InnovationCast, Premium Minds and OutSystems created an online platform – covid.pt , which launches challenges, gathers ideas and calls everyone who wants to develop them. Carlos Mendes, Bruno Lopes, Pedro Dias, Rodrigo Dias, Ricardo Lapão, Gonçalo Gaiolas and Leonardo Varela-Cid are the Técnico alumni involved in this project.
“We realised that the smartest thing to do would be to involve all stakeholders, both in the identification of problems and in the execution of ideas”. “Covid.pt is a platform that involves our 3 companies, with allocated resources, and mobilised by people’s will”, explains Leonardo Varela-Cid, co-founder of InnovationCast.
“We want to extend this partnership to all entities interested in investing in this innovation process”, as stated on the website. Entities that want to join this initiative can actively contribute, with products or means that help to put ideas into practice. “More than just agreeing or emotionally supporting the initiative, to which we are grateful, we are looking for partners who make things happen”, says the co-founder of InnovationCast.
The platform launches challenges, allows the submission of ideas, and challenges everyone who knows how to solve them, so that all together and using knowledge as a weapon, the Portuguese population can be helped. “There are many different ways to contribute: submit new ideas to the challenges launched; help to improve the existing ideas in order to make them more achievable; or choose an idea to put into practice, in which case you can contact us and count on the support of partners”, explains Leonardo Varela-Cid. “In addition, it is still possible to suggest new challenges. If the challenge is considered important, it will be launched on the platform as a way to present ideas”, adds the Técnico alumnus.
The Técnico community is called to this battle, and the school students are considered strong allies of this platform. “Técnico students are people who can make strong contributions both in the discussion, submission and implementation of ideas”. “Students and professors are used to work in groups, have technical skills and the potential to help implement ideas”, adds Leonardo Varela-Cid.
“Ideas that bind us together” is the motto of this platform. “At these times, a strong sense of community is most often needed. Health services and the government are already overburdened. We can give a hand”, stresses Leonardo Varela-Cid. “The strength of a community is in its backgrounds, skills, personal experience, etc. We can all make a contribution”, adds the alumnus.
