Applications are now open for the latest Health Enterprise East (HEE) Innovation Voucher Competition, which will reward the most novel ideas in medtech innovation with vouchers of up to £5,000 each.
The vouchers are sponsored by Medovate, the medical device development company, and are designed to support the advancement of new technologies which could bring benefits to the NHS.
HEE’s Innovation Voucher competition is specifically calling for medical innovations in the fields of: anaesthesia; airway devices; critical/intensive care; and surgical, with an interest in gastrointestinal and endoscopic technologies. The vouchers will help innovators progress their products through the earliest stages of development by funding key tasks such as prototype design and development, patent filing and feasibility research.
Dr Anne Blackwood, chief executive of HEE, said: “People often wrongly assume that their innovations are too embryonic to bother talking about, when in fact speaking to experts at the very earliest stages of development can significantly boost the chances of a product making it to market. We would therefore strongly encourage NHS staff of any role, responsibility, department or grade to apply to this competition. Previous iterations of the Innovation Voucher competition have yielded some truly ground-breaking projects and we can’t wait to see which new technologies will be uncovered this time around.”
In addition to the vouchers, competition winners will have access to the guidance and insights of both HEE and Medovate, with specialists on hand to advise on the technical development and commercialisation of their medical technologies.
The HEE Innovation Voucher Competition is open to all practitioners within HEE’s member trusts. After submitting a brief entry form, successful entrants will be asked to present their ideas to a panel of experts. The closing date for entries 5:00pm on Monday 2nd September.
Stuart Thomson, managing director, Medovate, said: “Developing the germ of an idea into a real-life product and then selling it into the NHS can seem like an impossibly difficult challenge. This competition provides a unique opportunity for medtech innovators to secure both funding and expert advice to support them through the critical early stages of development and help ensure their technologies successfully make it into our hospitals. The focus of this year’s competition mirrors our own sectoral expertise and we are proud to partner with HEE in its bid to support the very best innovators in this space.”
