PTB supports partner countries by sharing auxiliary ventilator design

In view of the dramatic developments in the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries, PTB recently sent a description as well as technical drawings of an auxiliary ventilator to several partner countries, including India and Nepal. At the initiative of Sebastian Raupach, the “TaBea” semi-automatic resuscitator was developed using a prototype in early 2020 by Frank…

Hands-on | Virtually!

Guidelines on virtual hands-on laboratory training Can hands-on laboratory training be conducted remotely? What are some methods to virtually demonstrate how to handle laboratory equipment or remotely direct trainees to perform technical measurements? How can misunderstandings of instructions be avoided? What software applications can support virtual hands-on laboratory training? It became obvious that these questions…

New discussion paper: How can the economy be strengthened through QI?

How can quality infrastructure, or QI for short, strengthen the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic? A team of internal and external PTB experts has examined this issue in a discussion paper. The topic was developed as a basis for discussion within PTB’s International Cooperation Group on a task force that deals with the challenges of…

Capacity Development Online – New formats of virtual cooperation

Since March 2020, the PTB’s International Cooperation Group has been facing major challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The social and travel-related restrictions have led to the staff members having to transfer the project work almost completely to the virtual realm. This has not only raised many questions regarding technical implementation. A major challenge is…

ISO 15189:2012 and its connection to PCR tests

Everyone has been talking about PCR tests since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, but how are they related to quality infrastructure? What relevance does the topic have in the context of PTB’s development cooperation? How can it be guaranteed that test results are correct, comparable and internationally recognized? The international standard ISO 15189:2012 (the…

Close-up of brown glass bottles at turntable production line.

Safe and Sound Pharmaceutics Made in Africa

In nearly all areas of our everyday life, Covid-19 has been presenting us with huge challenges. This also applies to our work routines. Whereas people working in certain professions can work from home, this is simply impossible for others. In such cases, the workplace must, despite the pandemic, provide employees with a safe environment and…

Improving medical metrological infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated that health systems in most Latin America and the Caribbean are not well prepared for such a crisis. One of the most important bottlenecks to date are the lack of respiratory equipment, intensive care units, sufficient and sure oxygen supply and enough qualified medical personnel for handling this equipment. The…

Using UV-C radiation to combat the coronavirus

PTB investigates indoor air purifier developed in Braunschweig The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) measured the internal irradiance of a prototype of an indoor UV-C air purification unit to gauge its effectiveness in neutralizing germs and viruses. A simulation of the irradiance distribution in the unit also enabled us to investigate the suitability of the lamp arrangement…

Going Digital at Work

Today, we would like to draw your attention to a section of our covid-19 website devoted to working digitally. Because we can no longer have meetings in person, including those on site in our partner countries, we have to rely on the digital world to take up the slack. However, we can’t just do this…

Blue disposable face masks against a dark blue background.

AU and Africa CDC are hosting Workshop on Manufacturing PPE

The African Union Commission and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention are hosting a special workshop on promoting local manufacturing of personal protective equipment. Date: Thursday, 3 September 2020 Time: 1.00-4.30 p.m. Eastern Africa Time Register and connect to the workshop through this link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q–PI60nQWamHnxe_CNPwg Here you can find the announcement in English,…