SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England funded initiative to develop innovative products and services that address unmet health needs, today announced the launch of the latest SBRI Healthcare competition where up to 12 small business could each benefit from £100,000 Phase 1 product development funding. In this latest round, SBRI Healthcare will look to award a total of £1.1 million for healthcare innovations that address challenges in the high need areas of ‘Managing patient flow in acute care’ and ‘Self-care and independence for children with long-term conditions’.
Commenting on the competition for Self-care and independence for children with long-term conditions, Philippa Hedley-Takhar, Head of Investment and Partnerships for Yorkshire and Humber AHSN, said: “We know that disability in children can have a permanent effect on their life skills in adulthood. With 6% of children in the UK living with disability, there is a high need for innovations that address their health and care needs, so they can live life to the full. This will enhance their wellbeing and confidence but, over the longer term, will enable them to take advantage of greater opportunities as they move towards and through adulthood.”
Commenting on the competition for Managing patient flow in acute care, Anna King, Commercial Director of Health Innovation Network, said: “When a person’s health needs are complex they often need to interact with different departments and different care processes which can feel like they are bouncing around the system. This isn’t good for patients and it isn’t efficient for the NHS, as it often results in duplication, waste and other inefficiencies. So we are looking for companies with innovations that can help us to improve efficiencies through better use of resources, reduced wastage and delays, and improved processes. This will save money for the NHS but, crucially, will improve the experience and outcomes for patients.”
The Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) works with Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) to identify priority areas where technology can be applied to address major clinical challenges. The programme focuses on clearly identified NHS needs, bringing clinicians and business together at an early stage to harness the expertise of SMEs to develop effective solutions. Companies successful in the six month feasibility stage (Phase 1) will be eligible to apply for a further award of up to £1 million (Phase 2) to fund more detailed product development. In the last year, SBRI Healthcare has launched 11 new clinically-led competitions and awarded £19.5 million to 67 companies to develop products focused on specific NHS unmet need.
The competition theme areas have been chosen in partnership with AHSNs across England and specifically for this programme; Self-care and independence for children with long-term conditions – Yorkshire & Humber AHSN; and Managing patient flow in acute care - Health Innovation Network (South London), Imperial College Health Partners and West of England AHSNs.
The competition closes at 12 noon on Thursday 28th July with winners announced in October.
**For full competition details please click here.**