Daresalaam – In one week, it’s possible to learn how to design and print objects using simple open source softwares and printers. This was the goal of the “From Making to Marketing” course held by the Bioengineering Piaggio Centre researchers of the University of Pisa and Pisa FabLab. They taught a total of 40 students and teachers from nine African universities in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Ethiopia, who acquired the basic business model design skills. The course, sponsored in part by Uneca, took place during the Innovators Summer School at the University of Muhimibili of Daresalaam, Tanzania. The group of researchers, students and technicians at the Bioengineering Piaggio Center and Pisa Fablab believe that open source design for biomedical devices is intrinsically associated with the development of human skills, two essential requirements to improve healthcare in Africa. (9Colonne)
