Drone network for samples between hospitals
Fly biological samples by drone between hospitals and labs in the same area, in minutes.
Sources checked on 24 October 2026
Summary Free
In London, Apian and Wing (an Alphabet company known for food delivery) have flown blood samples between Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals since late 2024: under 2 minutes versus over 30 minutes by road. In France, Reims University Hospital tested sample flights between Reims and Châlons in 2025 (25 minutes versus up to 1 hour by road), and Delivrone raised €4M in July 2025. The idea: an operator running regular drone routes for hospital groups and labs, with permits, compliant transport boxes and traceability.
The technology
Autonomous electric drones fly beyond the pilot's line of sight on fixed routes, with an insulated box for samples. A control centre supervises several drones remotely.
New sector and target customers
Regional hospital groups, university hospitals, public and private medical labs, blood banks.
Main source
NHS delivery drones take flight offering faster and greener patient care
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust · November 2024
Verified competitors
Delivrone, Apian, Matternet, Manna
Opportunity window Free
Is now the right time to start? A score out of 100, based on 5 criteria.
- Technology maturity (TRL)
- Regulatory tailwind
- Open funding calls
- Competitor and investor activity
- Market timing
The breakdown of the 5 criteria (rating, justification and source) is reserved for Premium members and buyers of the idea file.
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How it is calculated
Each criterion is rated from 1 to 5, then weighted. Score = sum of weight × (rating − 1) / 4, rounded.
- Technology maturity (TRL) (weight 25): The closer the technology is to a product (high TRL), the higher the rating.
- Regulatory tailwind (weight 20): A law or standard that creates demand raises the rating; a long approval process lowers it.
- Open funding calls (weight 15): Number of open or upcoming calls with a deadline in the next 12 months (the idea's "Funding calls" list).
- Competitor and investor activity (weight 20): Competitors raising money show that investors believe in the field: the rating is high. Little activity: the rating is low.
- Market timing (weight 20): A recent signal (first customer, first plant, incident) showing that the market is moving now.
The 5 levels: Wide-open window (From 80) · Open window (From 65) · Medium window (From 50) · Narrow window (From 35) · Closed window (From 0)
Editorial assessment by DeepTechBusinessLab, not investment advice. Criteria marked “To be verified” rely on thin evidence.
Open funding calls and grants
3 funding call(s) match this idea. Next deadline: 4 November 2026 (in 5 days).
The full list (call name, programme, amount, deadline and official link) is reserved for Premium members and buyers of the file.
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This data will be kept up to date by EUFundingRadar Bot, our European funding watch bot.
Starter kit
Everything you need to get moving: a one-page pitch, real contacts and the pilot customers to target.
What the kit contains
- One-page pitch in French and English (problem, solution, technology, market, business model, funding ask)
- 3 real contacts: labs, patent holders and organisations, with their official link
- 3 pilot customer profiles to approach
One-page pitch Project
Contacts and pilot customers Investor file
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Kit checked on 24 October 2026
The rest of the idea file
Choose the level of detail you need.
Known technology limits Analysis
Market in detail Analysis
Competitors in detail Analysis
And 9 more parts: Regulation, All sources, Step-by-step funding plan, EU grants and programmes, First steps, Useful contacts (public organisations), Competitors' investors, Risks and warning signs, Typical team
Analysis
290 €
€232 with Premium
Market, competitors and regulation, with every source
- Sourced market (several studies, segments, Europe)
- Detailed competitors: products, funding, country
- Regulation: laws, standards, permits
- Every source
- Opportunity window score breakdown
Project
590 €
€472 with Premium
The Analysis, plus the funding plan and EU grants
- Everything in Analysis
- Step-by-step funding plan
- Possible EU grants (checked with EUFundingRadar)
- First steps and useful contacts (public organisations)
- One-page pitch in French and English, printable
Investor file
990 €
€792 with Premium
The Project, plus competitors' investors, risks and 6 months of updates
- Everything in Project
- Full starter kit: labs, patent holders and pilot customers
- Investors who funded the competitors
- Risks, warning signs and typical team
- PDF in French and English
- Updates for 6 months
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Update history
Dated events that change how this idea reads, with their source.
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Idea file created
Independent information, not investment advice. TRL levels and budgets are estimates to be validated.
