23 Sep 2020
Alessandro Silacci, who developed the SMSer platform in the context of an applied research project, has been selected for the award of Junior Research for Humanitarian Contexts by the Humanitarian Aid of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The SMSer (Service de Monitoring du Supply-chain d’Equipements en Région reculée adapté à l’aide humanitaire) platform applied research project is an international cooperation project targeting the management of perishable goods’ supply-chains in time of crisis.
Junior Research for Humanitarian Contexts
Alessandro Silacci, who developed the SMSer platform in the context of this applied research project, has been awarded during the Annual Conference of Humanitarian Aid by the Humanitarian Aid of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) that has been held online on August 2020. The contribution presented by Alessandro Silacci, as well as 9 other projects, has been selected for the award of Junior Research for Humanitarian Contexts.
About the SMSer project
The SMSer project is directed by Prof. Maurizio Caon, School of Management Fribourg, in partnership with the Engineering School of Fribourg (HEIA-FR), the School of Health of Fribourg (HEdS-FR), the Hassan 2 University in Casablanca, Morocco and the St-Joseph University in Beiruth, Lebanon. It has been sponsored by the Swiss international research program 2017-21 “Entrepreneurship and Appropriate Technologies for International Development”, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland / HES-SO together with the Leading House Middle East and North Africa (LHMENA) and the Swiss Federal Secretariat for Research & Innovation. The scientific director of this program is Prof. Philippe Regnier, Head (Applied Research & Development), School of Management Fribourg.
Through an in-situ field study conducted together with the pharmacy of the Weapon-wounded Trauma and Training Centre, ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross), the platform has revealed to be fully functional to provide transparency through the whole supply chain with particular focus on the last mile, which is the part of the chain between the last warehouse and the final user.
The project will be further developed in Morocco as the Hassan 2 University in Casablanca and the School of Management of Fribourg have extended their partnership thanks to a new incubation funding received by the Swiss Federal Secretariat for Research & Innovation via the “Entrepreneurship and Appropriate Technologies for International Development” program of the HES-SO, which is starting in September 2020.
Supply chain for the humanitarian aid - CALL 2017