Healthcare entrepreneurs compete to win funding in Galway
Healthcare entrepreneurs across Europe are travelling to Galway, Ireland to compete to win €4 million funding, business support and mentorship.
Thirty European healthcare entrepreneurs are taking part in the final stage of the EIT Health Wild Card initiative this week.
Titled Wild Card: At The Edge, the initiative takes place from 16 -20 April at several locations in Galway, including the Portershed co-working space, NUI Galway Campus and the Salthill Hotel.
The thirty entrepreneurs are the shortlisted finalists for the initiative, which aims to find technological solutions to two of Europe’s most pressing healthcare challenges: data usage and antibiotic resistance.
EIT Health Wild Card features two challenges which entrepreneurs must compete for a chance to win funding, business support and research support.
The Smart Health challenge sets entrepreneurs the task of building solutions that utilise artificial intelligence to quickly interpret large unstructured data sets, potentially allowing healthcare professionals across the EU to improve patient care and provide more personalised healthcare solutions.
The Fight Back challenge requires entrepreneurs to build solutions that tackle the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, both in terms of raising awareness and enabling new processes and methodologies across EU healthcare.
The thirty entrepreneurs will be split into teams and set various tasks throughout the week. Teams will need to devise a concept for a product or solution, develop their idea and pitch their proposal to a team of judges.
The ultimate winners of Wild Card Projects will form two successful teams and will each receive €2 million in funding, access to mentorship, business and research support, and facilities and premises across Europe, over two years.