Funding competition Digital health technology catalyst 2017 round 1

UK businesses can apply for a share of up to £8 million to speed up development of new digital technology healthcare solutions.

This competition is now closed.

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Competition sections

Description

Innovate UK is to invest up to £8 million in projects that develop new digital technology solutions to healthcare challenges.

Feasibility projects must range in size from total project costs of £50,000 to £75,000 and you must complete your project within one year.

Industrial research and experimental development projects must range in size from total project costs of £500,000 to £1 million and you must complete your project within 3 years.

We may consider projects outside this range but you should contact us at least 10 days before the submission deadline to discuss further.

You must start your projects by 1 February 2018.

Projects must focus on the development of digital health or digitally-enabled medical technologies. They must have the potential to achieve one or more of the following:

  • improve patient outcomes
  • transform healthcare delivery
  • enable more efficient delivery of healthcare

You may design technologies for use in clinical or non-clinical everyday settings.

An SME must lead the project. Feasibility projects can be from an SME working alone or in collaboration.

Industrial research and experimental development projects must be collaborative and work with at least one other grant-claiming partner (NHS, other healthcare providers, other businesses, Catapults such as the Digital Catapult or other research technology organisation, research base or third sector). We recommend that you collaborate with the NHS on any industrial research or experimental development project where appropriate.

You must show how your project will improve the competitiveness and productivity for at least one UK SME involved in the project.

Funding type

Grant

Project size

Total project costs: Feasibility: £50,000 to £75,000. Industrial research and experimental development: £500,000 to £1 million.

Find out if you are eligible to apply

To lead a project you must:

  • be a UK based SME
  • carry out your project in the UK

Feasibility study projects can be from an SME working alone or in collaboration. Industrial research and experimental development projects must be collaborative.

Making more than one application and resubmissions

  • any one business may be involved in up to 3 applications to this competition, but may only be the lead partner in 1 application
  • if an application is unsuccessful, you may use the feedback received to reapply for the same project into either another round of this competition or another competition if appropriate

For all research organisations, the total level of project participation is set at a maximum of 50% of total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation, they must share this maximum between them.

Projects that we won't fund

In this competition we won’t fund projects that:

  • don’t have digital technology as the project core
  • focus on developing medical devices (unless enabled using digital technology as a core component)
  • seek to discover or develop medicines
  • seek only to develop data or record-keeping systems

Funding and project details

We have allocated up to £8 million to fund projects in this competition. Projects must speed up the development of new digital technology solutions to the healthcare challenges outlined in the scope.

Feasibility studies:

  • total project costs must range in size from £50,000 to £75,000
  • projects can be from a single SME or you can work with other businesses or research organisations
  • you must complete your project within one year

Industrial research and experimental development:

  • total project costs must range in size from £500,000 to £1 million
  • projects must be collaborative and include at least 2 grant-claiming organisations.
  • you must complete your project within 3 years

You must start your project by 1 February 2018.

If you are successful, you can get grant funding towards your eligible project costs. The percentage of costs that we pay varies. This depends on the type of organisation you are and the type of research you are carrying out.

Project types

Your project can focus on technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development.

For technical feasibility studies and industrial research, you could get:

  • up to 70% of your eligible project costs if you are a micro or small business
  • up to 60% if you are a medium-sized business
  • up to 50% if you are a large business

For experimental development projects or work packages which are nearer to market, you could get:

  • up to 45% of your eligible project costs if you are a micro or small business
  • up to 35% if you are a medium-sized business
  • up to 25% if you are a large business

Find out if your business fits the EU definition of an SME.

Competition scope

Digital health is evolving at a rapid pace and this is having a profound impact on healthcare delivery. Digital health uses data and technology to:

  • improve patient outcomes
  • improve access to healthcare
  • make more targeted and personalised health interventions
  • transform service delivery
  • deliver new treatments and translational medicine

The aim of this competition is to speed up the development of new digital solutions to healthcare challenges and grow the industry.

The types of digital health projects we will fund include (but are not limited to):

  • informatics
  • data analytics and advanced visualisation
  • clinical decision-making support
  • technologies that, for example, improve access to healthcare or help treatment compliance
  • emerging digital health technologies with a demonstrated healthcare benefit, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, blockchain and the Internet of Things
  • digital technologies and products which help overcome privacy challenges of managing data
  • digitally-enabled medical technologies

Projects should focus on the feasibility or development of digital health or digitally-enabled medical technologies. They must demonstrate the potential to achieve one or more of the following:

  • improve patient outcomes
  • transform healthcare delivery
  • enable more efficient delivery of healthcare

You may design these technologies for use in both clinical or non-clinical everyday settings. Projects must be innovative, collaborative (unless a feasibility project), and demonstrate how they will address needs of the healthcare system.

