Menu
Our socials

    Innovator in the Spotlight

    Towards a more inclusive society to raise awareness of basic skills gaps

    In the Netherlands, 2.5 million people struggle daily with reading, writing, math, and digital skills, also called basic skills. These deficiencies make it difficult for them to fully participate in society, such as reading and understanding a letter or buying a train ticket, leading to various personal and societal problems.

    More info
    Lines

    Sustainable medical isolation gowns

    The fight against the COVID-19 virus is generating a lot of waste. The vast majority of protective materials used in the healthcare sector need to be destroyed after a single use due to the risk of contamination.

    Start year 2021
    End year 2022

    About the project

    In this research, Eindhoven Engine and its partners will focus on the development of sustainable medical isolation gowns that can be used multiple times: the ProH I-gown. In addition, an investigation will take place into how the production capacity can be made (economically) scalable and flexible when necessary.

    These sustainable medical isolation gowns can save six tons of CO2 per million gowns. If these isolation gowns are fully utilized during crisis situations, the result could be a saving of 0.2% of the total plastic waste stream in the Netherlands. In addition, ProH I-gowns stimulate the production of protective clothing in Europe.

    The execution of this research consists of two phases. Eindhoven Engine, research organization TNO and manufacturer HAVEP will carry out a technical feasibility assessment in the first phase. A business case will also be set up. The gowns will be made of woven PET material with an environmentally friendly coating. Research will also be carried out into the durability and wearability of these gowns. In phase two of the project, the concrete industrialization will be worked out in detail.

    In the first and second quarter of 2022, HAVEP started the production of the sustainable medical isolation gowns. The gowns were tested in the Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis with positive results. The Life Cycle Analyses (LCA) also had a positive outcome. Due to the rapidly changing market, among other things, we have currently frozen the further development of ProH I-gowns.

    This research is supported by Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

    More project info

    Phase 2 of SBIR project on sustainable medical isolation gowns gets started

    27 July 2021
    In June, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) accepted the second phase of the SBIR tender.
    Read more

    Accelerate by working together

    19 April 2021
    A Triple Helix collaboration of Eindhoven Engine, TNO, TU Eindhoven and HAVEP is taking up the challenge of developing economically and circularly sustainable medical isolation gowns.
    Read more

    Eindhoven Engine, TNO and HAVEP to develop sustainable medical isolation gowns

    15 February 2021
    On 28 January 2021, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) accepted Eindhoven Engine’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) proposal on sustainable medical isolation gowns.
    Read more