Call now closed
National GreenTech in Healthcare
Call focus
The national call is focussed on three key areas:
1. Production:
The manufacturing of single-use medical products often involves resource-intensive processes, using plastics and other materials that require significant energy inputs. This results in substantial greenhouse gas emissions.
2. Disposal:
Many healthcare items are designed for single use and create a constant stream of waste. The disposal process, whether it involves incineration (which can release harmful emissions and substances) or landfilling (which leads to issues like leachate, soil contamination, and methane emissions), adds to the environmental and health burden.
3. Decontamination:
The combination of processes including cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation used to render reusable invasive medical devices safe for handling by staff and for service users. Effective decontamination of reusable items and invasive medical devices is an essential component in the prevention of healthcare associated infections.
There is also a particular need to develop and test alternatives in the following areas: Syringes/sharps, bottles, packaging, cutlery and crockery, nappies and sanitary products, medical textiles (including surgical gowns, theatre drapes, aprons, masks, hats accessories).
Please note this call is not a route to procurement, nor is there any commitment of any healthcare site or personnel to purchase by engaging in these pilots and evaluations.
Who can apply?
This GreenTech in healthcare call is open to all enterprise, academic, public and private sector organisations, who:- Offer innovative and scalable solutions (products, services or devices)
- Provide new practices and solutions that address the triple focus and/or needs identified
- Products that in are in development and have at a minimum a working prototype. These products will benefit from a HIHI clinical/end user evaluation for further development.
- Products that are CE marked, in-use or are market ready and prepared for immediate deployment for a HIHI pilot. These products will benefit from a HIHI pilot to gather in-use data from a clinical setting.
Why Apply?
- Opportunity to pilot and demonstrate the impact and scalability of your offering in a real-world setting.
- Access to a unique collaborative ecosystem with established clinical, academic, public and private sector engagement.
- Project management support.
- Promotion of your product.
How can I apply?
Step 1
Download and read the HIHI GreenTech Call 2024 Briefing DocumentStep 2
Download and complete the HIHI GreenTech Call 2024 Application FormStep 3
Fill out the online submission form and upload completed Application Form before 5pm on 17th November 2024.What is the timeline?
What are the assessment criteria
All applications will be evaluated based on two separately scored lifecycle inventory analysis and circularity life cycle analysis. These are two individual sections. They are scored separately under the following headings, and all should be completed to the best of your ability and where relevant to your product. The background document is a critical support in completing your application. Please read carefully.
1. Lifecycle inventory analysis
Material Efficiency:- Use of sustainable materials.
- Reduction in material usage.
- Energy use in production and decontamination.
- Adoption of renewable energy sources.
- Waste reduction strategies.
- Improved disposal methods (recycling, energy recovery).
- Measures to reduce emissions at all stages.
- carbon footprint, quantify kgCO2
- Efficient and environmentally friendly decontamination methods.
2. Circularity life cycle analysis
Sustainable Sourcing:- Sustainability of materials used in products - sourced from renewable or recycled materials.
- Reduced need for frequent replacements.
- Safe reuse after appropriate sterilisation or refurbishment processes.
- Easily disassembled into recyclable components.
- Systems for returning products to manufacturers for updating or repurposing
How are applications assessed?
There is a two-stage assessment process for applications:
Stage 1
Review of all applications: All submissions received on or before 5pm November 15, 2024, will be assessed by a HIHI review panel. The panel will shortlist applications which best meet the assessment criteria as finalists. All applicants will be notified on the outcome of this stage on January 15, 2025.Stage 2
Online pitches: The finalists will be asked to prepare an online pitch presentation to a panel of experts which will take place on January 29 and 30, 2025. This panel will select the winning products or services.Clinical Sustainability Advisors
The national GreenTech healthcare call is supported by four Clinical Sustainability Advisors (CSAs) working in frontline positions across the country. Each of our CSAs added their expertise and commitment to sustainability in healthcare to guide and inform the national call:
Dr Cathy Burke, CUMH, CUH
Dr Cathy Burke is a consultant gynaecologist / obstetrician at Cork University Maternity Hospital. She is a consultant representative with Irish Doctors for the Environment, Chair of the Green Group at Cork University Maternity Hospital and committee member of the Green Campus Group at Cork University Hospital.
