SilverFit B.V.
SilverFit B.V. was founded in 2008 by Joris Wiersinga and Maaike Dekkers-Duits with the aim to improve the lives of elderly people using innovative technology. The overall goal of SilverFit is to fundamentally improve the rehabilitation facilities and care of the elderly by developing and introducing innovative products and training methods. These products and methods should contribute to a more and longer independent, autonomous life for elderly people around the world. As an example, video game technologies can help by increasing the attractiveness of the rehabilitation process for patients. During the past few years, SilverFit has been operating more and more on a global level, launching their products and methods on the European, American and Asian market. Last year, their systems were used at more than 2000 locations within 19 different countries around the world.
Eurostars
In collaboration with an Hungarian R&D hardware partner and a well-known Dutch hospital, SilverFit applied for funding from within the European grant programme Eurostars. The aim of the revolutionary eHealth project is to develop a prototype system for people with respiratory insufficiency. This prototype system helps people with respiratory insufficiency that require prolonged mechanical ventilation on the ICU by improving their respiratory rehabilitation and providing the means to optimize the intake of drugs, resulting in accelerated recovery and discharge from the ICU. As mechanical ventilation on the ICU is experienced by patients as very invasive; the shorter the period the better. Thanks to this innovation, patients on ventilation on the ICU can benefit from early training to gain the ability to breathe independently. This increases their quality of life and shortens the length of their admittance. Besides, this is not only beneficial for the patient, but also for the hospital as ICU beds are expensive resources. Hezelburcht has written the application in collaboration with SilverFit and their partners. Earlier in 2016, our grant specialists coordinated a MIT grant application for testing the feasibility of an advanced hardware solution for use in the ICU.
Hezelburcht has informed us perfectly about the possibilities within the Eureka Eurostars grant programme. Projects within Eurostars belong to the best and most innovative projects with a crucial impact on Europe. To make sure an application is in accordance with the program, it has to be approved by various evaluation panels. These evaluation panels extensively tested three components within our project: quality, excellence and European impact. Thanks to the guidance and advice of Hezelburcht, we were able to get through the different selection stages of the programme. The role of the grant specialists occupied more than making sure the application met with the requirements. They thought along with us on a substantive, strategic way. This resulted in a successful Eurostars grant application!
- Maaike Dekkers-Duijts, Managing Director SilverFit
