BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH PROJECT

Project Overview

This research project, spearheaded by Dojo Hub (SMC) Ltd and involving the College Of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology at Makerere University , was a comprehensive initiative to address critical gaps in the biomedical sector within Uganda and Africa at large. The project’s overarching goal was to foster innovation and create sustainable biomedical enterprises by understanding the local context and challenges. The research was structured as a biomedical research internship for students, aiming to support Ugandan and African engineers in gaining exposure and accessing opportunities, particularly in Europe.

The project’s inception meeting took place on March 21, 2023, marking the beginning of a detailed and structured research process. The research was designed to be conducted through a series of weekly sprints, with a consistent review process to ensure progress and quality.

Steps taken

Inception Meeting (March 21, 2023): The project began with an inception meeting to establish objectives and preliminary planning.
Initial Research Questions (March 21, 2023 – April 4, 2023): The initial research questions were derived to guide the project in the biomedical field.
Research Question Categorization (April 4, 2023 – April 18, 2023): The research questions were categorized and grouped into specific topics.
Research Assignments (April 18, 2023 – May 9, 2023): Research assignments for the interns were derived from the categorized research questions.
Internship Program Planning (May 9, 2023 – May 30, 2023): Planning for the June-July 2023 biomedical engineering internship program took place.
Further Studies Support Program Planning (May 9, 2023 – May 30, 2023): Planning was done for a program to help engineering students access opportunities for further studies in Europe.
Internship Supervision (June 6, 2023 – August 8, 2023): The interns were supervised through guidance and review of their research.
Execution of Research Sprints: The research itself was conducted through a series of weekly sprints, each focused on a specific set of research questions and using a combination of internet research, phone calls, interviews with various stakeholders (alumni, doctors, innovators, regulatory bodies), and review of databases and publications

Research Objectives

The primary objectives of the project were multifaceted and strategically designed to lay the groundwork for a more robust biomedical ecosystem in Uganda. The key objectives included:

Identifying gaps in the biomedical sector in Uganda and Africa, with a specific focus on areas like medical imaging technologies.
Understanding why biomedical advancements that are successful in Europe may not be in Africa.
Creating a community to enhance the biomedical field in Uganda.
Setting up multi-disciplinary teams to address biomedical challenges.
Increasing the utility of the biomedical field in Uganda and Africa.
Supporting Ugandan and African engineers in gaining exposure and opportunities.
Creating new biomedical enterprises.

These objectives served as a roadmap for the research questions and assignments that the interns were tasked with completing.

Methodology

The project’s methodology was robust and relied on a combination of desk research, interviews, and document reviews to gather comprehensive data. The research was broken down into a series of detailed questions, each with its own set of methods and a specified duration in weekly sprints.

The research questions were categorized into several key areas:

Biomedical Engineering Education in Uganda: This part of the research focused on what institutions offer undergraduate and postgraduate biomedical engineering degrees in Uganda. It sought to list the specializations available and describe the role of biomedical engineering in the country, using recent successful projects as examples. The methodology for this involved internet research, phone calls, and interviewing alumni and informants. A key question was to explore the scope of non-medical engineering and medical knowledge taught to students versus what is excluded.
Biomedical Research and Innovation: This section aimed to explore notable biomedical research projects and educational gaps in Uganda. It also sought to identify the most groundbreaking research and emerging technologies, and to explore opportunities for international collaboration. The methods included reviewing medical databases, local publications, and interviewing alumni, active companies, and specialized doctors and academics.
Medical Equipment and Procurement: The research sought to compile a full list of medical equipment in existence, define what is typically required in a health center, and compare it to what foreign institutions use. It also delved into the procurement process for medical equipment, such as an MRI machine, and aimed to create a list of available dealers in Uganda. The methodology involved internet research, interviewing informants, doctors, and critical care health facilities, as well as reviewing the medical database from the Ministry of Health.
Local Biomedical Companies and Entrepreneurship: This part of the project aimed to outline and provide a comprehensive background on Ugandan companies and entrepreneurs involved in various biomedical fields, including biomaterials, bioprinting, cardiovascular engineering, medical imaging, and medical software development.
Biomedical Innovation and Challenges: The project explored biomedical innovations developed in Uganda and sub-Saharan Africa, assessing their maturity and identifying “low hanging fruits” and the challenges faced by innovators. The methods included brainstorming sessions, interviewing innovators, and reviewing existing research on health conditions and equipment.
Regulatory Landscape and Cybersecurity: A significant portion of the research was dedicated to understanding the governing standards, regulations, and laws for medical devices and software in Uganda. The interns were tasked with evaluating the entire process from design to post-market surveillance for releasing a medical device in Uganda and comparing it to the EU process. The research also explored how the Ugandan health informatics industry is approaching cybersecurity and tasked interns with creating a cybersecurity plan for a medical device software.
Community Hospital Planning: A practical application of the research was a task to develop a hospital plan for a community hospital specializing in cancer treatment in Kampala. This involved determining the budget, a commissioning plan, necessary equipment, and a maintenance plan.

Outputs and Conclusion

The research project was a significant undertaking, with the final internship supervision period running from June 6, 2023, to August 8, 2023. The final outputs of the project are the culmination of the detailed research questions and sprints. While the final output is not explicitly detailed in these documents, the structure implies the creation of comprehensive reports that would address all the research questions, providing a valuable resource for policymakers, entrepreneurs, and students in the biomedical field in Uganda. The project laid the foundation for future endeavors, including the planning for a further studies support program to help engineering students access opportunities in Europe. The research questions and the workplan together indicate that the project generated detailed insights into the state of biomedical education, innovation, and industry in Uganda, which would be crucial for establishing new enterprises and fostering a vibrant research community.