New platform connects people and firms working on projects that can help first-line responders fight COVID-19 in RO

Nod Makerspace Association launched the Make for Romania (make4.ro) online platform, which connects people and companies with creative ideas, knowledge, and infrastructure working on projects and products that can help those that are most exposed to the new coronavirus (COVID-19).

At the same time, make4.ro is a way to help digitalize the small producers’ community and to give them access to resources that will assist them in better fairing through the actual crisis.

“We bring together makers – people who create, from the idea stage to the finished product, workshops, factories, producers, distributors and encourage their collaboration in such a way that each idea might be supported all throughout its lifecycle. Our first objective is to help hospitals and medical personnel in their fight against COVID-19,” said Florin Cobuz, founder of Make for Romania.

The platform assists all those working in production-related environments to come together and find ways to learn and adapt to the new needs and challenges of the current market, economic and social contexts, as well as reinvent themselves to ensure survival for medium to long terms, Nod Makerspace said in a press release.

The new platform creates the first validated database with all workshops and entrepreneurs that activate in Production and Crafts industry in Romania at either a small or medium scale. It aims to facilitate the interaction between Makers’ communities in Romania through an intuitive platform that will also become an essential production tool for a wide variety of projects of varying degrees of complexity. In the cases where financial or human resources are not available to those initiating the project, make4.ro also connects them with partners, sponsors, and investors that can assist in these areas.

A pilot-project already developed successfully by the founders of Make4.ro is Viziere.ro – a face shield for medical personnel that can be quickly produced from readily available materials, that are easy to procure, PET-G. Over 165,000 face shields have been produced in 23 regional centers and an international center in the Republic of Moldova in less than 30 days, with the help of 2,141 volunteers.

(Photo source: the company)