For feasibility projects, the grant enables the exploration and evaluation of the commercial potential of an early-stage digital health concept, through (but not limited to):

  • assessment of the business opportunity
  • validation of the initial concept
  • potential conceptualisation
  • scoping for further development

For industrial research and experimental development, the grant enables the development of new and innovative digital health solutions, through (but not limited to):

  • technology development
  • design and prototyping
  • demonstration of effectiveness
  • market testing
  • evaluation

We are looking to fund a portfolio of projects. These may include technical feasibility, industrial research or experimental development. Projects must show significant innovation in one of our priority areas (described in the specific competition themes section). Proposals must also improve business growth, productivity and/or create export opportunities for at least one UK SME involved in the project.

Specific competition themes

For feasibility study projects:

Proposals must offer innovative digital approaches to healthcare delivery. They must demonstrate the potential to:

  • offer new, novel and breakthrough approaches to healthcare delivery
  • improve patient outcomes by, for example, supporting self-care management
  • reduce demand on the health system and deliver efficiency and financial savings
  • provide healthcare benefits in either primary or secondary healthcare
  • improve clinical decision-making

For industrial research and experimental development projects:

Proposals must offer innovative digital approaches to healthcare delivery and demonstrate:

  • the value proposition
  • a clear understanding of the market potential, routes to market and commercialisation strategies
  • alignment with the Catalyst’s core aims to grow the digital health industry and help get transformative, cost-effective technologies to patients more quickly
  • increased business / clinical / academic engagement on digital health innovation to deliver the products the NHS needs
  • how they include user-centred / validated design

Proposals must demonstrate the potential to:

  • improve patient outcomes, for example, by supporting self-care management
  • transform healthcare delivery
  • enable more efficient delivery of healthcare, for example, by reducing demands on parts of the health system

31 July 2017
Competition opens
1 August 2017
Briefing webinar - watch the recording.
8 September 2017
Competition briefing Alderley Edge.
11 October 2017 12:00pm
Competition closes
21 December 2017 9:30am
Applicants notified

Before you start

To start an application you must create an account as the lead applicant, or sign in as a representative of your organisation. Once you have an account you can track the progress of your application.

As a lead applicant:

  • you are responsible for collecting the information for your funding application
  • you can invite other organisations who will take part in the project as collaborators if your application is successful
  • you can invite colleagues to contribute to the application
  • your organisation will lead the project if your application is successful

Partner organisations can be other businesses, research organisations, public sector organisations or charities.

Please read the general guidance for applicants it will help your chances of submitting a successful application.

Research organisations

Research organisations may participate in applications as collaborators.

The level of total research participation is a maximum of 50% of total eligible project costs.

You will not be able to submit your application if your research participation is over the stated percentage for the competition.

What we ask you

The application is split into 3 sections:

1. Project details

2. Application questions

3. Finances

1. Project details

In this section you will provide the details of your project. This section is not scored, but our assessors will use it to decide whether the project fits with the scope of the competition. If it doesn’t fit the scope then it will be rejected. Within project details you will need to complete:

Application details

The title of your project, the start date and project length. This section will also list you as the lead organisation and any partner organisations you have named as collaborators. The lead applicant must complete this section.

Project summary

Describe your project and what is innovative about it. We use this section to assign experts to assess your application so we need a summary of the innovation in your project.

Public description

Describe your project in a way that you are happy to see published. Please do not include any commercially sensitive information. If your project is successful and awarded funding, Innovate UK will publish this description.

Project scope

Describe how your project fits the scope of the competition. If your project is not in scope it will not be eligible for funding and we will not send it for assessment. Innovate UK will provide feedback if we decide that your project is not in scope.

2. Application questions

In this section, answers to these questions are scored by the assessors. Following assessment, you will receive feedback from the assessors for each question.

Question 1: Need or challenge

What is the healthcare and business need, technological challenge or market opportunity behind your innovation?

  • describe the main motivation for the project; the healthcare and business need, technological challenge or market opportunity
  • describe the nearest current state-of-the-art (including those near-market or in development) and its limitations
  • describe any work you have already done to respond to this need. For example, is the project focused on developing an existing capability or building a new one?
  • identify the wider economic, social, environmental, cultural and/or political challenges which are influential in creating the opportunity for example, incoming regulations. Our Horizons tool can help here.

Question 2: Approach and innovation

What approach will you take and where will the focus of the innovation be?

  • explain how you propose to respond to the need, challenge or opportunity identified
  • explain how it will improve on the nearest current state-of-the-art identified
  • indicate where the focus of the innovation will be in the project (application of existing technologies in new areas, development of new technologies for existing areas or a totally disruptive approach) and evidence of freedom to operate
  • explain how this project fits with your current product/service lines/offerings
  • explain how it will make you more competitive
  • describe the nature of the outputs you expect from the project for example, report, demonstrator, know-how, new process, product or service design. How will these take you closer to targeting the need, challenge or opportunity identified?

You may submit a single appendix as a PDF no more than 1MB in size to support your answer.

