PROTECHT

The PoC PROTECHT is an EU-funded project that aims to develop a new anti-counterfeiting method based on innovative nanotechnology for a wide range of applications.

Today, it is estimated that 600 million medical products and 10% of the world’s pharmaceuticals are counterfeited each year. The main problem with anti-counterfeiting systems is that it is difficult to develop systems that are both secure and have little impact on the final price of the product.

The main objective of the PROTECHT project is a new technology based on a group of molecules engineered by the Politecnico di Milano that can be produced on a large scale in unique matrices, and that can only be read by exploiting a particular physical effect that makes reading and tracking perfectly safe and non-reproducible.

Counterfeiting is a problem in many fields, and it affects not only the economy, for example the market for luxury goods, but also health. The market for counterfeit medicines now exceeds 80 billion dollars, and the consequences of counterfeit medicines and devices are serious for many patients around the world.

Day One works side-by-side with the research team in the design of the system, analysing the requirements and wishes of end-users and potential customers interested in adopting the technology on their products. From the technological core, this path is aimed at creating a line of actual products suitable for various applications, including documents, smart cards, medical and pharmaceutical product packaging and even luxury goods labels. 

This path requires the use of approaches such as User Centered Design and Design Thinking, which make use of the support of experts and industrial partners in different sectors and Day One’s experience to suggest development alternatives and features of interest to the technical development team. Current and expected performances are then compared not only with existing anti-counterfeiting systems but also with technologies still under development, in order to anticipate future market trends. 

With this information it is possible to set new targets for development and build a minimum viable product that presents a real benefit to the industry and the end user.