Digital Health Technology Catalyst Round 3

UK businesses can apply for funding to speed up development of commercial digital health solutions.

Innovate UK, as part of UK Research and Innovation, has announced the Digital Health Technology Catalyst Round 3, which is set to open on 3rd September. This includes the launch of two competitions running parallel to one another:

1.     The investment of up to £1 million in feasibility studies that can potentially develop new digital technology solutions to healthcare challenges.

2.     The investment of up to £8 million in industrial research and experimental development projects which also develop new digital technology solutions to healthcare challenges.

 

The Digital Health Technology Catalyst (DHTC) is a £35 million fund, being run over 4 years. It is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. The DHTC is a core element of the government’s plans to implement the Accelerated Access Review (AAR). It aims to address some of the challenges that the review identified around the development of digital health innovations, and to help grow the digital health sector.

 

Aligned with the Industrial Strategy and the Accelerated Access Review, the aims of the Digital Health Technology Catalyst Round 3 are to:

• address major healthcare challenges
• grow the UK digital healthcare industry through the innovative use of digital technologies

 

Though solutions can be developed for either clinical or non-clinical use, projects must be innovative and clearly demonstrate how they will have the potential to improve the health and care system.

 

The following areas of importance are a guide as to what is expected from projects:

 

1. Improving health, and closing the health and wellbeing gap with:

• cancer diagnosis and treatment
• mental health early stage intervention and treatment
• diabetes risk and incidence reduction

2. Transforming care, and closing the care and quality gap with:

• urgent and emergency care provision
• management of primary care workload
• enabling patient choice in elective care

3. Controlling costs, enabling change and closing the finance and efficiency gap. This will be through the use of technology to maintain or improve levels of care with reduced spending.

 

Projects are expected to be awarded funding across a variety of technologies, markets and healthcare needs. Specific technologies include:

• immersive: virtual and augmented reality
• intelligent: artificial intelligence and machine learning
• connected: use of sensors, internet of things (IoT), networks
• data driven: informatics, data analytics and process

 

The types of digital health projects which will be funded include (but are not limited to):

• clinical decision-making support
• technologies that improve access to healthcare or help treatment compliance or provide patient led management
• digital technologies and products which help overcome privacy challenges of managing, sharing and exploiting data
• projects addressing the patient-led experience from prevention, through diagnosis, treatment and recovery, to long-term care
• applications of technology to health challenges where digital solutions offer and can demonstrate significant improvements in quality, speed, cost, outcomes and learning

KTN alongside Innovate UK will be hosting two briefing events to discuss the competition in more detail: the first of these will be on 19th September in Northern Ireland, and the second is on 26th September in Newcastle.
Register here for the Northern Ireland event.
Register here for the Newcastle event.

Feasibility Studies:

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million to speed up development of commercial digital health solutions.

Conditions:

You must show how your project will improve the competitiveness and productivity of at least one UK SME involved in the project. SMEs can work alone or in collaboration.

 

Read more here.

Collaborative Research and Development:

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £8 million to speed up development of commercial digital health solutions.

Conditions:

• Projects must be led by a UK-based SME and must develop new commercial digital technology solutions to address significant healthcare challenges.
• Projects must be collaborative and work with at least one other grant-claiming partner (NHS, other healthcare providers, other businesses, research technology organisations, research base or third sector). It is recommended that you collaborate with the NHS where appropriate.
• You must show how your project will improve the competitiveness and productivity of at least one UK SME involved in the project.

Read more here.