16.09.13
Small businesses to benefit from £5m healthcare funding
The Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare will award £5m to help find innovative solutions to improve health outcomes, it has announced.
The funding competition will focus on companies specifically focused on seven categories: cancer; cardiovascular; COPD; diabetes; mental health/dementia; patient safety; and research tools.
It is funded by NHS England and led by Eastern Academic Health Science Network (EAHSN).
Miles Ayling, director of innovation at NHS England, said: “Innovation Health and Wealth set out the agenda to spread best practice across the NHS whilst at the same time supporting economic growth and wealth creation. The Small Business Research Initiative is a way for NHS England to generate a pipeline of new ideas and technologies with predominantly small to medium sized companies.
“The ideas in this sector are often highly innovative and exciting – bringing a step change to the way the NHS can deliver quality care for patients. In Innovation Health and Wealth the NHS set out to double the investment in SBRI – NHS England has already committed £5m this year and today’s competition launch will support industry with a further £5m investment.”
Sir Mike Rawlins, chair of the EAHSN, who leads the programme on behalf of NHS England said: “The NHS is a great market place for new technology companies. Through the SBRI programme we can find new ways of solving old problems – which benefit patients and support business growth. In the NHS we have world leading clinical expertise and through programmes such as SBRI Healthcare we can work with business experts to maximise the benefit to the NHS and the economy.”
Peter Ellingworth, chair of the SBRI Management Board and chief executive of the Association of British Healthcare Industries said: “The med tech industry is an important success story for the UK economy. Many companies already work closely with the NHS but the SBRI programme supports new partnerships to develop and succeed. Through SBRI the companies can gain funding but also the expert support of the NHS to develop products that are truly reflecting NHS need. I hope many companies take a good look and apply for this programme.”
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