(SensUs) SensUs Innovators

Project summary

Team competitions can encourage university students to become healthcare entrepreneurs. SensUs is an innovative educational contest in which students develop commercially viable biosensors.

SensUs brings teams of international university students to compete in developing biosensors, as well as business models for the commercialisation of those biosensors. Teams from renowned universities have nine months to prepare their innovations, which they pitch in front of companies, medical professionals, patients, university representatives and the general public.

For 2020, a total of 15 teams have been tasked with developing sensors to measure levels of the drug valproate in a person’s body. Valproate is an effective anti-epileptic, but it is important to use precise dosages, so sensors for the drug can help doctors perform therapeutic drug monitoring. The competing student teams will meet in Eindhoven, Netherlands on 28 August 2020 for a pitch contest. The winner will be chosen on the basis of their innovation and business plan.

After several years of successful operation, the EIT Health Campus SensUs programme will be making improvements for 2020, including:

• developing SensUs Connect, to facilitate interactions between students, universities, companies, and SensUs alumni throughout the year;
• adding a course for professionals to the SensUs Innovation Days.