International law firm Bird & Bird advises international semiconductor design company, Arm, pro bono on a 15-month project in partnership with Be Healthy Be Mobile (a joint initiative between the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Telecommunications Union (ITU)) to test the concept for a bespoke healthcare tablet funded by the Department for International Development (DfID).
There is currently no suitable product to meet the digital needs for healthcare workers working in remote locations which is a significant obstacle for United Nations institutions and NGOs in delivering healthcare services to poor, marginalised and difficult to reach people around the world. The project aims to understand the need for a new device and test to see if it is economically and technically viable. The product would provide more reliable healthcare to marginalised communities globally where digital records and diagnostics are not currently available. The three pilot countries for field-based market research and testing are Tanzania, Zambia and Bangladesh.
The team at Bird & Bird advised on the drafting of the design and manufacturing contract with the tablet prototype manufacturer. The work was led by London partner Ewan Grist.
Ewan Grist, IP partner and head of the international Product Design and Product Compliance groups at Bird & Bird adds: "We’ve really enjoyed working with Arm on its flagship healthcare project in partnership with Be Healthy Be Mobile. It's a truly exciting and valuable initiative which could have a major impact on healthcare workers and patients globally. This work is a great example of our expertise in many aspects of the product design lifecycle, ranging from intellectual property, through to regulatory compliance and the commercial agreements needed to bring the project to life. We look forward to continuing to support Arm in the years to come".
