It is a non-profit and also provides rating tools and options to report and track modified solutions that these individuals develop.

Patient Innovation started as an academic research project aimed to study user innovation[1] by patients and their non-professional caregivers,[2] funded by The Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (FCT),[3] Carnegie-Mellon Portugal Program[4] and Pieter Pribila Foundation.

[6] The project is supported by a number of distinguished individuals, including Nobel Laureate Sir Richard J. Roberts,[7] Eric von Hippel, Nobel Laureate Aaron Ciechanover, Katherine Strandburg, Robert Langer, Lee Fleming and Keld Laursen – who serve on the Advisory Board.

In 36 months, over 850 solutions developed by patients, (non-professional) caregivers or collaborators from over 60 countries were submitted, curated and shared to improve the lives of many other who struggle with different health conditions.

They are:[17] The team conducts research on the role of patients of chronic diseases, and their caregivers, in creating new solutions to help them cope with their health conditions.