Seven projects have received a share of a £22 million investment to help support economic growth and address regional needs in the UK, including a number of digital healthcare projects.
The projects aim to benefit regional and local economies and communities by creating new jobs, skills development, private investment and boosting the growth of start ups.
Led by consortia of universities, civic bodies, businesses and local authorities, the project’s are supported by the £22 million investment from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The first digital healthcare project backed by the funding is the Digital Healthcare Technology Impact Accelerator (DHTA), led by Professor James McLaughlin of Ulster University, which has received £2.5 million.
The project aims to accelerate digital healthcare technology research impact in the Belfast metropolitan area to reduce pressures from an ageing population, deliver new medical diagnostic products, and improve health service delivery technology that will strengthen industry, patient-care accessibility, and reduce health inequalities.
It builds upon an ecosystem that has already seen the development of portable defibrillators and Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered electrocardiogram diagnosis platforms.
The cluster will support Northern Ireland’s life and health sector which provides £1.3 billion in gross added value to the economy every year and directly employs 27,300 people. Over time, the DHTA is expected to add an additional 3,000 jobs to the Northern Ireland economy.
The second digital healthcare project to receive funding is the East Midlands Emerging Rehabilitation Technology Growth Enterprise (EMERGE), led by Professor John Hunt at Nottingham Trent University, which also received £2.5 million.
This project will launch the East Midlands as the UK’s ‘RehabTech Valley’, delivering Rehabilitation Technology that will transform how people recover, regain fitness and function following injury or illness.
It will build mechanisms to connect the East Midlands cluster of 459 medical and health technology businesses which employs 11,700 people and has an annual turnover of £1.9 billion.
Research will be employed to accelerate the delivery of new products to market including sensors for non-invasive health monitoring and smart medical wearables, helping to boost regional growth and productivity.
EPSRC Executive Chair, Professor Charlotte Deane, said: “The seven projects announced today will harness regional research and innovation strengths to unleash the potential of emerging and existing innovation clusters across the UK.
“Our investment will strengthen partnerships between UK universities, civic bodies and local businesses to create new jobs, improve skills and boost regional economic growth that will benefit places and communities directly.”
The projects are being funded through EPSRC’s Place Based Impact Acceleration Account (PBIAA) scheme which provides research organisations with flexible funding enabling them to drive impacts from their research portfolio through a wide range of activities.
Each consortium focuses on a scientific theme in engineering and physical sciences research and targets a specific geographical area to support the expansion or development of a research and innovation cluster.
