{"id":3805,"date":"2025-07-31T10:58:24","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T08:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/low-cost-life-saving-innovation-the-example-of-an-internationally-recognised-spanish-incubator\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T10:58:24","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T08:58:24","slug":"low-cost-life-saving-innovation-the-example-of-an-internationally-recognised-spanish-incubator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/low-cost-life-saving-innovation-the-example-of-an-internationally-recognised-spanish-incubator\/","title":{"rendered":"Low-cost, life-saving innovation: the example of an internationally recognised Spanish incubator"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the world of healthcare, not all life-saving solutions come from large laboratories or multinational technology companies. Sometimes a simple idea, born out of a real need and executed with ingenuity, can have a global impact. This has been demonstrated by <\/span>Pablo S\u00e1nchez Bergasa<\/b>, Spanish engineer awarded the <\/span>2025 Princess of Girona Award<\/b>, for creating a <\/span>low-cost neonatal incubator<\/b> that has already saved thousands of lives in more than 30 countries.<\/span><\/p>\n

A solution to a problem that continues to kill in silence<\/b><\/p>\n

Every year, more than 1.5 million newborns die worldwide due to lack of access to incubators. A device that in developed countries is part of any neonatal unit remains inaccessible in most parts of the world due to its cost and lack of specialised technical maintenance. <\/span><\/p>\n

Faced with this reality, S\u00e1nchez Bergasa developed in3ator, a functional, robust and easily replicable incubator, which can be manufactured for around 350 euros, compared to the 30,000 or more that a conventional unit costs. Its design combines basic electronics, 3D printing and accessible materials, and is offered in open source format, so that any community or healthcare center can replicate it in a local workshop or Fab Lab. <\/p>\n

Simple technology, profound impact<\/b><\/p>\n

To date, more than 200 in3ators have been distributed by NGOs, hospitals and health networks in countries such as Peru, Senegal, Lebanon and India. It is estimated that they have already accumulated more than 30,000 hours of operation and have helped save hundreds of premature babies who otherwise would not have had a second chance. <\/span><\/p>\n

The model is not only functional: it is educational and community-based<\/strong>. They are built in vocational training centres, involve students, generate social awareness and offer technical solutions where large providers do not reach. The impact, therefore, is not only medical: it is also social, formative and transformative. <\/span><\/p>\n

A common obstacle: lack of funding for manufacturing.<\/b><\/p>\n

Paradoxically, one of the major challenges faced by the project was not the design, nor the technical validation, but the <\/span>lack of funding to produce the incubators at scale.<\/b>. Despite international recognition, Pablo S\u00e1nchez Bergasa had to seek support from social entities, educational networks and voluntary organisations, as the conventional funding circuits did not contemplate this type of “frugal” innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is where the importance of having structured support mechanisms for health innovation, such as the Horizonte Europa programme, the PERTE de Salud de Vanguardia in Spain, or the specific lines of the CDTI, becomes evident, which could allow solutions with such a high potential impact not to be blocked due to a lack of initial investment.<\/p>\n

Innovation need not always be complex<\/b><\/p>\n

The case of in3ator is a reminder that innovation is not synonymous with technical sophistication. Sometimes, the real value lies in solving a specific problem with intelligence, empathy and practicality. And it also makes it clear that without structures to support, fund and scale such solutions, many brilliant ideas get stuck in the shallow end. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is why it is essential that <\/span>public policies and European R&D and innovation programmes<\/b> continue to focus on innovation models that combine health impact, economic viability and social scalability. Because it is not just about discovering the latest in biotechnology or artificial intelligence. It’s also about identifying the ideas that, however simple they may seem, can change thousands of lives. <\/span><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the world of healthcare, not all life-saving solutions come from large laboratories or multinational technology companies. Sometimes a simple idea, born out of a real need and executed with ingenuity, can have a global impact. This has been demonstrated by Pablo S\u00e1nchez Bergasa, Spanish engineer awarded the 2025 Princess of Girona Award, for creating […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3800,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cqs-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cqssalud.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}