AIFD ÇALIŞMA RAPORU

BIO CONVENTION-BIO DIGITAL 2020 & BIO STARTUP PROGRAM & BIO STARTUP CORONA SPRINT PROGRAM

One of the most important contributions of AIFD and member companies of Turkey's economy and society is to support innovation. AIFD published reports on R&D in pharmaceuticals in Turkey and the world, policy recommendations and development areas to attract attention to innovation. In line with this, AIFD launched a new program called “BIO Startup” to support the startups that are the carriers of innovation. The main motive of this approach is the fact that innovations are generated by startups. As a matter of fact, out of 118 new products approved between 2016-2018 by FDA, 65% were generated by startups.

The BIO Startup Program, which was launched in 2019, aims to play an accelerator role in the access of bio-entrepreneurs to global connections and in the enhancement of biotech startups. 65 bioentrepreneurs applied in 2019 to Turkey's first and only themed biotech startup accelerator program, BIO Startup Program. Entrepreneurs who completed the online training and mentoring process attended the Bio-Entrepreneurship Camp and received training and mentoring from expert trainers and leading industry professionals. The startups participating in the camp also had the opportunity to get in touch with the representatives of AIFD member global companies and benefit from their experiences.

In BIO Startup Demo Day at BIOExpo in Istanbul, 5 bio-entrepreneurs were selected by the jury among 11 entrepreneurs; the selected five were entitled to participate in the world's most important biotechnology organisation, “BIO Convention” in USA. During the US program, they got in touch with different actors of the international ecosystem such as investors, global companies and incubation centers.

BIO Startup Program has an important place in the future of life sciences, innovation and R&D. With this accelerator program, startups were given various trainings such as marketing, licensing and regulations. The startups, who are faced with quite a few innovations in their fields from the beginning of the program, learn to look at their enterprises from different angles thanks to the trainings and start to specialize and work on their deficiencies. Although just attending the BIO Convention is a great advantage, special trainings have been planned so that our companies can go to the US more prepared. Once there, they knew what kind of environment they would encounter, the expectations of the international investors and what was expected from them. The life sciences focus of the BIO Convention program provided participants with unique opportunities to establish a wide range of global contacts.

Thanks to this focused program for startups, AIFD has started to play a constructive role this time in the basic research phase, in addition to its contribution of pharmaceutical R&D in the field of clinical research.

The BIO Startup Program (biostartup2020.com), developed and enriched in 2020, was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic measures that started in March. At this point, we decided to use the BIO Startup experience in a special program to support the fight against Covid-19, and we inaugurated the BIO Startup Corona Sprint Program with the support of the Istanbul Development Agency and in partnership with TUSEB (coronasprint.com).

The project, which aims to provide solutions to the problems related to COVID-19 by the startups, was completed after a two-month uninterrupted marathon. Following the stages of the start-up’s participation in BIO Digital, Needs Analysis Workshops, Sprint Process and Evaluation Meetings, the solution roadmaps developed by 16 startups to the problems related to COVID-19 were evaluated. A monitoring and tracking mechanism was established to meet all the identified needs.

Corona Sprint Program Activities and Outcomes The detailed activities and outcomes of the of the two months long (from June 8 to August 8, 2020) BIO Startup CoronaSprint Project that was organised using sprint methodology, are presented below.

Activity 1:
Participation to BIO Convention Digital 2020

Within the scope of this activity, 5 different BIO Startup graduates from different fields such as diagnosis, medicine-vaccine, digital health, device and technological support were registered for participation in BIO Digital 2020. Participating startups were: Geen Biotechnology, RS Research, Yeşil Science, ELAA Technology and Aksense. These five startups, who have technical skills and solutions in different areas ranging from diagnosis of COVID-19 to digital health, had the opportunity to participate in BIO Digital 2020, to hold one-on-one meetings and to attend sessions related to their areas. Detailed information on the meetings and interviews held are listed below. In addition, after their participation to BIO Digital 2020, the BIO Digital Experience Sharing meeting was held within the scope of Activity 5 during the Sprint process, its details are presented under Activity 5.

BIO Digital 2020 participation roll-out Five of our graduates from our BIO Startup Alumni pool, who worked on COVID-19 in various fields, participated in the BIO Digital 2020 program held on 8-12 June 2020. Among them, Aksense is in diagnosis, RS Research, in medicine development, GEEN Bio, in vaccines, ELAA Tech, in respirators, YeşilScience in the field of web / mobile applications.

The BIO Convention, held every year in the United States, was organized this year as BIO Digital (https://www.bio.org/events/bio-digital) on digital platform due to the pandemic and had special sessions on COVID-19.

