MedTech Navigator, the development programme from NHS medical technology hub Health Enterprise East (HEE), has launched its innovation grants as the latest offering to support SMEs.
Funded by a £1 million European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant, the MedTech Navigator aims to support innovation in the East of England over a three-year period by encouraging collaboration and knowledge transfer between industry and NHS experts in the region.
The MedTech Navigator Innovation Grants are designed to facilitate bespoke interactions between SMEs and eligible knowledge providers, such as NHS Trusts or universities, during the product development process. Each Innovation Grant is worth 50% of the total project costs up to a maximum of £15,000, with businesses paying the remaining 50% and any project costs over and above the £15,000 cap.
Projects the grants will support could include helping to develop, or test, new or improved products, processes and services; providing expertise and access to information on care pathways and workflows as well as tapping into clinical and scientific expertise.
Dr Chris Warwick, consultant and programme manager for the MedTech Navigator at HEE said: “We have seen how SMEs can struggle to access the expertise available in our NHS, and understand how essential the right knowledge and support is to successfully developing and commercialising new products for the healthcare market. That’s why we are so pleased to launch our new innovation grants for SMEs, helping them to successfully engage with the NHS and ensure that key stakeholders such as the beneficiary (patient), user (clinician) and buyer (NHS organisation), who often have different interests and requirements, are all involved throughout the process.
“We hope that this scheme will support innovation and knowledge transfer in the healthcare sector by encouraging collaboration between researchers, clinicians and SMEs, especially in these challenging times.”
The new scheme is available to UK businesses that meet the European Union definition of a small and medium sized enterprise, partner with an eligible knowledge provider and can match fund 50% of the total project costs. It is an open call whereby applications can be submitted at any time via the website.
Further information about the MedTech Navigator Innovation Grants, including eligibility, funding and outcome expectations is available on the programme website (www.medtechnavigator/funding).
