Desafío Avante 3 teams hold a Boot Camp aboard the Chilean Navy frigate Lynch
This edition’s challenge is the institution’s preventive medicine model
Source: Infodefensa.com
The eight teams selected for Desafío Avante 3, organized by the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile) and Know Hub Chile, took part in a bootcamp aboard the Type 23 anti-submarine frigate FF-07 Almirante Lynch and at naval medical facilities in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar to understand the context of the preventive medicine problem within the institution.
Avante, as reported by Infodefensa.com, is an open innovation initiative focused on solving naval problems through science- and technology-based ventures that also have potential civilian applications. The challenge was first held in 2020 and helps strengthen the national research, development and innovation ecosystem.
At the bootcamp, participants received intensive in-person training that gave them practical knowledge to boost their capabilities and projects. At the same time, they were able to see the different areas of naval health to understand the problem as a whole and thus present a better solution proposal.
Updating the preventive medicine model
The teams Wildsense Limitada, Yo me Controlo, Centro Gerópolis UV, Medybite Chile, Vitzana, GIA Tech, Amanda and Teleker began the activity on Wednesday, March 8, with a field visit to the National Squadron frigate FF-07 Almirante Lynch, docked at the Valparaíso breakwater.
During the visit, the head of the Innovation Department of the Naval Polytechnic Academy (Apolinav), Lieutenant Commander Héctor Cifuentes, explained the importance and features of this new edition of the open innovation challenge.
“Avante 3 kicks off with this bootcamp, where we are joined by eight science- and technology-based ventures that will seek solutions to the problems we have in the Navy, in this case in preventive medicine, as we look to update the preventive medicine model with the support of science and technology. One of the main new features this year is finding solutions that affect our personnel, who are our most valuable asset,” said Cifuentes.
A contribution to the country
The second day of the Desafío Avante 3 bootcamp took place on Thursday, March 9, at the preventive medicine facilities in Valparaíso, before moving on to the Almirante Nef Naval Hospital in Viña del Mar.
The head of Preventive Medicine of the First Naval Zone, Commander (Health Service) Sergio González, said that “the Avante team has today become part of preventive medicine, going through each of the stations that a naval servicemember goes through. The fact that they experience this allows a user from outside the usual system to get to know it. On this occasion, the institution has made it possible for people outside the naval line to contribute, and they clearly do so with new ideas.”
Know Hub’s executive director, Javier Ramirez, said that “we have been working with the Chilean Navy for several years, and the experience has far exceeded all expectations. In this case it is an exceptional ally; we believe that thanks to its leadership, other branches of the Armed Forces are working in this area, as are strategic defense companies. We have noticed that in each edition of Desafío Avante we have more participants, and the selected teams work with greater dedication and achieve better results.”
Competing solutions
A total of 32 participants make up the groups that advanced to the second stage of Desafío Avante 3 with their science and technology proposals focused on health. Forty teams answered the call, a 73.9% increase compared to 2021
On Friday, February 24, the organizers announced the eight selected teams. All of them address more than one challenge focused on active health, with the aim of modernizing the preventive medicine model based on data. 75% are science- and technology-based ventures, and 25% are led by a woman.
Wilsense Limitada will compete with a comprehensive system for monitoring and tracking physical and cognitive-motor health; Yo me Controlo with a digital platform that facilitates access to early diagnosis and timely treatment of chronic diseases; and Centro Gerópolis UV with a health risk assessment and prioritization methodology that will make it possible to visualize and define users according to preventive medicine policies, criteria and priorities.
Medbyte is proposing a web platform that centralizes information from data capture and structuring processes with artificial intelligence analysis to identify patterns and optimize preventive medicine; Vitzana, a system that collects data directly from people’s experience and processes it to define risk indices; and GlA Tech, an artificial intelligence-based ecosystem that brings medical records together in one place.
Amanda is a remote monitoring platform with a device that allows patients’ vital signs and health parameters to be taken wherever they are, and Teleker is a geolocated information platform that enables targeted actions and the definition of health policies based on information from forms and medical devices.
Next steps
The eight teams will receive four weeks of training in the Dual Tech methodology, starting classes on March 8. During this stage, they will be supported by a team of experts, facilitators and mentors responsible for providing methodological and practical tools to the innovators and entrepreneurs taking part in the program.
Then, after the first four weeks of training and a selection pitch before a panel of experts, four teams will be selected, each of which will receive CLP 2 million to develop a minimum viable product (MVP) to validate the proposed solution and its value proposition. In parallel, they must design a work plan for implementing a higher-resolution MVP in a real environment.
Finally, in mid-May, the four Desafío Avante 3 teams will once again present to a panel of experts, who will choose the two winners to receive funding and support to carry out their proposed plan and bring the technology closer to its dual market.
The winning teams will share a total of CLP 90 million to implement a work plan to scale the MVP and bring the technology closer to its dual market.
