Local Ventilator Design Challenge in Nigeria

The Challenge

With an estimated population of 200million people, the amount of Ventilators needed to support patients who may require it is enormous. The Nigerian Government is making some important efforts to increase the number of Ventilators. We need YOU to design prototypes of Ventilators using locally sourced materials that would provide vital life support to patients.

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The Goal

Using local materials (that are easily available within your environment), you are expected to design a low-cost, simple, easy to use and easy to build ventilator that can serve COVID-19 patients, within an emergency timeframe. The design should be easy to build locally, must be easy to verify its functionality, and must meet the design requirements specified in this challenge. The chief aim is to encourage participation from local manufacturers in Nigeria, boost confidence in the ability of our local experts to solve challenges and increase revenue generation within Nigeria.  It is a strictly non-profit venture. 

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How we support you

We provide a platform to support your design process. Before finalizing your designs, we also provide support through the patent application process at the Nigerian Patent Office. Team participation is encouraged and as such, we provide a platform to encourage collaboration amongst local team members. We will also provide technical, engineering, materials experts who will guide each team in producing design compliant products. 

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Team requirements

Expertise

1. For effective collaboration within Teams (a max. of 5 and min of 2) members per team is allowed.

2. Each team must include at least one practicing medical personnel (with a clinical understanding of how a Ventilator operates), one relevant technical/engineering professional with COREN License. 

3. Each team member must provide a short resume of qualifications relevant to the design 

Communication

1. A member of each team shall be appointed by the team to represent the entire team in communication during the assessment phase of the design.

2. Every member of the team shall also submit relevant contact details (i.e. phone number and email address). These details should be maintained throughout the contest and beyond.

Capacity and costs

1. Along with the submission of the design documents, each team shall prepare and submit an estimated Bill of Materials

2. Each team must demonstrate sufficient local capacity to produce, test, and demonstrate the performance of their design in accordance with the specifications.

3. Costs of prototyping would be covered by the Sponsors.

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Procedure

1. Registration: Begins 8th April 2020

2. Submission Deadline: April 30th, 2020.

3. Submission requirements: The following documents are to be submitted

   • ​CAD Drawings of the design (3D files and/or fully annotated 2D drawings)
   • Design Test method and results (.pdf)
   • Clear and concise user guide (.pdf)
   • Functional block diagram and fully annotated circuit diagram (.pdf)
   • Bill of Materials (.pdf)
   • ​A letter attesting to non-conflict of interest among team members

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Assessment Criteria

1. Three (3) finalists will be chosen by a team of experts on the panel based on strictly medical and engineering requirements

2. First stage assessment: Electrical safety and Electro-magnetic compatibility (interference and susceptibility)

3. Second stage assessment: Biocompatibility, Clinical efficacy, Risk mitigation, and Sterilization

4. The three finalists would be funded to build the prototypes based on the Bill of Materials submitted

5. The final prototypes would be assessed and filed for provisional Patents while being deployed for mass production