Advancing new and novel digital technologies can significantly
improve outcomes for patients and reduce costs for healthcare
providers.
Innovate UK, part of UK
Research and Innovation, has up to £5 million to invest in
projects through the digital health technology catalyst – a
programme that aims to accelerate the development of digital
health innovations.
The competition is part of the Industrial Strategy
Challenge Fund to deliver leading-edge healthcare in the
UK.
This £181 million fund will transform how we develop and
manufacture medicines and other healthcare products, such as
digital technologies, to get the right drugs and treatments to
patients when they need them.
Using real-world data
This competition is supported by the National Institute for Health
and Care Excellence (NICE), which will provide
successful projects with its real-world data advisory services,
DataLab.
DataLab aims to connect expertise across the NHS and academia
through the institute’s data research. It is a collaboration
between NICE, the University of Manchester and Health Innovation
Manchester.
Successful applicants in the competition will be able to work
with DataLab to get advice and consultancy across 4 main areas:
- the application and use of real-world data
- ensuring health data is secure
- how to evaluate digital health interventions
- additional scientific advice from NICE, and how to
demonstrate the value of a project to the UK and international
health systems
Advancing health care through digital solutions
Previous digital health technology catalyst winners
include Neurofenix, whose tool
helps patients that have had a stroke to recover.
Better healthcare solutions
The competition is for collaborative research and development
projects that span a variety of technologies, markets and
healthcare needs and demonstrate the potential for significant
innovation.
Projects must do one or more of the following:
- improve health and wellbeing
- transform care to improve quality
- control costs and enable change
Technologies could include:
- virtual and augmented reality
- artificial intelligence and machine learning
- the Internet of Things
- data analytics and security
Ideas could be for use in a clinical or non-clinical setting.
This could include digital technologies to:
- support clinical decision-making
- improve access to healthcare, support treatment compliance or
patient-led management
- improve the patient experience from disease prevention
through to diagnosis, treatment, recovery and long-term care
- overcome privacy challenges with managing, sharing and
exploiting data
- create significant improvements in quality, speed, costs and
outcomes
- the competition opens on 11 February 2019, and the deadline
for applications is midday on 10 April 2019
- to lead a project, you’ll need to be a UK-based small or
medium-sized business (SME)
- SMEs can work alone or collaborate with others, including
other businesses, NHS organisations, universities, research and
technology organisations, public sector organisations or
charities
- total costs can be between £300,000 and £1 million
- businesses could get up to 70% of their project costs
- projects can last up to 18 months. They must start by 1
October 2019 and must be completed by 1 March 2021
