The Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) organised the Diabetes Clinical Summit: An Ecosystem Approach at L.V. Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad. This day-long event made up of a series of panel discussions featuring a diverse group of stakeholders, including patients, physicians, nurses, ASHA workers, government and industry representatives, and public health experts – focused on tackling pressing clinical health challenges and barriers to diabetes care in India.
Dr. Gullapalli N Rao, founder and chair at LVPEI and an ophthalmology expert, delivered the keynote address at the event. The day concluded with the CAMTech Technology Showcase, an interactive presentation of early-stage and newly-marketed diabetes focused technologies.
"As the diabetes capital of the world, CAMTech wanted to direct our innovation efforts to India,” said Elizabeth Bailey, director at CAMTech. “Through the Clinical Summit, we can identify the clinical challenges influencing this epidemic and use the hack-a-thon as a vehicle to mobilise a talented network of innovators from all over the country to create solutions that will improve and save lives in India.”
CAMTech is a global network of academic, corporate, and implementation partners whose mission is to build entrepreneurial capacity and accelerate medical technology innovation through an open innovation platform. Through the Diabetes Innovation Hack-a-thon, teams – through cross-disciplinary collaboration, mentorship and award incentives — will turn ideas into breakthrough innovations that can shift the paradigm and transform diabetic care in India and beyond.
In addition, Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF), has partnered with Villgro, India’s oldest and foremost social enterprise incubator, to help incubate the winning ideas after the Hack-a-thon by launching new ventures. Through hands on mentorship and funding, MIF and Viillgro will help teams convert their prototypes into viable, low-cost innovative solutions.
“Marico Innovation Foundation is keen to support the Diabetes Hack-a-thon, as it is the ideal source of the next generation of disruptive innovations that have the potential to be game changers for the bottom of the pyramid in India,” said Harsh Mariwala, founder of Marico Innovation Foundation. “By providing them with mentoring opportunities and direct funding, both of which are critical to successful incubation, MIF aims to play a catalytic role in fostering innovation to develop scalable and replicable solutions that have the potential to create sustainable direct impact.”
CAMTech will host the Diabetes Innovation Hack-a-thon in Hyderabad on October 10-11, 2015 in partnership with Lattice Innovations and with support from Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF), Terumo and Medtronic.
The event brings together some of India’s brightest minds to develop innovative and affordable health technologies that will improve the prevention, diagnosis and management of diabetes in India and globally.
The event will take place at the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Gachibowli, Hyderabad. As one of the leading business schools throughout Asia, ISB is recognised for its distinctive programmes focused on entrepreneurship, technology in commerce and emerging economies.