Clinical Innovation Fellowships: Improving Healthcare in Egypt through Entrepreneurship

Now more than ever, the need for medical and technological innovation in healthcare is crucial. In April, 2020, the first round of the Swedish healthcare innovation programme, Clinical Innovation Fellowship, was launched in Egypt. The goal of the Clinical Innovation Fellowships is to improve healthcare by identifying clinical needs and challenges gathered on the ground through a clinical immersion phase and creating tailored solutions to address those needs.

The Clinical Innovation Fellowship was initially launched in Sweden ten years ago. For many of its participants over the years, the programme has been the first step in creating a start-up in the medical technology field. It is a joint initiative of RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Karolinska Institutet (KI), and EIT Health. This year, we’re partnering with RISE to hold the programme for the first time in Egypt.

Out of 80 applicants from all over Egypt, 8 participants with backgrounds in medicine, engineering, design and/or business have been selected to work in two multidisciplinary teams throughout the programme.

The programme will give the participants a unique opportunity to drive healthcare innovation through clinical immersion; a 6-week period where participants observe and interact with healthcare professionals and patients during everyday clinical practice. By immersing the multidisciplinary team in a clinical setting, the participants can rely on their diverse expertise to assess medical challenges from a fresh perspective and utilize design thinking and entrepreneurial mindset to tackle healthcare needs in real time.

Each team will work at a specific health care department alongside its staff to co-create innovative solutions to identified needs. The deep clinical immersion experience is being designed with consideration to the current crisis to ensure the safety of participants and healthcare professionals.

“When great minds come together, ideas come to life. I am proud to see Egyptian and Swedish innovators coming together to bring life sciences innovations to light. I believe that Egypt with its talented youth and Sweden with its long history in medical research and innovation are ready to enable the healthcare of tomorrow. Sweden believes that through innovation and collaboration we can revolutionize healthcare practices around the world.’’ Said Jan Thesleff, the Ambassador of Sweden to Egypt. He added, “enpact has been a great partner to Sweden in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in Egypt, and we’re happy to cooperate in implementing the Clinical Innovation Fellowship programme.’’

The programme’s duration is 8 months and is scheduled to start on the 2nd of August, 2020. Aside from the clinical immersion phase, participants will also receive dedicated mentoring from both local and global experts in healthcare innovation and access to a leading global healthcare network through EIT Health. They will engage in expert lectures and workshops in healthcare management, medical innovation, business development, design thinking, and product development.

Interested in supporting the Clinical Innovation Fellowships through offering mentoring or collaborations? You can reach out to enpact Egypt through info@enpact.org.