University of Portsmouth nominated for international award for coronavirus face shield design

The University of Portsmouth was one of the first organisations to utilise its staff's skills to design face shields after the chronic national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) quickly became apparent.

To date, over 10,000 shields have been provided to organisations such as the NHS, Police, Fire Service and social care providers. The face shield design has also been shared with other organisations including schools and colleges so they too could join in the quest to provide additional PPE.

With the design now internationally downloaded more than 1,000 times, the university has been selected as a finalist at the National Knowledge Exchange Awards in recognition of both its role in manufacturing the shields as well as supporting other organisations to do the same.

The awards recognise the ‘best knowledge exchange achievements from around the world based on the transfer of ideas, expertise and skills’.

Senior Lecturer in Creative Technologies, Ted Turnbull, who helped lead the design and manufacture of the shields, said: ‘We have received wholehearted thanks and very positive feedback from our partners and we continue to process orders where shields are still required, including care homes and schools.’

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The pioneering design can fit safely on top other other PPE clothing and, unlike other shields, can be manufactured in just 30 seconds allowing them to be mass produced.

Ted added: ‘We have been able to draw on the creative and technical talent of staff from across the University to respond to the challenge faced by the NHS and the wider healthcare sector.

‘This face shield helps reduce the risk of infection to staff and to the patients under their care. The team effort has been phenomenal. When we come out of the other side of the pandemic we can, as a University and a community, say ‘we did everything we could’.

The winner of the award will be chosen on June 24.

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