As one of only three companies, Sani Nudge was selected to collaborate with the Mistletoe Research Foundation for the 2019-20 cohort in Japan. Recognizing the immense value that this partnership would create, Sani Nudge seized the opportunity and went on an insightful trip.
A perfect match
In July 2019, a team of Sani Nudge employees had the opportunity to go to Tokyo to work alongside the best research fellows from around the world. Out of 1000 applicants, Sani Nudge was one of just three companies selected to collaborate with the Mistletoe Research Foundation (MRF) for the 2019-20 cohort in Japan.
The aim of the MRF is to create a connection between academics, companies and entrepreneurs to build a human-centred and sustainable future through technology. They have an important focus on the social impact a company has on society and, in particular, on companies that use technology.
It goes without saying, Sani Nudge ticks all those boxes with their innovative IoT based hand hygiene solution that aims at improving patient safety and reducing the risk of hospital-acquired infections.
Why we wanted to collaborate
The employees at Sani Nudge all wear multiple hats and have a broad range of competencies. But sometimes, it can be valuable to get input from the outside and have expertise from people in specific fields to help us solve problems and advance the business in order to ensure that we are the leading company of IoT-solutions to hospitals.
At the start of 2019, we collaborated with DTU Compute, a division of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) to help us apply Machine Learning and Predictive Analytics to our data. [Read more about it here] This was an invaluable experience and so, when we heard about the potential MRF collaboration, we leapt at the chance to apply.
To get selected, we had a long and detailed research application to fill out as well as a video interview with the CEO and founder of MRF in California, Jaclyn Selby.
Following this, we had two weeks to prepare everything for our trip to Tokyo, including writing detailed reports on our “Pure Knowledge Problems”. Leading up to the trip, we were full of anticipation, no information was given about who we could be working with. This just added to our excitement and wonder about the trip.
How the conference went
Once landed in Tokyo, we headed straight over to the venue by the famous Shibuya crossing. There, we were introduced to the other two companies (one from the UK, the other from the US) and the 12 research fellows from the United States, Canada and Singapore. Over three days, Sani Nudge, along with the other companies and research fellows underwent an intense matching program where we would be able to work with the four best research fellows who would dedicate their time in refining some technical details of our solution.
Of course, as a Danish company, we encourage the work/life balance and recognise the importance of the social side of work. Aside from the conference, we went out as a newly founded team to the local izakaya for hearty meals and to get to know one another on a more personal basis.
The plan for the collaboration
We have teamed up with four American postdoctoral fellows from the fields of Chemistry, Neurobiology, Robotics and Material Science & Engineering. They will work with us over the following academic year to help us take the Sani Nudge solution to the next level and enable hospitals to get even more detailed hand hygiene information that can eliminate hospital-acquired infections.
At the end of the academic year in June 2020, our team of researchers will present the final solution to potential investors and other academics in Silicon Valley. This, we believe, will strengthen our ties to the US market as well as to the world of academia where future collaborations can be made.
Value to Sani Nudge
This collaboration with MRF and the four research fellows is an incredible opportunity for our company. We will be able to advance our technology to provide the hospitals with even better data and use their knowledge in engineering and robotics to create new platforms.
We are looking forward to the following year of working with these fantastic researchers and no doubt, both sides will learn from each other immensely.
