TaITech COVID-19 technology

Public research institutions’ role in combatting COVID-19 pandemic

Public research institutions (PRIs) and universities are critical to the innovation, in particular in developing countries, because of their scientific research in unexplored areas, capacity to generate and disseminate knowledge, and mandate to collaborate with various partners to develop solutions for the benefit of society. In addition, most of universities have policies on "socially responsible IPR management", in particular, at the time of crises with impact on public health and pandemics.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, academic institutions provided significant input in the process of development of vaccines and COVID-related therapeutics. From the beginning, they were part of an urgent effort to study closely the virus, its different effect on people, how to predict the severity of symptoms in patients, and of data collection for further research.

One of the representatives of academic institutions is the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech). TalTech developed a COVID-19 technology that measures the blood flow in blood vessels. The video on the right provides insights from the perspective of the researcher, Mart Min, and TT manager, Mart Enn Koppel, on their experience in public research, as well as transferring scientific results to the global marketplace.