Our alumni became part of this global program and event and had the opportunity to get acquainted with key people in this field, by taking part in one-on-one partnership meetings and interactive sessions, many of which were COVID-19 themed. In addition to attending the sessions where they had the chance to monitor developments specific to COVID-19, they also held one-on-one meetings with relevant companies, investors and research centers for their collaborations. The detailed accounts of the interviews of the five startups that participated to BIO Digital 2020 are shown below.

1. Aksense
Aksense, a member of BIO Startup Alumni, conducted during BIO Digital a partnership meeting with Niso Matangaidze from Global Data (UK). On June 17th a second meeting was organised with Global Data under the title 'Identifying European & US Investors for Aksense', where Aksense was informed that in case they work with this team, they would reach the main investor they were looking for. During a one-on-one meeting held with 53BIOLOGICS, to establish a potential market entry, it was found that Aksense which is producing devices working with specific protens, could work in collaboration with 53BIOLOGICS for the mass production of the proteins, and that they received a proposal for the required budget and they were informed about the processes. Moreover, in a meeting with D. Tabatha Bourgois from Drug Development and Regulation SL, they learned that they could work together on the FDA and CE (IVDR) processes through the business partnership. The company stated that they can start working together immediately if Aksense can get investments after drawing a roadmap and making cost evaluation.

Apart from one-on-one business partnership meetings, they participated in other sessions that could be beneficial for COVID-19 meetings and studies. Aksense participated to the following sessions:

Biotech’s Finest Hour
The Bioscience Economy
International Trade in the Times Of COVID-19
How To Get Acquired: What Companies Look For When in Acquisition Mode
State Of Emerging Therapeutic Company Investment, Deal-Making, And Pipeline (Interactive session)
The Key Role Of NIH in the Product Development Pipeline (Interactive session)
The Convergence of Health and Tech: Personalizing Medicine Beyond The Imaginable (Interactive session)
Investors Corner: Digital Health Funding Outlook - Raising Money During Economic Uncertainty (Interactive session)
Fireside Chat With Mathai Mammen, MD, PhD, Global Head, Research and Development, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (https://biodigital.hubb.me/schedule-builder/sessions/693827)
Fireside Chat With John Young, Group President, Chief Business Officer, Pfizer, Inc.
FDA Town Hall (Interactive session) (https://biodigital.hubb.me/schedule-builder/sessions/677942)
Bispecific Antibodies Catching Fire (Interactive session) (https://biodigital.hubb.me/schedule-builder/sessions/620816)
Digital Health: Innovation Meets Regulation (Interactive session) (https://biodigital.hubb.me/schedule-builder/sessions/620776)
WIB-Southern California Chapter Panel Discussion: What Makes Southern California A Leading Hub for VC, Patents, Lab Space, Jobs And NIH Funding?

Aksense reported back that during these sessions they were acquainted with people that could refer them to third parties, that they obtained valuable insights about NIH funds and about the procedures to obtain funds in digital health field in US.

Aksense, as a startup working on an infection diagnosis devices, had the chance to learn about the prominent companies and current developments in this field and to make a competitor analysis. They obtained valuable information about FDA certification classification, the procedure for certification and contacted group members. The connections made during BIO Digital process permitted them to establish with potential investors. Equity-shared crowdfunding and convertible debt issues as well as the functioning of legal procedures in US were in their agenda.

Aksense preferred to attend trainings and make interview about certification as they are at such a stage in the value chain. During the meetings in BIO Digital, they were able to analyse the means and costs of obtaining certification abroad, the contact firms and established the first steps of potential collaborations.

2. ELAA Technology
ELAA Technology held a one-on-one business partnership meeting with Mr. John Liebermann, founder of US-based fund NYCMedTech., a company in health technologies since the 1960s. They are continuing the negotiations with NYCMedTech on clinical studies and investment processes in Austria.

During the negotiations with Yafo Capital, the issue regarding the sale in China of PRECIMON, a product of ELAA Technology came up. Thanks to this link, they will evaluate the potential demand for their products in China and the companies that they can cooperate.

US Global Capital showed interest in ELAA Technology’s technology and following a market survey they gave a positive feedback to ELAA. They asserted that in case a European fund invests to ELAA a sum between USD 0.5-5 million, they would be willing to invest as well.

ELAA Tech team has scheduled further online meetings with various companies (such as NetW1 Financial Securities, Semper8, LYFE Capital) whit which they could not meet during the BIO Digital.

3. YesilScience
YeilScience held several interviews at BIO Digital 2020 where they could potentially collaborate to conduct clinical studies. They held a presentation / interview with the University of Calgary on YesilScience's FluAI product. They discussed about health regulations and user experience in Canada, about the opportunities of making use of the university's technopark and invitation opportunities to the technopark.

They also made another presentation on FluAI products with the University of Georgia, received company suggestions for the technological infrastructure of their products and possible collaborations in the US ecosystem. Contacts from University of Georgia stated that they would share their presentations with some companies. They made a presentation of FluAI products to Saint Louis University and the interviewees stated that they would forward their presentations to interested researchers at the university for a possible clinical study opportunity. In addition to these interviews, they have contracted with various digital health organizations to pursue contacts.

4. GEEN BIO
In the BIO Digital process, Geen Bio participated mainly in interactive sessions covering COVID-19. The list of sessions they participated in the BIO Digital process is as follows:

Biotech’s Finest Hour
How will healthcare systems adapt to the Post-COVID-19 World?
International Trade in the Times of COVID-19
The Key Role of NIH in the Product Development Pipeline
A Way Forward: Winning the War on COVID through Vaccines
Advancing Rare Disease Diagnosis and Drug Development Through Partnership
What Was Hot at ASCO 2020? Highlights from the World’s Biggest Oncology Meeting
The Need for Speed: Developing COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics
How COVID-19 Has Impacted the Global Psyche

5. RS Research
During the BIO Digital 2020 process, RS Research held a meeting with the Swedish company Iconovo, which develops respirators, with which they can collaborate on COVID-19 studies. Their link with Roger Lassing, Vice President of Business Development of Iconovo is still active. They also received meeting requests from various companies, and in addition, they contacted the actors who requested a meeting but could not schedule a suitable time during BIO Digital. At the same time, thanks to the investor profiles created over BIO Digital, they have created a database that they will use to meet relevant institutions and individuals.

They participated to the following BIO Digital sessions:

How to Get Acquired: What Companies Look for When in Acquisition Mode
State of Emerging Therapeutic Company Investment, Deal-making, and Pipeline
The Need for Speed: Developing COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics
'N of Few' - Clinical Trial Design for Small Cohorts

Meeting requests were recieved from the following companies:

Ceyone Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. - Chemistry Services for Drug Discovery
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) - Meeting request from Japan External Trade Organization Ibaraki
Syngene International - Request for virtual meeting.
Axiom Real- Time Metrics Inc. Axiom – RS Research: Meeting Request at BIO Digital Partnering
MyData-Trust
Audit And Risksolutions - Insurance solutions for clinical trials
MEDICA SCIENTIA INNOVATION RESEARCH SL
Cyclolab Cyclodextrin R&D Ltd - Partnering for cyclodextrin-based RS0139 formulation
Scendea Ltd – (Scendea is a leading product development and regulatory consulting group)
ACLIRES Bangkok Ltd – (about clinical trials)

Activity 2:
Content preparation, communication and program announcement

Within the scope of this activity, website content, website infrastructure and design were prepared and launched. Public Relations Agency Marjinal Porter Novelli supplied the services for website design and carried out the awareness campaign. Communication and awareness activities aimed to promote the program were carried out at the beginning of the program and during its implementation.

A total of 10 media interviews were made around the BIOStartup CoronaSprint Project, special news content was prepared and shared with press members.

Dünya Newspaper - BIO Startup CoronaSprint
DPosta Newspaper - BIO Startup CoronaSprint& #ÇareBulanaDek
DSağlığım için Herşey Instagram webcast / interview for ATV Europej
DHaberturk.com.tr Interview with Ceyda Erenoğlu
DPosta Newspaper, written Q&A
DSabah Newspaper, written Q&A
DRadyo Gedik Program of Goodwill Ambassadors (İyilik Elçileri Programı)
DPara Magazine BIOStartup CoronaSprint Project content development.
DCumhuriyet Newspaper Sibel Bahçetepe, written Q&A
DPara Magazine BIOStartup CoronaSprint Project special news organisation on 16 startups

Another sub-activity of Activity 2 is questioning the solutions of BIO Startup graduates regarding COVID-19, contacting the graduates, and informing them about the program. Information on the works carried out within this framework and their outputs are listed below:

Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi	Cafer Yıldırım	Taking in consideration the number of pharmaceutical companies in Turkey and their manufacturing capacities, it was planned to develop standard medicial plants to be used in the synthesis phase of the active substances, also for medicines used in COVID-19 treatment.
GENZ Biyoteknoloji A.Ş.	Umut Ağyüz	Study for mass production of COVID-19 diagnostic tests; aiming to halve the sales price while increasing the reliability of the test.
RS Research	Sema Nomak	Developing a nano particle drug candidate to reach the lungs through the respiratory truct to which hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and diprene antiviral agents are bound, highly effective and with low side-effect
GEENS Biotechnology	Arda Deniz Dokuzoğlu	There are two studies. The first project is to diagnose COVID-19 by observing the color change in tubes within half an hour using the isothermal amplification method that does not require procedures such as laboratory imaging and protein purification. The second study is the viral vaccine design with synthetic virology method.
Aksense Medtech Corporation	Asiye Karakullukçu	The development of a portable electronic diagnostic biosensor as a diagnostic tool for COVID-19 and 7 well-known pathogens delivering results in one minute in home setting.
Florabio Tek. Ve San. A.Ş.	Ömer Cem Erdem	It develops medium, host cells and vectors suitable for mammalian and human cell culture bases used in protein and vaccine production.
Tarabios	Hasan Urey	Thanks to the platform developed with KUTTAM, it is possible to reach coagulation parameters in laboratory device quality with the blood taken from the finger tip. Coronavirus causes narrowing of the vessels and blood circulation disorder. The platform also provides monitoring of blood thinners given in hospitals to prevent complications such as organ failure.
Vagustim	Ali Can Erk	Stimulation of the vagus nervous system which affects the immune system response, reduces the inflammatory response in cases such as infection and injury, and contributes to the regulation of the hyperactive sympathetic system in the tissues. With this method, Cytokine release syndrome, which is one of the most dangerous consequences of COVID-19, can be prevented.
ELAA Tech	Tunç Laçin	There are two projects. The first one is a lightweight, portable, easy to install ventilator usable on the bedside or in the field. It has been developed with TUMER-Sabancı University collaboration. The second project, a platform developed in pre-COVID-19 period to provide physicians with navigation support for biopsy in target areas for sequela (disease residues) in certain regions to detect cancer; it is adapted for COVID-19 symptoms.
Inosens	İsmail Uzun	Improved version of a physiotherapeutical rehabilitation system; it is a personalised application easy to use in home setting during COVID-19 lockdown. Fizyosoft allows people to apply sports activities and exercise programs at home from their physiotherapists; it sends reports and receives feedback.
YeşilScience	Yusuf Yeşil	Two mobile applications have been designed for COVID-19. The first is an AR-supported program that can provide symptom analysis by uploading throat photos to raise awareness and for information. The second application is a clinician module developed to facilitate prognosis and diagnosis when patients reach doctors. It is possible to make a risk analysis after entering information such as symptoms and radiological results.
LumiLabs	Sıtkı Doğa Elçi	A drug idea has been developed based on suppression of Mpro (main protease), which is in the mechanism of COVID-19.
Meinox	Fatih Kocabaş	There are two projects. The first is about drug development and positioning with the method of inhibition of DUB (deubiquitinase) proteins present in the Coronavirus. The second project is producing the same protein recombinantly and developing a diagnostic test kit for COVID-19 in antibody tests.
Araltek Medical Device Designing	Erdem Erinç Silistreli	A mini ECMO device is developed for patients with respiratory distress syndrome characterized by a ground glass appearance in COVID-19 patients intubated in Acute Pulmonary Failure.
Pacem Medikal Teknoloji	Yusuf Hakan Usta Çağla Yıldırım	Using the cold form of the plasma and its antimicrobial feature, an air module is designed, which has a wide usage area, that can be integrated with the air conditioners in hospitals or social areas, to disinfect disease-causing agents and coronavirus from the air.
Funktor	Tennur Baş Erdem Ünal	It is a free search engine for researching studies in life sciences and medicine. It provides convenience and saves time by making the literature search more specific and interactive and by providing modular results.
Alice Beyaz Tavşan Biyoteknoloji ve Medikal ArGe Danışmanlık	Duygu Yücel	TRL1 level mask design for healthcare professionals to improve their examinations more comfortably and safely.

From our BIOStartup graduates sixteen startups were chosen to participate on Corona Sprint program based on their technical achievements and output, the list of which is shown below:

Startup	Entrepreneurs
Eskişehir Osmangazi Ünv	Cafer Yıldırım
Genz Biyoteknoloji A.Ş	Umut Ağyüz
RS Research	Sena Nomak
Geen Biotechnology	Arda Deniz Dokuzoğlu
Aksense Medtech Corporation	Asiye Karakullukçu
Florabio Tek. ve San. A.Ş.	Ömer Cem Erdem
Vagustim	Ali Can Erk
Elaa Tech	Tunç Laçin
İnosens	İsmail Uzun
Yeşil Science	Yusuf Yeşil
Lumilabs	Sıtkı Doğa Elçi
Meinox	Fatih Kocabaş
Araltek Medical Device Designing	Erdem Erinç Silistreli
Pacem Medical Technology	Yusuf Hakan Usta
Funktor	Tennur Baş Erdem Ünal
Alice Beyaz Tavşan Biyoteknoloji ve Medikal ArGe Danışmanlık /Alice White Rabbit Biotechnology & Medical R&D Consultancy)	Duygu Yücel

Activity 3:
Need verification and prioritization from the field

The basic difference of the Sprint program from similar innovative tools, is the collection of needs from the field and prioritisation studies; these were carried out with an intensive set of activities and participation. ReDis Innovation provided its services. A preliminary need analysis study was carried out by ReDis Innovation together with the project team, the content was prepared and then two workshops were held in digital environment. Following the workshops, the validation process was carried out by evaluating the information from the field and the results of the needs analysis workshop with two different groups. Details on needs analysis activities are given below.

Needs Analysis Workshop-I
The Needs Analysis Workshop Phase I was held online, as the first activity of the needs analysis process, which is the most basic activity of the BIOStartup CoronaSprint program providing input to all program stages. The first workshop, moderated by ReDis Innovation, was held with the participation of TUSEB, the representatives of AIFD member companies and the AIFD team.
In this workshop, conducted in digital environment using Zoom and Google Jampboard platforms, it was aimed to prepare a comprehensive list of needs with all the participants.

As a result of the first needs analysis, we had a very comprehensive list of needs consisting of 112 items which later was summarised to a draft scored list of needs comprising 13 items. An impact-cost chart was prepared to include the financing side of the projects.

Prioritised Needs List drawn from the detailed 112 items list after scoring

1	In connection with the pandemic, development and spread of test mechanisms in primary healthcare units
2	Robust surveillance follow up for communicable diseases
3	Enhancement of public health literacy
4	Development of diagnostic kits for at-home use
5	Artificial Intelligence systems to warn physicians about COVID-19 in hospitals environment
6	Telemedicine system that can run a consultation and make diagnose of contagious patients
7	Home medicine delivery system for chronic patients
8	Community immunity (herd immunity) tracking system
9	Development of digital infrastructure in hospitals
10	Creation of a patient follow up and information sharing system and standardization of the follow-up
11	Development of a common digital platform for healhcare workers for data entry to share their experience
12	Establishement of a smooth problem-free active substance supply system for medicines and vaccines
13	Enhancement of treatment algorithms with real world data

1. Development and dissemination of diagnosis-test mechanisms

Development of R&D and production processes for highly sensitive diagnostic tests
Cost-effective dissemination of diagnostic tests to prevent asymptomatic cases from spreading the virus
- Dissemination in primary health care institutions
- Quick diagnostic tests at home
- Test guidance system with mobile applications for COVID-19 risk analysis
- Development and dissemination of mobile applications for risk analysis
- Setting up a test guidance system with mobile applications

2. Immunity monitoring

Regular monitoring of COVID-19 immunity in chronic patients
Development of highly sensitive antibody tests
Establishing a pre-screening and tracking system (It may also be used to identify the people to whom vaccine should be applied to)

3. Enhancing health literacy levels

Improving/ enhancing social media usage
To remodel messaging channels and message content adapted to health literacy

4. Development of digital infrastructure in hospitals

Need for tracking and warning system regarding IoT and COVID-19 in hospitals
Developing a warning system for healthcare personnel with monitoring and interaction of people and the environment in health institutions
The need for a remote warning and monitoring system regarding the symptoms of patients examined and / or hospitalized in health institutions

5. The need for remote diagnosis and examination systems

Development and dissemination of mini kits that will allow remote diagnosis and examination
The need for a kit to include remote diagnosis components such as thermal camera, photographic camera, microphone and breath monitoring

6. Access to Treatment of Patients with Chronic Diseases and Timely Delivery of Drugs to Chronically Ill Patients

Developing a cost effective system for drug delivery from pharmacies and pharma wholesalers
Delivery of medicines and treatments used in home and also the need for the company / company staff that will perform the application of the treatment
Problems of non COVID-19 patients with chronic diseases to access treatment during the period of pandemic

7. Ambient environment sterilisation

The need for regular and effective sterilisation of service areas in health institutions as well as in other public places such hotels and restaurants during normalisation

8.The need for devices for different functions for the remote monitoring of different complications in chronic patients

Follow-up of coagulation complications
Respiratory function tracking
Monitoring-follow-up and pre-evaluation system for changes in the lung after COVID-19

9. Removing restrictions and barriers to access to medicines and vaccines and to new treatments

Accelerating domestic medicine and vaccine R&D studies
Solving raw material production and supply issues for production and development of medicines and vaccines
Development of new treatment approaches

