Awards Scheme to Support NHS Innovations

The recently launched Medtech Accelerator, a new proof of concept financial awards scheme to progress medical technology and software innovations developed primarily from within the NHS, has announced awards on offer between £15K and £125K. Aiming to bring together the NHS, local authority and local business, it will support and finance development projects at an early stage in order to maximise the potential for success in bringing new life enhancing technologies to patients.

Led by Health Enterprise East (HEE), the initiative includes New Anglia Capital Ltd, a subsidiary of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEP), Greater Cambridge & Greater Peterborough (GCGP) LEP and  also the Eastern AHSN. LEPs and Eastern AHSN have each invested £500K and will have access to HEE’s expertise in proof of concept and technology transfer and to its existing pipeline of NHS technologies through its membership base, including internationally renowned centres of healthcare research and innovation.

Dr Anne Blackwood, Chief Executive at HEE said: “The Medtech Accelerator is the first scheme of its kind that brings together local authority, business and the NHS across a specific geography to invest in Medtech. There is a current lack of funding for early stage proof of principle work and together we have the opportunity to not only help patients but also bring economic growth to the region in the form of jobs, revenues and the scope to leverage additional investment.”