T.I.P. and Vents for Philippines secure DOST grant for ventilator project

This is a press release from the Technological Institute of the Philippines

The Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P.) recently secured funding from the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) for its Automated Emergency Ventilator prototype. With this grant, T.I.P. is set to produce five units of its prototype design that shall undergo further calibration and testing in government-recognized testing facilities before it can get approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We of course would like our prototype design to pass all necessary testing and eventually gain FDA approval so that it may truly be used by medical frontliners in the field. Having DOST support greatly increases our chances of progressing all the way to FDA approval,” explained T.I.P. Senior Vice President Angelo Q. Lahoz.

Multi-stakeholder collaboration greatly benefits rapid design projects such as this, especially when varied expertise are required to bring a design to fruition. T.I.P. therefore allied itself with numerous like-minded individuals and groups from the inception of the project. One such collaborator is Vents for PHL, a multi-disciplinary and collaborative network, composed of private individuals, medical practitioners, and companies who banded together with the primary objective of saving lives.

Working together with both T.I.P.’s original set of collaborators and Vents for PHL, T.I.P.’s project engineers gained access to a broad set of resources. With this, prototype design work progressed immensely, enabling T.I.P. and its collaborators to apply for the DOST-PCIEERD’s call for emergency ventilator proposals.

“With the varied people and organizations we have met, and the new friends and allies we have gained, T.I.P. remains inspired and looks forward to further enhancing the prototype design and seeing it through to FDA approval.” Lahoz concluded. – Rappler.com