The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) awarded almost £42 million of government funding

The NIHR has just recently been awarded almost £42 million of government funding to set up 14 new NIHR HealthTech Research Centres (HRCs) across England.

From 1 April 2024, the 14 new HRCs will be working with businesses to support the development of a whole range of medical and health related technologies. Having very recently attended a NIHR event and learnt more about some of the work and funding opportunities they offer, its great to see such a significant investment being made.

The previous scheme, that the new HRC scheme will replace, saw the development of some fantastic innovation, including:

• Virtual reality (VR) rehabilitation physiotherapy for children to allow them to undergo treatment from home;
• The “HeadUp Collar” for people with motor neurone disease to help address health problems they incur and to improve their quality of life;
• A breath test helping allow for the earlier detection of multiple gastrointestinal cancers; and
• The QbTest, a computerised assessment of ADHD that can help allow for more efficient and earlier diagnosis of the disorder.

I'm sure you'll agree that it will be great to see what innovation comes next with the new scheme!