Inova+ Saúde Awards celebrate scientific entrepreneurship in Bahiana

Students and teachers inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit participated, on the night of November 10th, at Campus Cabula, in the award ceremony for the 3rd edition of the Inova+ Saúde Prize, an initiative of Bahiana, in partnership with the Maria Emília Foundation (FME), which awarded prizes of R$30 to three winning projects. The rector of the Bahiana, Dr. Maria Luisa Carvalho Soliani, the dean of Research Innovation and Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Teaching, Dr. Atson Fernandes, the executive director of FME, Thamile Accioly, the superintendent of Innovation at SECTI, Agnaldo Freire, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship manager of the Technological Park, Rafaela Rodrigues, who made up the board of directors.

In total, 8 suitable projects were selected that aimed at developing social technologies in the form of a product, service, device, equipment, application, game or computer program applied in the health sector. The project that won third place was the "Beetroot-Based Bacterial Plaque Evidencing Mouthwash", second place went to the project "ReHabRaras – Collaborative Rehabilitation Network for People with Rare Diseases Servare" and the project "Negro Atlas de Demography" was the big winner, taking first place. In addition to the financial incentive, the projects will receive support from the Pre-Incubation Program in Health Innovation at Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública.

As an integration activity for those present, the experience “Ancestral Journey: Entrepreneurship and Social Impact in Circular Movement” was carried out, mediated by the teacher at Bahiana and CEO of the social organization Pontos Diverse, Carolina Barreto. "Today the three best projects in the health sector with a positive impact on society were awarded. Each group received a prize to transform the idea into a minimally viable product and so that they can also participate in the mentoring program where, in addition to being mentored to development of the product, they will be trained in Entrepreneurship so that they can continue in the following phases. The objective is to promote the development of the final product, qualifying participants for future technology transfer or so that they can continue with their own startups", he explained Atson Fernandes.