Member Article

£500,000 initiative to boost regional healthcare innovations

A new £500,000 initiative is set to provide a boost for small and medium businesses working on new ideas, devices and technology in the healthcare sector.

‘The Innovation Pathway North East’ will offer businesses working on healthcare innovations access to sector experts, advice on stimulating new ideas, protecting intellectual property. Two days free specialist support will be available under the new service.

The new project will be based at RTC North offices in Sunderland and Gateshead, and will help companies engage with the healthcare sector, NHS Trusts and newly formed Clinical Commissioning Groups.

A joint project between NHS Innovations North and the Health Innovation and Education Cluster North East (HIEC NE), The Innovation Pathway NE aims to be a focal point for businesses in the sector, helping them with the commercialisation of new ideas.

HIEC NE was launched in April 2010 to encourage the adoption and dissemination of new healthcare products and services to drive up quality and improve patient care.

Dr Philip Nichols, director of HIEC NE hopes that this project will be a major boost to the region’s healthcare sector, and believes it has the potential to create jobs, as well as improving patient care.

He commented: “Innovative ideas can originate from many sources, including front line health professionals in the NHS, innovators in industry or academics in higher education.

“The Innovation Pathway North East will reach out to industry and help make those important links between innovators, the NHS, healthcare staff and patients.”

RTC North have extensive experience in working with businesses, universities and NHS Trusts across the North of England to help them take new products and services to market.

For the past 11 years, the company has managed the NHS Innovations North project set up to protect and commercialise intellectual property developed within regional NHS Trusts and turn these ideas into products and services that improve healthcare.

Commenting on the Innovation pathway, RTC North CEO Gordon Ollivere said: “It has always been tough for companies to break in to the healthcare sector or to understand how to best deal with the NHS.

“The Innovation Pathway will give companies access to valuable expertise on how to turn their ideas in to successful products, while at the same time making a real contribution to improving patient care.”

The Innovation Pathway North East project is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, managed by the Department for Communities and Local Government, securing £559,017 investment.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .