUAL RANGERS: Virtual reality-based training platform providing training to health staff about the appropriate care gestures for Covid-19 patients. The platform combines theory and practice by taking the specificity of each patient into account.
