In June 2020, Tecnimede Group financially supported and was part of the jury panel of the 3rd edition of the Health Innovation Prize – i3S Health Innovation Prize, which was dedicated to finding solutions to combat Covid-19.

The winning project, “Antiviral Nanotechnology for Ceramic Surfaces and Air Filters”, presented by the start-up Smart Separations, led by Hugo Macedo, consisted of a nanotechnological coating to render ceramic surfaces and air filters antiviral through the innovative antimicrobial technology, Smart Coatings®. This technology, developed by the start-up Smart Separations, destroys micro-organisms in less than two seconds of contact and can be applied to various surfaces (metals, wood, polymers, and fibres) and air filters, thus preventing the transmission of Covid-19 and other infectious pathogens such as H1N1, S. aureus, E. coli, and C. albicans.