Petrobras and the Brazilian Institute of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (IBP) have extended, until 6/06 (next Saturday), the registration deadline for public selection of projects for the development of mechanical ventilators. The initiative seeks to accelerate the production of pulmonary ventilators in the country, essential for the treatment of critically ill patients with Covid-19. The target audience for the public call is universities, science & technology institutions and companies - with or without previous experience in the development of equipment.

The objective is to financially support clinical research, in addition to the registration and manufacturing processes for low-cost and low-complexity ventilators, destined for public hospitals across the country. Interested parties must register their projects in the so-called “first wave” according to the instructions indicated in the notice (https://www.ibp.org.br/chamada-publica-ventiladores-pulmonares/). "We extended the application deadline so that candidates have more time to register their projects and prepare the necessary documentation in order to meet the requirements demanded and evaluated in the notice," said the leader of the initiative at Petrobras, Luiz Paschoal.

The initiative came from Petrobras' Scientific and Response Framework (ECR), dedicated to developing quick and viable solutions to help society in the fight against coronavirus. The scientists prepared the public notice, provided project management consultancy and used the knowledge they acquired in the process of developing lung ventilator prototypes - in partnership with Coppe-UFRJ.

The Brazilian Society of Biomedical Engineering (SBEB) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC) are supporting the initiative and will participate in the evaluation and selection of projects in conjunction with IBP and Petrobras.