SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England investment fund, on Monday (26 September) announced the opening of its autumn competition. Entrepreneurs are invited to apply for up to £1.1 million investment to develop and commercialise innovations with a focus on building general practice of the future.


Game changing technologies are needed that address three main challenge areas in general practice:

• Workload and demand management: A significant volume of workload is being transferred from acute care to primary care. SBRI Healthcare is seeking technology solutions to improve demand forecasting to better arm the system and release general practice resources.
• Diagnostics and earlier triage: Primary care relies heavily on acute care for diagnostic testing adding waiting time and complex logistics to GP services. Solutions are sought that bring rapid, reliable and robust diagnostic testing within primary care enabling earlier triage and potentially redesign of care pathways.
• Self-care: Self-care is high on the agendas of several national health and care organisations including NHS England. SBRI Healthcare is looking for technologies that enable and inspire patients to care for themselves in partnership with their GP.

SBRI Healthcare is led by England’s Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) and has invested £57 million in the past four years to develop innovative products and services that address unmet health needs and stimulate economic growth. This competition is jointly led by Eastern, South West and West of England AHSNs.

For the autumn competition 2016, total funding of up to £1.1 million is on offer to each successful company with £100,000 awarded for initial feasibility studies and then a further £1 million potentially available for prototype development.

Dr Arvind Madan, Director of Primary Care NHS England: “NHS general practice is revered across the globe, but we know we need to transform the way the public sees our service and to equip our frontline staff with the game changing technology that will revolutionise primary care. Through this SBRI Healthcare competition the NHS will work with innovative and dynamic entrepreneurs – the challenges are significant and that is why we are prepared to invest in solutions.”

Applications are invited from across the UK. Briefing events will take place in Cambridge on 25 October and Bristol on 27 October 2016.

The deadline for applications is 24 November 2016. Full details available on the SBRI Healthcare website: www.sbrihealthcare.co.uk