Government grant and crowdfunding platform for corona innovations

Providers of care or support who wish to offer digital remote care to people at home during the current coronavirus crisis are eligible for the E-health at Home Incentive Scheme (SET). The SET scheme has been expanded by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS) to include a COVID-19 helpdesk. At the same time, Radboud University and Radboudumc are joining forces to launch a crowdfunding platform for innovations and scientific research relating to the virus.

To curb the spread of the corona virus (COVID-19), a variety of government measures have been introduced. These measures also put pressure on care for frail elderly people living at home or people with chronic illnesses or disabilities. Healthcare organisations therefore need more technological options in the short term to offer remote care.

To support and encourage initiatives in this area, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport is expanding the SET scheme to include a corona desk. They can receive a grant of a fixed amount of EUR 50,000. Recipients may use up to 50% of this for the purchase, lease and licence costs of digital applications. It is also possible to use the subsidy amount for hiring external forces to support the implementation of digital applications.

A co-payment is not required. Do actual costs turn out to be lower than EUR 50,000? Then the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO) will reclaim the remaining amount.

This is a temporary extension of the scheme, for which the end date has not yet been set. However, the RFO reports that if the corona crisis and the obstacles resulting from the crisis that affect the continuity of support or care expire, the temporary extension of the SET will expire.

Interested parties can submit one application per provider and have it considered. Only once both this application and the implementation have been completed and the corona crisis is still ongoing will it be possible to submit another application for new activities.

At the time of writing, due to the high interest in SET COVID-19, the ministry is temporarily not accepting new applications. Consultations are currently taking place from the Ministry of VWS to reopen the counter as soon as possible.

To be eligible for a grant, a number of conditions must be met. Further information on this is available here. As soon as it is possible to apply for the grant again, applications can be made via this webpage.

Radboud University and Radboudumc are also joining forces around the platform jebentnodig.nl. Here, they bundle initiatives to which people can contribute in the fight against corona. The parties call healthcare professionals in the fight against corona the heroes, who dedicate themselves under extreme circumstances to provide patients with the best possible care. According to the parties, these circumstances call for innovative solutions.

"To raise money for this, we have set up a crowdfund platform," explained Marcel Slenders, director of the Radboud Fund. The Radboud Fund deals with fundraising for the university and the UMC. "We are supporting three projects that are currently an absolute priority in the fight against corona. These are two innovations, on respirators and face protection, and the BCG research. All three have already started and need further financial boost."

Intensive care doctor Hugo Trouw of Raboudumc and engineers from the company Stogger, for instance, are working on an affordable ventilator for corona patients. "With this, we maintain sufficient capacity in the ICU, so that people can continue to provide the best care there," says Slenders. "And not only in the Radboudumc, because the design will be shared with companies around the world. With donations, we can quickly start production for the Radboudumc."

The Radboudumc REshape Centre innovation centre has succeeded in developing a new type of face shield in a short time. It is also working on solutions to the shortage of mouth caps. "We want to collaborate on solutions to keep our healthcare professionals well protected from the virus so they can continue working," Slenders said. "With financial help, we can design, test and, if possible, produce protective devices."

The platform also focuses on corona virus research to better combat and prevent the virus. For instance, Radboud professor Mihai Netea, together with UMC Utrecht, is investigating the possible efficacy of the vaccine against tuberculosis (the BCG vaccine) to better protect healthcare workers against the coronavirus. Slenders: "From our crowdfund platform, we will financially support these and future studies to fight the coronavirus."

Further information can be found here.

Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel