New funding for medical technology research by companies, clinicians and academics aims to promote innovative approaches to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases in the NHS.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme has allocated up to £13m for research projects, and has launched a call for proposals.

The NIHR i4i programme funds projects through prototype and commercial development until a technology is ready for clinical testing, bringing together academic or clinical researchers and technical experts from industry.

The programme has been updated in two ways:

• Research projects in Wales, as well as in England, are now eligible for i4i.
• Instead of being divided between early- and late-stage product development awards, applications will all be submitted through a single route.

As well as looking for technologies that will benefit NHS patients, the NIHR i4i programme supports collaboration between researchers in industry, the NHS and the academic field. Each approved proposal will bring together researchers from at least two of these sectors.

NIHR particularly welcomes proposals from SMEs and from teams that have previously succeeded in developing and commercialising new technologies.

Martin Hunt, NIHR i4i Programme Director, said: “In the present economic climate, it is becoming increasingly difficult for medtech companies to secure funding for new, innovative technologies. The NIHR i4i programme provides a valuable funding opportunity for the medtech sector.”

This year’s i4i funding covers a “much broader” range of projects than last year’s, he noted. “The amount of funding awarded is determined by the nature and scale of the proposed research activity and we are considering projects seeking larger funding amounts than before.”

Outline research proposals must be submitted by 5pm on Wednesday 7 December 2011. Further details are available at www.i4i.nihr.ac.uk.

The Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI) and Medilink UK have signed a concordat to support joint working.

Trade association ABHI’s members include many leading medtech companies in the UK, while industry specialist Medilink UK represents many innovative life science SMEs.

The two organisations will explore ways of working together to improve the industry’s representation to Government and in Europe and its access to NHS evaluation, as well as offering its members joint events and shared information.

The concordat is intended to create a framework for joint working, with four overall goals:

• To create a favourable political and economic environment for the UK medtech industry.
• To develop a joint policy on NHS purchasing and UK uptake of medical technologies.
• To develop a co-ordinated approach to international trade.
• To encourage adoption and recognition of the principles of the ABHI Code of Business Practice.

Tony Davis, Chairman of Medilink UK (right in picture), said: “It’s a natural fit for our two organisations to work closely for the betterment of UK healthcare and industry. The statistics and anecdotes we gather from day-to-day work with SMEs supports the crucial work ABHI is doing to raise the profile of the medical technology industry within Government.

“The healthcare supply chain is strong within the UK, made up of nearly 4,500 companies, with innovative solutions that can go a long way towards achieving the savings and patient experience goals of the NHS. The concordat gives us the structure to work together to encourage the adoption of these innovative UK technologies for the benefit of UK patients.”

Peter Ellingworth, Chief Executive of ABHI (left in picture), added: “The concordat will allow ABHI and Medilink UK to improve the representation of the medical technology industry in the UK. This collaboration will strengthen both our organisations; joint representation will help us raise the profile of the sector and improve the value of membership through sharing information and access to events.

“This is a crucial time for the NHS and the medical technology industry wants to engage and support it. The much discussed £20billion savings target will only be achieved if the NHS is willing to change the delivery of healthcare, something medical technology can enable them to do. It is important that industry has a strong voice.”

ABHI is the leading industry association for the UK medical technologies sector, including medical devices, equipment and consumables.

Medilink UK is a national healthcare technology business support organisation that connects manufacturers and suppliers with potential partners and customers to promote business development.