10. Technology support for the development of diagnosis and treatment approaches

Accelerating R&D studies of data access and data analysis platforms to be used in research
Technology and infrastructure support for accelerating R&D and production processes, such as in developing special broth growth media

11. Preventive solutions for health problems that may arise due to inactivity

Development of applications and protective solutions to prevent problems that may arise especially in 65+ people due to inactivity as a result of lockdowns

Activity 4:
Determining / forming the teams that will participate in the program and deciding the working areas of the relevant groups according to the prioritized needs

In this activity, where the needs analysis outputs are used as an input, BIO Startup graduates who have the technical skills and solutions to work on the areas of needs are matched. For the sprint process, the service for this and the following activity stages were carried out by ReDis Innovation with the contributions of the project team. Within the scope of the matching study, the competencies, existing products, projects and skills of the startups were evaluated, followed by matching of the teams with the relevant field of needs.

About the meeting:
The first day of the sprint phase of the BIO Startup-CoronaSprint Program was held on July 13, titled "Presenting or Generating Solution Hypotheses Concerning the Defined Needs Areas". The program was communicated, after which the sprint flow process was shared, mentorships to be carried out within the scope of the sprint were explained and the mentors were introduced. The preparations expected from the participants before the creation of roadmaps with mentors were explained. The needs and problems discovered in previously held needs analysis workshops were stated with their sub-areas and a consolidated list of needs was prepared before the meeting. These problem sets were presented and explained to the BIO Startup graduates. Subsequently, the solution and value suggestions and / or solution hypotheses for the needs were expressed by the graduates, together with the needs experienced or may be experienced in achieving these results. In order to design solution roadmaps, this information is matched with the current needs list. The attendees of this meeting are listed below:

BIOStartup CoronaSprint – The Output of the Meeting matching the expressed needs with proposed solution hypotheses (Need-Startup Matching)

