News

EPSRC awards £12.2m for healthcare engineering

Over £12m funding has been announced for investment in 15 creative engineering research projects to boost health outcomes and improve patient care.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will fund £5.8m for the development of medical imaging technology, with a particular focus on neuroimaging to improve therapies for brain injured patients and reduce the risks during brain surgery.

£3.5m has been allocated for acute treatment technology, including a pulsed laser system to restore tooth enamel, a multi-photon scanner and ultrasonic bone-penetrating needles.

An additional £2.9m will fund research and development in assistive technology and rehabilitation, including improved prosthetics, hearing aids and wearable material to support healing muscles.

The £12.2m investment involves 27 university research teams, with industry and NHS partners.

Professor David Delpy, CEO of EPSRC said: “The research we are funding is aimed at developing a range of innovative technologies which can, improve the diagnosis and treatment of serious illnesses including Alzheimer’s and cancer, improve patient outcomes, and help severely disabled people. EPSRC funds projects which are both world leading research, and can make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Richard Prager, from the University of Cambridge, who chaired the panel assessing the research proposals, said: “Technology for rehabilitation, acute care and imaging has huge potential to transform lives and improve medicine. It is great that such an exciting set of ambitious projects has been funded.

“The referees and review panel were greatly impressed by the large number and outstanding quality of proposals received.”

The full list of projects awarded funding can be found here.

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