Source: EC
The logo shows the European flag and the name of DG CNECT, the Directorate General for Communication Networks, Content & Technology
About the procurement
In 2020, UVD robots was selected by the European Commission to deliver 200 of its innovative disinfection robots to hospitals across Europe following an emergency procurement procedure with a budget of EUR 12 million that is financed from the European Emergency Support Instrument. As the results were very positive, another 100 robots were recently ordered. UVD Robot's tender came out first in the EC's evaluation that ranked different disinfecting robots on technical excellence and maturity of technology, quality of approach in deployment, response time in technical support and maintenance and overall value. According to the CEO of UVD Robots, this European Commission's order was the largest of its kind and this can be important not only to fight the Corona virus more effectively, but also to diffuse innovative robotics technology more widely. The procurement is therefore a nice example of how a public procurement of innovative solutions that follows after a pre-commercial procurement can help diffuse the benefits of innovations to the wider public while helping also European startup companies grow. The disinfection robots are part of the European Commission's efforts to provide equipment to Member States in aid of tackling the Corona pandemic. UVD Robots are already being deployed in the first +10 EU countries with more to follow. Read more about the distribution of the disinfection robots across EU countries here.
Positive results
Early deployment of the robots in Croatia and Italy already last year shows excellent results. In Croatia the result of using the robots for 5 consecutive months showed no existence of organisms after the UVD Robot, compared to micro-resistant organisms being present in eight out of ten disinfections done mechanically and manually previously without the Robot. The disinfection time for hospital staff was also reduced with 1,5 hours, freeing up more time for hospital staff to work on urgent care tasks and enabling to have a higher turnover in surgeries. In addition, significantly less hospital staff tested positive for COVID-19 in departments were the robots were deployed compared to other hospital departments were the robots were not deployed. Similarly in Italy, before the arrival of the robots six of the hospital's doctors had been infected with COVID-19, but since the robots were introduced there has not been a single case of corona among doctors, nurses or patients in those departments.
About the company
UVD Robots is a startup company established in Odense in Denmark that was created for the pre-commercial procurement initiated by Danish hospitals to reduce the spread of infections in hospitals back in 2014-16, long before the Corona pandemic hit the world. This forward looking pre-commercial procurement led to the development of the UVD-Robots that were tested between 2014 and 2016 in Odense University hospital. Unlike many stationary disinfection robots, the UVD Robot is a mobile, fully autonomous robot, that integrates UVC light to disinfect against viruses and bacteria not only on surfaces, but in the air as well, providing a fully comprehensive infection control and prevention solution. When the first wave of corona virus hit Asia, China identified UVD Robots already as the most effective disinfection solution on the market and started buying their robots, Since then they have been sold in over 60 countries across the world. In addition to the healthcare sector, the UVD robots are now also increasingly deployed within hotels, railways, airports, schools, shopping malls, food companies, cruise ships, pharmaceutical companies, office complexes and many more across the glove, meeting new and heightened expectations for safety and clearnliness. UVD won recently with its disinfection robots the best COVID-19 response award . UVD Robot is today the world's leading autonomous UV-C mobile robot company. with more than 75% of the world market. The company has known a staggering growth and is tipped to be Denmark's next unicorn.