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Innovation & Technology Request

Looking for mobile outdoor toilet solutions for incident control teams of Dutch multinational

Country of Origin: Netherlands
Reference Number: TRNL20190408002
Publication Date: 10 April 2019

Summary

To minimize rail traffic nuisance the incident control team of the Dutch rail infrastructure manager solves problems on the spot.  The workers cannot go to the toilet because they are working in the middle of nowhere most of the time. Therefore the company is looking for a solution that can be carried easily, keeps the environment clean and creates some privacy. The company aims for a manufacturing or a technical cooperation agreement. This challenge is published on an open innovation platform.

Description

The Dutch rail infrastructure manager is responsible for 7500 km of railway. After an incident happens, sometimes in cities but often in the middle of nowhere, the most nearby incident control team is called to solve the problem and minimize the nuisance. For quick response the incident control teams are located in 10 regional posts. Their vans are packed with all kinds of specialized tools and they are able to move rapidly to unforeseen incident locations.   



Often there are no toilet facilities in the vicinity of the incident. This is a problem for the professionals who  are working in the field and need to go to the toilet. Over the last years the number of female workers is increasing making the problem even more urgent. But also male workers would benefit from a proper solution.  The situation of firefighters who  work outside at  uncontemplated places is a comparable one.



The solution should meet the following demands: 

-	Take up little space in the van

-	Easy to transport, in the van but also easy to carry if needed

-	Easy to clean

-	Not polluting the environment

-	Offer some privacy and dignity

-	Sustainable

-	Practical in combination with clothing like overalls

-	Affordable

-	Suitable for all gender

-	Independent of weather circumstances

-	Independent of water



The development of the toilet solution is not the core business of the company but they can be a launching customer and facilitate co-creation. The proposed type of cooperation is a manufacturing agreement. 

    



Important: 

This technology request refers to an innovation challenge published on an open innovation platform. If an organization expresses interest before closing date, it will be guided towards this open innovation platform. After registration participants can browse free through other submissions and engage in discussions. All submissions will get feedback by the company on this open platform. The challenge closes on May 27th, 2019. Mind that posts on this platform are not confidential.

Beside open discussions on the platform, sharing of confidential information will be made possible on demand. After that, the firm will select the SME's with whom they would like to cooperate in the development of a solution. Once the challenge is closed, Expressions of Interest for this technology request will be treated in the traditional way.

Expertise sought

The company is looking for innovative expertise in the field of:

-	Product development, engineering

-	Outdoor or camping life development 

-	Festivals

Stage Of Development Comment

Probably there is no solution on the market yet, but the company hopes a combination of partial solutions can be made.

Requested partner

The company is looking for all kinds of companies, research organisations or inventors that can help solve this problem. The first step is registering and participating in the chat on the open platform. 

The company can be the launching customer and invest in the development of the product that also can be sold to other markets. 

The partners sought can co-create a solution or offer a solution by their own.