Latest competition launch will award Phase 1 funding to accelerate development of new solutions towards better health outcomes.

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. Briefing events for businesses to learn about the competition will take place on 22 June in Leeds and 21 June in London.

To find out more visit www.sbrihealthcare.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) is an NHS England initiative, championed by the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), whose role is to promote UK economic growth by spreading innovation and best practice across the NHS. The SBRI Healthcare competitions are launched on a biannual basis and result in fully funded development contracts between the awarded company and NHS England to meet known healthcare need.

Generally taking a three-phased development approach, projects start with a 6 month feasibility phase and can then move on to more detailed product development. Phase 1 contracts for feasibility testing are valued at up to £100,000 and last for six months. Phase 2 contracts for prototype development are worth up to £1 million over one year. Phase 3 contracts are intended to accelerate product adoption, with up to a further £1 million over 12 months, providing the opportunity for validation in NHS settings. While the public sector has the right to license the resultant technology, its intellectual property (IP) remains with the company, thereby enabling successful businesses to grow.

Funding for SBRI Healthcare has been secured from NHS England. The programme is directed by the Eastern Academic Health Science Network (EAHSN) on behalf of NHS England and the other regional AHSNs. Health Enterprise East is the management partner and supports the EAHSN to handle the applications, assessments and delivery against contracts.

Previous SBRI Healthcare competitions have called for technological and innovative solutions to, for example, change people’s behaviour in order to reduce the impact of obesity and alcohol related diseases, how to live well with dementia and improved medicine management.


About Academic Health Science Networks www.ahsnnetwork.com

There are 15 AHSNs across England. They are catalysts for the spread of innovation at pace and scale - improving health, generating economic growth and helping facilitate change across whole health and social care economies. They create the right environment for relevant industries to work with the health and social care system. They do this by connecting regional networks of NHS and academic organisations, local authorities, the third sector and industry - responding to the diverse needs of their patients and populations through partnership and collaboration.


About Health Enterprise East and Competition details www.hee.co.uk

Health Enterprise East (HEE) is committed to improving healthcare through the provision of professional business and innovation management services. The HEE team works with NHS organisations nationally and Med Tech companies globally to support the development of innovative products and services which meet currently unmet healthcare needs.

Having pioneered and successfully run the initiative for the East of England since its launch in 2009, HEE now oversees the national SBRI Healthcare programme bringing together businesses, the healthcare industry and the NHS. Information on future competitions can be found on the SBRI Healthcare and the Health Enterprise East websites.