February Newsletter

Innovating for the NHS: Health Innovation South East Scotland

Health Innovation South East Scotland (HISES) is an Innovation Test Bed set up by the Scottish Government Chief Scientists’ Office which forms part of national network created to deliver the Government’s vision to utilise the innovation process to deliver a healthier and wealthier nation for the future. Join us to find out more about the national direction of the innovation programme in Scotland and how to get involved with local innovation test bed activities across Lothian, Borders and Fife. This seminar is hosted by CDT in Biomedical AI at University of Edinburgh

NHS Lothian Sewing Room Supervisor Helps with Road to Net Zero

Irene Brown, A Sewing Room Supervisor, recently helped NHS Scotland make a change in the way we do things which will help NHS Lothian’s goals to become more sustainable and tackle climate change. As part of their drive to achieve Net Zero by 2040 NHS Scotland approached their uniform partner Dimensions, to see how they could work together on a number of projects that would help reduce their environmental impact.

Opportunities in Scotland’s Health and Life Sciences Industries

With more than 770 life sciences organisations employing more than 41,000 people, Scotland is one of the largest life sciences clusters in Europe.

Scotland hosted a fantastic Digital Health and Wellness virtual day at Expo2020 which highlighted our capabilities in healthcare, research, and collaboration opportunities in providing integrated healthcare solutions. Included in the day was a session from the University of Dundee showcasing the work of the university spin out My Way Digital Health and how they are collating healthcare data to allow patients to better self-manage their diabetes, chronic diseases and provide personalised e-learning and healthcare services. HISES are working with My Way Digital Health on our Inpatients Diabetes SBRI challenge to develop a real-time decision support tool and alert mechanism that can improve triage, prevent medication errors, identify emergencies, and streamline the diabetes care pathway. Read about the Scotland sector via the below link

Join Holyrood for the Digital Health and Care Scotland Conference in 2022

Holyrood Connect is delighted to announce the in-person return of its hugely popular Digital Health and Care Scotland conference on 22nd – 23rd February 2022. The conference will provide delegates with an opportunity to explore how digital technology can help re-build and remobilise our health and care system and, eventually, support the shift from crisis mode to a system focused on prevention, early intervention and self-management.

The event follows the publication of the Scottish Government’s refreshed Digital Health and Care Strategy in October 2021 and will include discussions on many of the issues incorporated in it, from digital exclusion and citizen choice to data use and artificial intelligence.

Landmark as 2000th patient is screened for cancer by tiny camera

More than 2000 patients have now been screened for bowel cancer using the Colon Capsule Endoscopy (CCE) service which is supported by Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) based at NHS Golden Jubilee in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.

Scotland is the first country in the world to provide the technology as a routine service for patients and the first in the United Kingdom to mark the milestone of 2000 patients.

A fantastic innovation which is available across NHS Scotland.

Scottish Cancer PROMS Forum

Join a range of stakeholders on 25th March 2022 to learn and share current and future work streams, in turn minimising duplication of effort and patient population burden in the testing of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) digital tools. The aim of the Forum is to bring together clinicians, digital companies, patients, patient interest groups, charities, and other peers to provide an open collaborative space.

SBRI Healthcare announces £9m for late-stage innovation cancer projects

SBRI Healthcare, in partnership with the NHS Cancer Programme and the Accelerated Access Collaborative, has announced more than £9 million of funding for eight late-stage innovation projects that advance the earlier and faster diagnosis of cancer.

Innovation bodies unite to deliver Scotland’s first CA Marked Decision Support Tools

Scottish Health Innovations Ltd (SHIL) have partnered with the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) in a first-for-Scotland initiative delivering a unique and growing suite of UKCA marked decision support tools. The collaboration extends the reach of the Right Decision Service into frontline practice and further strengthens its impact on patient and service outcomes.

