We have a new employee! Meet and get to know Douglas Häggström, Manager INCATE and MIRAHI Incubators.
Leonie: "What are the core projects you're working on?"
Douglas: "The first is, INCATE (Incubator for Antibiotic Therapies in Europe), a program helping innovators translate research and ideas into companies and products that can fight Antimicrobial Resistance and MIRAHI (Making Innovation a Reality in African Health Initiative) connects entrepreneurs to healthcare challenges and provides them with the support so they can help strengthen healthcare systems and also become more sustainable themselves. Two great themes." Leonie: "What are your goals with the INCATE & MIRAHI Incubators?"
Douglas: "Both programs are working on some really big, hard, and important challenges that won’t be solved anytime soon. So for both of them, it is about finding how we and our partners can bring the innovations we support a few steps closer to reality and impact. I think it is also key that we focus on doing what others can’t or won’t do in the journey of the people we support.
Leonie: "What are some connections you want to make or strengthen?"
Douglas: "The great thing about the approach of the Innovation Office is that it focuses on making connections so for the first few months it will be about understanding the existing landscape and getting to know our current partners. I remember a conversation with Christian Elias Schneider from 3 or 4 years ago where we discussed the value in helping make existing bridges stronger and wider rather than building new ones. I still agree with that."
Leonie: "What are some of your favorite things to do in Switzerland?"
Douglas: "I’ve been here for 10 years and have been lucky enough to see most corners of the country. I’m a keen skier and have spent a lot of time in the mountains here, especially in Wallis. I also go to a lot of the same places in summer with my bike(s) and try and swim in the Rhein all year round. I feel very lucky to have been “locked up” in such a beautiful country over the last 15 months!"