Dr Lisa McNamee, GP
Dr Lisa McNamee is the primary care sustainability lead for Irish Doctors for the Environment. She is a GP and a frequent contributor to the medical press on green issues.
Dr Ana Rakovac
Dr Ana Rakovac is a consultant chemical pathologist in Tallaght University Hospital, Naas General Hospital and Peamount Healthcare ,and a national specialty director for chemical pathology with royal college of physicians of Ireland. Ana chairs Irish Doctors for the Environment (IDE) Sustainable Healthcare Working Group. She established a Green Committee in TUH in 2019, wrote the TUH Climate Action Strategy 2024-2030, currently under review by the TUH Board and created the Clinical Laboratories My Green Lab Network.
Michael Duane, UHG
Michael is a Principal Clinical Engineer, part of the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering department at University Hospital Galway and a HSE Clinical Liaison for HIHI. Working across the various departments of the hospital he is responsible for the purchase and support of medical technology. Within this role he has a keen interest in sustainability and the effective use of medical devices.
Supported by
Enquiries
For general enquiries please contact: info@hihi.ie, climateandsustainability@hse.ie or your nearest HIHI office:
| Eimear Galvin | Dublin | Galvinei@tcd.ie |
| Jane O'Flynn | Cork | jane.oflynn@mtu.ie |
| Geraldine O’Flynn | Galway | geraldine.oflynn@universityofgalway.ie |
Dublin
Galvinei@tcd.ie
Jane O'Flynn
Cork
jane.oflynn@mtu.ie
Geraldine O’Flynn
Galway
geraldine.oflynn@universityofgalway.ie
HIHI will work with a winning innovator to pilot their product or service in an Irish healthcare setting or with the target end-user. HIHI will seek out a suitable location to pilot this innovation from its network. A HIHI project manager will be assigned to work closely with the innovator and to manage this pilot. The scope of the pilot will be agreed with all parties (company, healthcare site, HIHI) in a HIHI project agreement document. HIHI will oversee the management of the pilot, gather and analyse the results of the pilot and prepare a final project report.
Innovators should note that a HIHI project:
- is conducted at no cost to healthcare setting
- is carried out and executed with all reasonable skill and care
- is not part of a HSE procurement process
- the innovator must provide the innovation and any necessary training free for duration of the pilot
- requires the innovator to obtain all regulatory and ethical licences, consents and approvals necessary to allow it to carry out the project
- requires the innovator to affect and maintain in force all necessary insurance coverage for the performance of its obligations
- requires that each party complies with all applicable laws and with due regard for health and safety of all involved
- ensures that each party shall retain all right and title to, and interest in its own project intellectual property
- requires that all confidential information is maintained as secret and confidential
HIHI will work with a winning innovator to evaluate their product or service in an Irish healthcare setting. These products and service can be either in development or market ready. HIHI will seek out a suitable clinical experts and end-users to provide feedback on innovative product or service through demonstrations, focus groups or one-to-one interviews.
A HIHI project manager will be assigned to work closely with the company and to manage this pilot. The scope of the pilot will be agreed with all parties (innovators, healthcare experts, HIHI) in a HIHI project agreement document. HIHI will oversee the management of the pilot, gather and analyse the results of the pilot and prepare a final project report.
Innovators should note that a HIHI clinical evaluation project:
- is conducted at no cost to healthcare setting (the innovator must provide the innovation and any necessary training free for duration of project)
- is carried out and executed with all reasonable skill and care
- is not part of a HSE procurement process
- requires that each party complies with all applicable laws and with due regard for health and safety of all involved
- ensures that each party shall retain all right and title to, and interest in its own project intellectual property
- requires that all confidential information is maintained as secret and confidential
Case studies of some previous pilot and clinical evaluation projects can be found at: https://hih.ie/case-studies.
No, HIHI does not provide funding for projects from this call.
No, winners of this HIHI Call do not have to pay for the agreed project.
Companies or individuals who are not eligible to apply to the HIHI GreenTech Call can request support from HIHI through the HIHI Innovation Portal. HIHI provides support to companies and individual whose innovation is focused on any healthcare needs and is at various stages of development (idea, prototype, pre-commercial and market ready). See https://hih.ie/engage/innovation-portal .