Healthcare innovators in the UK and Singapore will soon be able to access a new international funding opportunity designed to speed up the development, validation and adoption of promising health technologies.
Opening on 14th October 2026, the new i4i-LeapX joint funding call brings together the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme and the National Health Innovation Centre Singapore’s (NHIC) LeapX initiative. The collaboration aims to support later-stage healthcare innovations that address shared clinical challenges faced by both countries.
The funding programme will focus on generating the clinical and commercial evidence needed to help technologies progress towards regulatory approval, market entry and widespread adoption. Supported activities may include clinical validation, regulatory clearance, health economics studies and real-world evaluations.
Both the UK and Singapore are contending with similar healthcare pressures, including ageing populations, growing levels of chronic illness and increasing demand for health services. The new scheme seeks to foster stronger international partnerships while helping innovators develop solutions that can deliver meaningful benefits for patients across both healthcare systems.
Applications will be open to projects addressing clearly defined unmet clinical needs. However, particular priority will be given to innovations that align with the strategic healthcare goals of both nations.
For the UK, this includes the objectives outlined in the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, particularly its three major shifts: moving care from hospitals into community settings, transitioning from analogue to digital services, and placing greater emphasis on prevention rather than treatment. The programme also supports technologies aligned to the government's five key innovation areas: data, artificial intelligence, genomics, wearable technologies and robotics.
In Singapore, projects should support the Healthier SG strategy and the Ministry of Health and National Medical Research Council's Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 agenda. Priority areas include preventative healthcare, chronic disease management, community-based care, precision medicine, healthy ageing and the use of enabling technologies such as AI, genomics, wearables and robotics.
By supporting these shared priorities, the initiative aims to position funded technologies for long-term adoption and success in both healthcare systems.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), said:
"In our 20th anniversary year, this partnership with the NHIC underscores the NIHR’s commitment to driving innovations that transform patient care.
"The i4i-LeapX cross-border funding opportunity will directly support the UK’s 10-Year Health Plan by leveraging AI, digital and preventative technologies to shift care from hospitals into the community.
"This partnership is an excellent example of international collaboration – together, we are fast-tracking groundbreaking healthtech to get proven treatments to patients faster and improve lives in both nations."
A key feature of the funding competition is its requirement for joint applications involving partners from both the UK and Singapore. This collaborative model is intended to maximise the strengths and expertise available within each country's healthcare and innovation ecosystems.
Eligible technologies include later-stage medical technologies, in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) and digital health solutions originating from either the UK or Singapore.
Successful projects can receive up to £500,000 for the UK-based element and SGD $750,000 for the Singapore component. Funding will support projects over a period of up to 24 months, enabling innovators to undertake clinical validation and generate the evidence required to support adoption in one or both countries.
The UK element of the scheme will be funded by the Department of Health and Social Care through the NIHR, while the Singapore component will be funded by NHIC.
Image credit: iStock