Startup	Startup Web Site	Need	Existing/Potential Solution
Geen Biotechnology	geenbio.com	Project 1 - Need 1-3: Development and dissemination of diagnostic test mechanisms; Test guidance system with mobile applications for COVID-19 risk analysis Project 2- Need 1-1: Development and dissemination of diagnostic test mechanisms; Development of R&D and production processes of highly sensitive diagnostic tests Project 3- Need 7: Ambient Sterilisation; In the normalisation process, the need for regular and effective sterilisation of service areas such as hotels and restaurants as well as health institutions	Project 1: Studies are ongoing on a diagnostic kit that allows diagnosis at the bedside by taking a saliva sample. The diagnostic kit is an effective tool in highly-populated areas Project 2: Development of the neutralization test, a form of virological laboratory test for immunity testing and passport. Methodology: It is about determining whether the serum taken from the patient prevents the entry of the virus into the cell Project 3: Disinfection of the environment, details are not shared
Vagustim	vagustim.io	Supportive treatment method	Development of a neuromodulation device that electronically stimulates the vagus system. Thus, suppressing the immune system against the cytokine storm syndrome, which is an overreaction against the virus and can damage many organs with a wide range of effects and can be fatal. Solution has already been developed. There are publications in the literature that this protocol has a positive effect on COVID-19
RS Research	rsresearch.net	Need 9-3: Removing restrictions on access to drugs and vaccines and new treatments; Development of new treatment approaches	There are 3 drug candidates that have received ethics committee approval from Koç University; animal studies are ongoing. The developed molecule is a candidate for COVID-19 treatment, which goes directly to the lungs and is applied as a respiration facilitator, and can be used both during the treatment and for prophylaxis
ELAA Teknoloji	elaatech.com	Project 1- Need 8-3 : The need for a device for different functions for the remote monitoring of different complications in chronic patients; Monitoring-follow-up and pre-evaluation system for changes in the lung after COVID-19 Project 2 - Need 8-2: The need for a device for different functions for the remote monitoring of different complications in chronic patients; Respiratory function monitoring	Project 1: There is a platform where the navigation system designed to facilitate the diagnosis of undiagnosed lesions in the lungs is adapted for COVID-19. It permits the tracing, monitoring and imaging of the long lasting signs caused by coronavirus in the lungs and their differentiation form cancer Project 2: ELAA Technology currently performs respiratory monitoring in hospitals, it can monitor the recovery and respiratory capacity of the lungs COVID-19 positive patients
Funktor	carnap.ai	Project 1 - Need 10-1 : Technology support for the development of diagnostic and treatment approaches; Accelerating R&D studies by data access and data analysis platforms used in research Project 2 - Need 10-2: Technology support for the development of diagnostic and treatment approaches; Technology and infrastructure support for accelerating R&D and production processes, such as developing special medium for cell culture	A smart search engine to accelerate and facilitate access to the required information in literature search has been developed and is in service. The application categorizes words and sentences and makes them modular, providing interactive and accurate literature correspondences
Araltek Medical Device	erdemsilistreli.com	Project 1 - Need 9-3: Developing new treatment approaches Project 2- Need 5-1: The need for remote diagnosis and examination systems; Development and dissemination of mini kits that will allow remote diagnosis and examination (mentioned as potential)	Project 1 : For severely ill patients; collecting blood from vein, giving it back after oxygenation; circulatory support systems Centrifugal pump systems are being developed 2. Project: (Potential study) Telemedicine (remote diagnosis) It determines the parameters; temperature measurement, breathing sounds with thermal imager Remote health
Alice and the White Rabbit BioTech	Not available	Protective gear studies	Has studies about TRL1 protection level medical masks production
Pacem Medikal Teknoloji	pacemmed.com	Need 7-1: Ambient sterilization; In the normalization process, the needs for regular and effective sterilization of service areas such as hotels and restaurants as well as health institutions	Environment sterilisation; device capable of disinfection using plasma It can be used for the sterilisation of ventilation systems, food and beverage cabinets, plates etc. in restaurants
Genz Biyoteknoloji	genzbio.com	Need 1-1: Development and dissemination of diagnosis-test mechanisms; Development of R&D and production processes of highly sensitive diagnostic tests	Clinical research studies are carried out to improve the sensitivity of diagnostic antibody-antigen tests, deficiencies are checked with lateral flow analysis and a system is being worked on to eliminate them. Both the test itself and the reader system are developed
Florabio	florabio.com.tr	Need 9-2: Removing barriers to access to medicines and vaccines and to new treatments; solving raw material production and supply problems related to the development and production processes of medicines and vaccines	They produce a nutrient specific to cells, in accordance with world regulations, that supports cells to produce as many proteins as possible. The feed media are produced chemically As a by-product they develop cells that can work efficiently with nutrients: a cell that generally produces 1 unit of vaccine / protein / drug is enhanced to produce 2,3 or 4 units They enable a rapid supply of raw materials (media and cells) that will increase kit and vaccine production
LumiLabs	lumilabs.com.tr/en/	Need 9-1: Removing barriers to access to medicines and vaccines and to new treatments; Accelerating domestic medicine and vaccine R&D studies	Drug development based on replication inhibition. In silico studies to prevent cells from infection have been conducted. They manage the processes up to clinical trials
Aksense	aksense.com	Need 1-3: Development and dissemination of diagnosis-test mechanisms; Test guidance system with mobile applications for COVID-19 risk analysis	Portable electronic diagnostic biosensor together with the electronic reader; it can be used at home. It provides data by measuring the individual's first unique response to the pathogen. The test, which gives results in 1 minute, can also be used in infection follow-up by connection to the public health system. Biosensors that can measure the degree of the person's response to the pathogen can also measure the person's response to the applied therapy. It is possible to adapt the biosensors designed for 7 bacteria to COVID-19
Meinox	meinoxtech.com	Project 1- Need 1-1: Development and dissemination of diagnosis-test mechanisms; Development of R&D and production processes of highly sensitive diagnostic tests Project 2 – Need 9-3: Removing barriers to access to medicines and vaccines and to new treatments; Development of new treatment approaches	Project 1: A test developed to detect the presence of antibodies against COVID-19 in antibody tests by producing recombinant DUB protein Project 2: Drug Discovery and Repositioning: Drug development and positioning is carried out by the inhibition of DUB (deubiquitinase) proteins present in COVID-19
Yeşil Science	yesilscience.com/tr/	Project 1 - Need 4: Developing digital infrastructure in hospitals Project 2 - Need 5: The need for remote diagnosis and examination systems	Project 1: CoronaCheck Clinician; A decision support program that uses CT, X-Ray, Symptom and Clinical information to support physicians in diagnosis and prognosis evaluations. It provides physicians rapid decision support Project 2: FluAI: an AI-supported mobile application that provides analysis and recommendations for patients with upper respiratory tract infections and complaints through throat photographs and description of complaints. When patients have upper respiratory tract complaints, the application provides a quick and easy analysis by sharing information about their condition with the physician without hospital visit, getting first suggestions, and helping them to check the seriousness of their conditions
Cafer Yıldırım	Not available	Need 9-1: Removing restrictions on access to drugs and vaccines and new treatments; Accelerating domestic medicine and vaccine R&D studies	In our country, the pharmaceutical industry cannot procure the standard medicinal plants required for drug synthesis from Turkey. The necessary medicinal plants are 100% dependent on import, and there is no institution to provide the standard requested plant gene source in a fast and appropriate period (harvest time when pharmacologically effective) The objective is to provide with the largest fully automatic greenhouse infrastructure of our country, the standard medicinal plants selected in accordance with the confidentiality agreements to be made with our pharmaceutical industry, with micro production capacity in required amounts and formulations This will provide strategic supply chain for the locally synthesised products in case of active substance shortages that can arise due to disruptions caused by a second wave of COVID-19 or other pandemics
Inosens	inosens.com.tr	To minimise the health problems that arise from inactivity of individuals over 65 years of age, to urge them to conduct sport activities or exercise at home	Health problems occur due to inactivity, especially in 65+ individuals. Inosens can prevent them with the software and complementary solutions developed with physical therapists and academicians Individuals are provided with gamified applications permitting them to carry in their homes the most suitable exercise for their needs under the remote monitoring of experts