SHIL Innovation Manager opportunity

Scottish Health Innovations Ltd (SHIL) have partnered with the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) in a first-for-Scotland initiative delivering a unique and growing suite of UKCA marked decision support tools. The collaboration extends the reach of the Right Decision Service into frontline practice and further strengthens its impact on patient and service outcomes.

Robot surgery used on throat tumours for the first time in Scotland

Pioneering robotic surgery, which is far less gruelling and invasive than traditional methods, has been used to remove a throat tumour for the first time in Scotland in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

COVID-19 and beyond – accelerating medical innovation through technology

The necessities of the COVID-19 pandemic have stimulated innovation in accelerating the development, and application, of technology in the NHS – understanding where digital technology can help and add most value is more important than ever. Dr Anne Blackwood, Joop Tanis Chief Executive and MedTech Consulting Director, Health Enterprise East, writes about the increase in medtech adoption during the pandemic and why it needs to continue.

An exciting PhD studentship opportunity working on Computer Vision & Medical Image Analysis

As part of the Canon Medical Research and Royal Academy of Engineering project on Healthcare AI, the University of Edinburgh are looking to appoint a PhD student working on disentangled representations, computer vision, and medical image analysis to start as soon as possible, but no later than September 2022. Application deadline: 16th February 2022.

Apply for a PhD scholarship in Social AI – 10 fully funded places available

The SOCIAL AI Centre for Doctoral Training at the University of Glasgow offers a fully funded four-year PhD in Computing Science and Psychology with Integrated Study, aligned with 14 international industry partners, to train the next generation of experts in Artificial Social Intelligence. Applicants to the SOCIAL AI CDT select from a list of specialised research projects, developed in tandem with the centre’s industry collaborators and an interdisciplinary research team from across the University. Application deadline: 25th February 2022.

Scottish AI Summit – Registration open!

Scotland’s AI Strategy was launched in March 2021 with the vision for Scotland to become a leader in the development and use of Trustworthy, Ethical and Inclusive AI.

It is with these three tenets that the Scottish AI Alliance is delighted to present the inaugural Scottish AI Summit and invite you to join online or in-person on 30th March 2022 at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh

CAN DO Innovation Summit 2022

Now in its third year, the CAN DO Innovation Summit (CDIS22) is a focal point for business innovation in Scotland and will take place on 23rd February 2022. CDIS22 will connect start-ups and SMEs with leading innovators, entrepreneurs, and academics from across the globe to explore new opportunities that marry purpose and profitability.

The 2022 iteration of the Summit will offer practical insights on how peoplepower combined with the right tech and sustainable and inclusive business practices can accelerate and enable a smoother digital transformation journey for Start-ups and SMEs.

Scotland's Healthy Ageing Innovation Cluster

The first Healthy Ageing Innovation Cluster event of 2022 takes place on Monday 28th February 1100-1300, on Microsoft Teams. This event will feature a presentation on The Scottish Brain Health Service Model, a Scottish Enterprise partner update, and the latest information on the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge. There are only have 70 spaces available to participate in the session so register now to ensure you don’t miss out. Registration closes on Friday 25th February.

Design Innovation Network launch event

Join Innovate UK KTN in the launch of the Design Innovation Network as they set out their vision and explore the powerful possibilities for Design to instigate positive change in innovation across sector and technology areas. This online launch event will take place on 24th February from 10am – 2pm. A full agenda is available on the registration page.

Shared telecare alarm receiving centre (ARC) technology solution sought

Scotland Excel has published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) for a shared telecare alarm receiving centre (ARC) to support a range of telecare services transition from analogue to digital telecare and provide a platform for increased digital health & care innovation. The solution will provide a common platform to enable and simplify telecare providers’ move to digital telecare. Telecare providers will also work in partnership with the supplier over the contract term to use the solution to design and deliver new and innovative telecare and health / care services.

Latest funding opportunities

Check out the latest health and care funding opportunities from across the sector on the funding section of our website.