A research and innovation hub in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes has issued a call for applications for its research and innovation fund, following a £3 million investment from NHS England, with successful applicants to be awarded up to £15,000 for projects tackling an aspect of research or innovation in integrated care provision.
Applications will be judged against criteria including links to the strategic priorities of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICS, the potential to attract future funding, and “proven expertise of the partners in research or innovation areas”.
Funding will generally be awarded on a one-year basis, but applications for shorter or longer awards will also be considered on a case-by-case basis, and it is “expected that applicants will access other sources of funding to complement this award”.
Applicants will be able to use the funding for research time, evaluation, travel, and “collaborative activities” such as workshops and engagement.
Professor Yannis Pappas, director of the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Research and Innovation Hub, said that the local healthcare system “is a vibrant one for research and innovation, where ideas flourish” and added that the hub “wishes to support service providers to develop their plans for research and innovation by funding up to three programmes… Proposals can be submitted to address any aspect of research or innovation in integrated care provision, but they should ascertain user needs, address inequalities, and/or build capacity for further research and innovation.”
Also on innovation, NHS Supply Chain has announced the launch of its new Medical Technology Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for innovative products, intended to support public sector organisations in accessing goods and services from SMEs who may face barriers when tendering to supply NHS trusts.
Elsewhere, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced the launch of £10 million in funding to be used in part to support eight selected health tech companies in bringing innovative solutions to market, including a device to identify liver cancer tumours; a portable blood test to identify stroke patients; and an AI solution to predict patient risk of hospitalisation for COPD.
