Baby Beat gets the European Grant

In February of this year, BCB Informática y Control published the news of the presentation of their project "Baby Beat" (system of continuous noninvasive measurement and fetal heartbeat) in the European framework program Horizon 2020 (H2020), with the collaboration of CD6-UPC.

The innovative proposal of BCB has been one of the projects that have been granted funding. Only 11% of the 629 projects submitted to the instrument for SMEs Phase 2, have managed the financing of the Commission rith a total budget of 117.6 m¡llion euros and our "Baby Beat" is among them.

The European Commission has selected 94 SMEs (13 of them Spanish) from 19 countries, each receiving a grant to fund innovation activities and the development of their business plans.

Since launching the program on January 1, 2014, 134 projects involving 172 SMEs werw selected for EU funding in phase 2 of the SME facility, totaling more than €225 million.

"Baby Beat" is a noninvasive integrated (laser interferometry) bracelet with technology that continuisly measures the fetal heartbeat during the last weeks of pregnancy. This portable device can communicate with smartphones via bluetooth and generate automatic alerts when the beat exceeds certain thresholds (below 100 lpm or above 180).

Thus it will generate greater social and health benefits:

- Better control of high-risk pregnancies, by  monitoring the fetal heartbeat continues.

- Transfer of responsability of the physician to the  mother, who has a direct view of the data concerning  the condition of the fetus.

- Increasing the tranquility of pregnant by having a  continuius, timed and inmediate medical attention.

- Decrease in utero perinatal mortality.

- Prevention of hypoxia, which can trigger brain  edema, hemorrhage and neuronal damage.

- Reduction of hospital costs thanks to rapid  emergency transfer of the patient.

- Improvided safety and reduced risk of infection by  using noninvasive system.