nir-vana innovation network

A research and development SME, active in Cyprus since 2016, has managed to address the problem of keeping employees safe from airborne diseases in an open plan office.
Existing solutions in the form of air purifiers do not prevent the diffusion and travel of particles. In fact, in some cases they can make things worse because particles would travel from one side of the room to the other until they reach the intake of the air purifier.
Air suction is integrated with desk dividers to draw in air and capture particles within a sphere of 1.5m around it. When a person emits respiratory particles (potentially containing viruses or bacteria), the person sitting at the neighbouring desk practically has zero exposure.
Several such units in an open plan office create an exceptionally efficient air purification system resulting in a time-of-flight of particles of less than 30seconds.

The air purification system is part of a desk divider or can be fitted as clip-on units onto an existing desk divider. It achieves silent operation at high airflows (>250m3/hr). Several patented technologies contribute to silent operation, convenient format, adaptability to match the specific office arrangement, and intelligent controls.

Third party validation report on filtration efficacy available. Additional 3rd party certification will be available soon. CE marking self-certification.

The SME is looking for Commercial agreements or license agreements to make the innovative product widely available. The SME is also looking for financial agreements or joint venture agreements to find strategic partners and/or investment.

Financial Agreement: The partners could be an investor with varying degrees of involvement. The company is seeking financial agreements to build a full distribution network for a range of air purification products.

The company is seeking commercial agreement with technical support or license agreements or joint venture agreements for the promotion, distribution, and technical support at client installations. The partner could be a reseller or an office furniture manufacturer or office furniture distributor. The partner is expected to make direct contact with prospective clients, survey their offices to determine optimal product configuration, and take orders for installation. The company will ensure that the product quantities arrive at the client site as ordered direct from the factory, and the partner will make available an installation crew for the correct product installation. The company can provide support with regards training of installation crews, training for repair personnel, support for optimal planning of installation for large clients, central management of filter replacement, availability of space parts, online customer support centre for direct support to end customers.

Advantages & innovations

• Reassurance to employees that they can be at a busy office without any significant risk of infection from airborne diseases. • Demonstration of duty of care by employers and that they place employees’ well-being high in their agenda. • Superior air quality in the office environment An installation in an office environment effectively creates a large but distributed in space, air purification system. Respiratory particles have a time-of-flight of less than 30seconds which means that risk of contamination by airborne viruses or bacteria is almost eliminated. Key innovations of system design ensure that noise levels are very low even though airflow exceeds 250m3/hr for each unit. The system automatically adjusts suction power according to conditions, so that suction is greater when needs and at the same time noise is imperceivable. The intake unit comes in different formats to enable easy retrofit installation at every desk. The intakes in the form of integrated desk dividers also function as acoustic dividers since they are externally dressed with acoustic foam material.

Stage of development

Prototype available for demonstration

Partner sought

The SME is looking for Commercial agreements or license agreements to make the innovative product widely available. The SME is also looking for financial agreements or joint venture agreements to find strategic partners and/or investment. Target partners would also be distributors, dealers or original equipment manufacturers. Ideal partners would be familiar or active in office furniture sales and/or manufacture or alternatively in ventilation and air-conditioning systems for large offices so that they can have a link or access to the market. Typical customers for this technology would be medium and large companies that employee people who work in an open plan office. Ideal partners would be familiar with this market.