The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region's tech and startup community have joined forces to curb the spread of coronavirus (covid-19). The agency is offering its support to the ‘Wild Card' online hackathon that has called on teams from across the EMEA to present technological solutions. These efforts, it is hoped, will lead to a response system to help individuals and businesses deal with the disruption. The three-day hackathon, running from 27-29 March, was initiated by Robusta, an Egyptian tech and product agency, alongside governmental agencies and private organisations. A well-connected network of venture capital organisations, accelerators, and community outreach partners has also joined the hackathon, to challenge coronavirus and its global impact. Over 100 teams have joined the movement in collaborative work focusing on developing innovative solutions supporting the healthcare system, business continuity, and community wellbeing areas where solutions will be prototyped. For its part, ITIDA will contribute to this initiative by offering its facilities to support and serve all the winning teams or startups. This will help them develop, implement, and fabricate their projects in its Electronics Innovation Complexes (EIC) located in three governorates including Cairo's Smart Village, Alexandria's Borg El-Arab Tech Park, and Assiut's Tech Park. ITIDA's EIC were set up under the national presidential initiative "Egypt Makes Electronics" (EME). The EIC have four integrated divisions that are well equipped with development kits, tools, electronics components, and measurement equipment. The winning teams will enjoy access to a set of tools that enable them to run Printed Circuit Board (PCB) fabrication and assembly facilities up to four layers. Each complex is fully equipped with industrial grade digital fabrication facilities for mock-up and package prototype, along with a state of the art co-working space. ITIDA will continue to support the winning teams to bring their prototypes to the next level through its portfolio of development programmes and initiatives. ITIDA is committed to consistency with the World Health Organization's and the Egyptian Ministry of Health's precautions and measures ensuring a safe workplace for employees and visitors.
