The COVID-19 crisis has drastically affected various aspects of life worldwide, particularly healthcare and the global economy. A significant challenge that emerged in many EU countries was the shortage of personal protective equipment (also known as PPE), including masks and gowns, but also ventilators and disinfection liquids. Patients were also forced to occupy corridors, stadiums, or parking lots due to inadequate hospital capacity. The pandemic exposed the need for EU countries to relocate the production of key products, including medical and protective equipment, which are presently manufactured outside the EU due to cost considerations.
As such, Europe needs now an effective coordination and more collaboration between industries and countries to be able to tackle global health crises and improve preparedness for future emergency situations. This is where the RESERVIST project comes in. RESERVIST has one main objective: to prevent disastrous situations during future crisis by setting up ‘RESERVIST cells’ that can be activated within 48 hours to produce necessary products and services. During a spiking demand, ‘RESERVIST cells’ are activated. This activation triggers a change in production: manufacturing lines are repurposed or started up to produce the required emergency equipment and services.
Each ‘RESERVIST cell’ is pre-defined depending on different needs. Cells are composed of core companies for manufacturing and testing, an extended network for further capacities, a digital coordination platform, and a pool of experts from the consortium. The RESERVIST project offers various products, including protective textiles, various types of face masks, reusable medical gowns, biodegradable body bags, mechanical ventilators, disinfection equipment, emergency hospitals. It also offers services such as certification of medical products, situation awareness forecasting, and training. The benefits of the RESERVIST project are numerous. It provides better preparedness to handle crises, fast access to emergency goods, priority on product orders, easy ordering, fast delivery, fixed prices for emergency products, and is less expensive than paying for stock keeping.
