To make it easier for local small and medium businesses (SMBs) to access b<>com’s digital technologies and skills, the Region of Brittany issued an initial call for projects (CFP) in 2019, coordinated by the Images & Réseaux cluster and communicated through regional competitiveness clusters. This has led Broadpeak and SLS France, two Breton SMBs, to work together with the b<>com teams in the fields of 5G and e-health. The second b<>com CFP was launched on June 30, 2020 by Images & Réseaux.
Sharing expertise to accelerate innovation
SLS France, which specializes in designing and manufacturing both custom-made and mass-produced medical devices, and Broadpeak, a world leader in video distribution over IP networks, both expressed interest during the first b<>com call for projects to boost their competitiveness in specific fields. Pooling the skills of the teams from b<>com and both these businesses will help to accelerate 5G and e-health projects.
“We needed a partner with medical imaging expertise who could support us in the development of our new web platform for exchanging patient records for oral/maxilofacial surgery and orthodontics,” explained Axel Dubois, Chief Executive Officer of SLS France. “b<>com has substantial expertise in the DICOM standard and anonymization issues. Through this collaboration, we can share our knowledge, and pooling our skills is how the two of us together will write the future of medicine,” he concluded.
“Continuous improvement in the quality of video experience is central to Broadpeak's mission. In a world where streaming video consumption is moving to mobile/5G networks - with smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs - Broadpeak is innovating and enhancing its video distribution solutions with new features that involve caching video content closer to users within the very same mobile/5G network that they are on, called "edge caching”. This greatly improves the quality of users’ video experience. To pursue this goal, our collaboration with b<>com grants us the use of its 5G platform and its renowned expertise in this field,” said Guillaume Bichot, Head of Exploration at Broadpeak.
Business-oriented collaborations
A new call for projects was recently launched. Several options are available to SMBs that want to take a big leap forward by accelerating the development of one or more of their products. The first is technology transfer: Incorporating a brick developed by b<>com's teams into an existing product to improve its performance. Collaboration can also take the form of knowledge sharing to overcome technological or practical obstacles. Finally, using b<>com's platforms can enable SMBs to conduct usage tests or large-scale experiments should they want to do so.
“With this call for projects aimed at SMBs, the region of Brittany is making it easier for local companies to access our innovations. We have worked with major corporations and academic laboratories, but b<>com is also able to meet the needs of smaller businesses. Our model relies on sharing skills and technologies as widely as possible. We provide custom solutions, which is a sizable benefit for SMBs that have specific needs", explained Bertrand Guilbaud, the CEO of b<>com.