Activity 5:
Designing solution roadmaps for needs

At this stage of Sprint, as a follow-up of the previous activity, the process implemented by ReDis Innovation was carried out further towards the development of solution roadmaps of the startups. Mentoring services were also received at this stage, engaging with three mentors of different backgrounds and specialities, namely, Bülent Yılmaz, Bora Yaşa and Arda Karaduman.

Following the determination of the needs and the formation of the teams according to the needs, the teams worked with guidance and mentoring support. Related startup teams participated throughout the Online Sprint process both in online meetings and to one-on-one mentoring sessions. Moreover, the startups were introduced to our project partner TUSEB to get them acquainted. Additionally an experience sharing meeting of all startups was held with the five startups that participated in BIO Digital.

Within the scope of this activity, as the final stage of Sprint, a meeting was held in which startups presented their solutions and roadmaps to AIFD member companies, TUSEB and researchers from relevant fields. The solutions and roadmaps developed at this meeting were evaluated with the contributions of users in the field. The startups and their progress were presented to TUSEB on July 14th followed by the coordination meeting of the roadmaps held on July 17th.

Startups who participated in BIO Digital 2020 shared their experience with other startups.

Another step of the sprint process, the coordination meeting on the roadmaps of startups was held on 17 July.

A meeting was organised for startups to prepare for the CoronaSprint Outputs Evaluation Meeting planned for 23 July and to convey the current status of the roadmaps they designed together with the mentors on their existing solutions and / or potential solutions. Presentation formats, meeting participants and strategic information specific to each project were conveyed in order to ensure that the CoronaSprint Outputs Evaluation Meeting was effective, to meet the gaps and needs in the solution roadmaps, and to get cooperation and financial support.

Activity 6:
Evaluating the adaptation of the developed solutions with the needs, their usability in the field and the roadmap

Following the creation of the projects and solution roadmaps that emerged during the Sprint process, an evaluation meeting was planned. An evaluation committee consisting of AIFD member companies, TUSEB and respective experts attended the meeting. The meeting aimed at scientific and technological evaluations, testing the applicability and evaluating the compliance with the needs in the field, and discussing the roadmaps and requirements, was held in digital environment on July 23. At the meeting, 16 startups presented their solution roadmaps for COVID-19.

Activity 7:
Establishing the necessary guidance and cooperation for projects to be implemented, establishing a monitoring mechanism

A monitoring and tracking system has been set up to implement the designed solution roadmaps. A monitoring scheme has been created on Microsoft Teams to collaborate with startups. Below is an outline of this scheme, prepared to assist the startups to meet with the relevant actors regarding the gaps and needs in the roadmap and to follow-up their cooperations.

Project Requirements / Inputs and Actors
Startup	Need Area	Solution
Financing	Certification & Documentation	Regulation
Cooperation	Infrastructure	Other

Furthermore, a meeting was held with startups as the beginning of the monitoring and follow-up process on August 5th. Additional follow-up meetings will be held with TUSEB and AIFD member companies in the upcoming period.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BIO CONVENTION-BIO DIGITAL 2020 & BIO STARTUP PROGRAM & BIO STARTUP CORONA SPRINT PROGRAM

Activity 1: Participation to BIO Convention Digital 2020

Activity 2: Content preparation, communication and program announcement

Activity 3: Need verification and prioritization from the field

Activity 4: Determining / forming the teams that will participate in the program and deciding the working areas of the relevant groups according to the prioritized needs

Activity 5: Designing solution roadmaps for needs

Activity 6: Evaluating the adaptation of the developed solutions with the needs, their usability in the field and the roadmap