The ‘Design Thinking Workshop’, hosted by the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in collaboration with IC-IMPACTS and Praxis Spinal Cord Institute (formerly known as Rick Hansen Institute) took place on December 10, 2019, in New Delhi as a part of the Canada-India Science and Technology Innovation Dialogue.
Leading spinal cord injury research agencies from Canada and India were present to discuss new methods of treating patients with spinal cord injury and showcase innovative technologies for sustainable rehabilitation of patients.
“As a Canada-India Research Centre of Excellence dedicated to the development of research collaborations between the two countries, IMPACTS seeks to bring together researchers, industry innovators, community leaders, government agencies, and community organizations from across India and Canada to work together to find solutions to the key challenges facing the communities. Both the countries have their unique strengths and it is time to leverage each other’s strengths,”
– Dr. Nemkumar Banthia, CEO and Scientific Director IC-IMPACTS.
Dr. Nemkumar Banthia, CEO and Scientific Director IC-IMPACTS, Mr. Bill Barrable, CEO, Praxis Spinal Cord Institute, and Dr. H S Chhabra, Chief of Spine Services and Medical Director of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) participated in the event along with multidisciplinary SCI experts and other dignitaries. The workshop emphasized the importance of innovating SCI care to create an inclusive society.
Featured projects included artificial hands for SCI individuals, telemedicine-based exercises for patients in rural India, means to connect the researchers and portable scanner for data acquisition. A design thinking competition was also organized on the theme “Improving the quality of lives of Spinal Cord Injured and persons with disabilities. Innovators who were previously awarded funding through the International Grant Competition Canada India SCI Innovation Award – Getting Solutions to Market, presented their product updates and discussed ways to bring them to the market.