Question 3: Team and resources

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

  • describe the roles, skills and relevant experience of all members of the project team in relation to the approach you will be taking
  • describe the resources, equipment and facilities required for the project and how you will access them
  • provide details of any vital external parties, including sub-contractors, who you will need to work with to successfully carry out the project
  • describe the current relationships between the project partners and how these will change as a result of the project
  • highlight any gaps in the team that you will need to fill

You may submit a single appendix as a PDF no more than 1MB in size to support your answer.

Question 4: Market awareness

What does the market you are targeting look like?

Specify the markets (domestic and/or international) you will be targeting in the project and any other potential markets.

For the target markets, describe:

  • the size of the target markets for the project outcomes, backed up by appropriate references where available
  • the structure and dynamics of the market such as customer segmentation, together with predicted growth rates within clear timeframes
  • the main supply/value chains and business models in operation and any barriers to entry
  • the current UK position in targeting this market

For highly innovative projects, where the market may be unexplored, explain:

  • what the route to market could or might be
  • what its size might be
  • how the project will seek to explore the market potential

For other markets, briefly describe the size and main features

Question 5: Outcomes and route to market

How do you propose to grow your business and increase your productivity into the long term as a result of the project?

  • describe your current position in the markets and supply/value chains outlined for example, if you will be extending or establishing your market position
  • describe your target customers and/or end-users, and the value proposition to them (why would they use/buy it?)
  • describe your route to market
  • tell us how you are going to profit from the innovation (increased revenues or cost reduction)
  • explain how the innovation will impact your productivity and growth in the short and long-term
  • describe how you will protect and exploit the outputs of the project for example, through know-how, patenting, designs, changes to business model
  • outline your strategy for targeting the other markets identified during or after the project
  • for any research organisation activity in the project, outline your plans to disseminate project research outputs over a reasonable timescale
  • if you expect to use the results generated from the project in further research activities, describe how you will do this

Question 6: Wider impacts

What impact might this project have outside the project team?

Identify and, where possible, measure the economic benefits from the project to those outside the project (customers, others in the supply chain, broader industry and the UK economy) such as productivity increases and import substitution.

Identify and, where possible, measure any expected social impacts, either positive or negative, for example:

  • quality of life
  • social inclusion/exclusion
  • jobs (safeguarded, created, changed, displaced)
  • education
  • public empowerment
  • health and safety
  • regulations
  • diversity
  • any expected impact on government priorities

Identify and, where possible, measure any expected environmental impacts, either positive or negative.

Identify any expected regional impacts of the project.

Question 7: Project management

How will you manage the project effectively?

  • outline the main work packages of the project, indicating the relevant research category and lead partner assigned to each, and the total cost of each one
  • describe your approach to project management, identifying any major tools and mechanisms that will be used to ensure a successful project outcome. Highlight your approach to managing the most innovative aspects of the project
  • outline the management reporting lines
  • outline your project plan in sufficient detail to identify any links or dependencies between work packages or milestones

You may upload a project plan or Gantt chart as an appendix in PDF format no more than 1MB in size.

Question 8: Risks

What are the main risks for this project?

  • identify the main risks and uncertainties of the project, including the technical, commercial, managerial and environmental risks. Highlight the most significant ones, providing a risk register if appropriate
  • explain how these risks will be mitigated
  • list any project inputs on the critical route to completion such as resources, expertise or data sets
  • is the output likely to be subject to regulatory requirements, certification, ethical or other similar issues? If so how will you manage this?

You may upload a risk register as an appendix in PDF format no more than 1MB in size.

Question 9: Additionality

Describe the impact that an injection of public funding would have on this project.

  • tell us if this project could go ahead in any form without public funding and if so, the difference the public funding would make, such as faster to market, more partners, reduced risk
  • describe the likely impact of the project on the business of the partners involved
  • tell us why you are not able to wholly fund the project from your own resources or other forms of private-sector funding (what would happen if the application is unsuccessful)
  • explain how this project would change the nature of R&D activity that you (and any partners) would undertake. How would it impact on your R&D spending?

Question 10: Costs and value for money

How much will the project cost and how does it represent value for money for the team and the taxpayer?

  • justify the total project cost and the grant being requested in terms of the project goals
  • explain how the partners will finance their contributions to the project
  • explain how this project represents value for money for you and the taxpayer. How does it compare to what you would spend your money on otherwise?
  • justify the balance of costs and grant across the project partner
  • justify any sub-contractor costs and why they are critical to the project

3. Finances

The finances section asks each organisation to complete project costs, organisational details and funding details for each organisation in your project. Academics will need to complete and upload a Je-S form. For full details on what costs you can claim please see our project costs guidance.

Background and further information

The digital health technology catalyst is a new £35 million funding programme to be funded through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund over the next 4 years.

The catalyst, created to provide a sustainable pipeline of digital health products designed to meet NHS needs and support the growth of UK companies, was one of the recommendations in the accelerated access review. It aligns with the National Information Board’s aims to:

  • address specific market failures so that the digital health sector can grow
  • deliver transformative, cost-effective technologies to patients more quickly

If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Knowledge Transfer Network.

If you need more information, contact the competition helpline on 0300 321 4357 or email us at support@innovateuk.gov.uk.

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