October 2022 Newsletter

Applications for the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur programme are now open!

We are encouraging budding entrepreneurs, innovators, and creative thinkers with great ideas to apply for this exceptional opportunity to help bring innovations into the NHS. The NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP), delivered by Anglia Ruskin University, and part of the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC), is the biggest
entrepreneurial workforce development programme of its kind and aims to provide NHS staff with the commercial skills, knowledge and experience needed to successfully develop and spread innovative solutions to the challenges facing the NHS. This, year-long programme, is free and open to all NHS staff.

Applications close 30th October 2022. The DHI is delighted to announce 10 funded places for Scottish applicants.

Scotland’s new National Robotarium opens with major industry partnership agreement

Scotland’s brand new National Robotarium has been unveiled for the first time – with a major international research and engineering partnership. The £22.4m facility at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University will partner with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on applied engineering and joint research across multiple disciplines. Utilising expertise from both Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, TCS Research will collaborate with the world-leading National Robotarium to create innovative solutions to global challenges using cutting-edge robotics and AI research, product design and new technology creation.

Care sector training to be enhanced by ’digital twin’ powered by 5G

Care sector workers in Dumfries and Galloway are to be trained using a virtual reality ‘digital twin’ of a care home – powered by next generation mobile connectivity. Staff based across the county will be able to take advantage of 5G-powered VR glasses situating them in a model of a care home in real-time. The Dumfries-based company Care Reality – a winner of an innovation challenge by The Scotland 5G Centre – is behind the new tech approach, which could be expanded nationwide.

5G Innovation Hubs gain traction

The Scotland 5G Centre, the national platform to support the acceleration of 5G development, deployment, and commercialisation in Scotland, is delivering a network of seven 5G Innovation hubs across the country through their S5GConnect programme. Five hubs are currently operational in the Forth Valley, Dundee, Dumfries, Aberdeen, and Kilmarnock, with the final two to launch in autumn 2022. Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee recently opened the new testbed at the Aberdeen 5G hub. These new 5G hubs and testbeds are set to become valuable assets to their local and regional business ecosystems, especially to those organisations interested in finding new solutions through tech innovation.

Unlocking data and improving lives in Scotland

Research Data Scotland (RDS), which is now established as a charity, has published its new strategy and 2022-23 business plan. The strategy describes how RDS plans to collaborate with partners to unlock Scotland’s public sector data, which is stored in lots of individual systems, across many different organisations. RDS’s mission is to promote and advance health and social wellbeing in Scotland by enabling access to public sector data about people, places, and businesses.

AI, IP, and You: Real-world Protection for Artificial Intelligence Innovation

Innovation in AI is breaking through into mainstream applications as never before. No longer limited to AI specialists, innovation can be found across a wide range of applications, including the medical sector. The Intellectual Property (IP) system, including patents and copyright, can be used to help retain control. This session covers how IP can be used to identify, protect, and commercialise AI-related innovation out in the real world. Register to come to this in person event taking place 3 – 5pm on 26th October.

Experiences and Challenges of Implementing AI Technologies in the workplace

This event offers a big picture view of some of the challenges associated with implementing AI, RPA, and related applications in the workplace, based on research and industry insight. Participants will be encouraged to think about inclusive aspects of choosing AI-based products and services, and to consider them using the latest standards of practice around AI, including based on Scotland’s AI Strategy. Register to come to this in person event taking place 12:30 – 2pm on 11th November.

NHS Drone Transport Service has lift off in Angus

A new on-demand drone collection and delivery service is set for lift off – transporting vital medical supplies between Angus and Dundee. The service is being trialled in Angus by Scotland’s first drone port, Mercury Drone Ports and NHS Tayside. The Beyond Visual Line of Sight trials will transport medical equipment, samples, and medicine via an unmanned aircraft to and from multiple healthcare facilities across the region.

Innovation Project Manager opportunity

If you have a passion for problem solving, then NHS Tayside Innovation could be the place for you! The team are looking for an Innovation Project Manager who can influence and drive forward innovation, to deliver significant improvements in patient care and the delivery of services. The Project Manager role will provide project management services and innovation led consulting services to NHS Tayside workers as well as our partners in academia, industry, and other public sector bodies. This full time Band 7 role is available on a fixed term contract or secondment for 23 months. Closing date for applications is 28th October.

User Requirements for Co-Managed Digital Health and Care

This whitepaper is produced by the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre and summarises a peer-reviewed journal article, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, that presents a set of recurring user requirements and themes for co-managed digital health and care services from a body of co-design projects within a digital health and care programme. The paper aims to support knowledge sharing to enable people and organisations to re-orient their health and care transformation from a system-led and condition-specific approach to a more person-centric, whole-of-life model.

High-Growth Spinout Programme Funding Call – Digital Health and Data

The High-Growth Spinout Programme from Scottish Enterprise supports the commercialisation of leading-edge technologies emerging from Scotland’s universities, research institutes and NHS Boards. The objective of the Programme is to support the creation of new high-growth companies based in Scotland, with the potential and capability to grow to companies of scale and generate significant economic impact in Scotland. It is anticipated that this Call will make a valuable contribution to the health and care innovation ecosystem by providing supportive conditions in which new digital health companies can develop and spin out successfully from Scotland’s research base. Up to £75,000 is available and the call is open to universities, research institutes and NHS Boards. Closing date is 12 noon on 31st October 2022.

Design for Scotland launch

Design for Scotland is a project lead by V&A Dundee that aims to develop a strategic and focused approach to supporting design nationally. There are three ways to get involved; join the working group, take part in the interactive survey, and sign up for project updates.

8th Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards launched

The eighth Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards has opened for entries to celebrate exceptional business-academic partnerships. Interface, an organisation committed to developing and supporting collaborations between business and research communities in Scotland, will host the Awards ceremony in person on 23rd March 2023. The Awards acknowledge collaborations from businesses, social enterprises, public sector organisations, third sector, universities, research institutes, innovation centres and colleges. Individuals from academia or businesses are encouraged to apply by 9th December 2022.

Healthy Ageing Innovation Cluster Meeting

The next HAIC event takes place on Wednesday 7th December 2022 from 9.30am – 12.00pm, in-person, at the Mandela Auditorium, Strathclyde Students’ Union in Glasgow. This event is being organised as part of Digital Health & Care Fest 2022. The focus of the session will be to get an update from the Scottish winners of the UKRI Designed for Ageing Competition along with a number of other relevant presentations.

Brain Health Technology & Data Challenge

The Data Lab and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre have partnered with the Scottish Dementia Research Consortium to launch an exciting new challenge and funding call focused on technologies and data-driven innovation for brain health and dementia prevention. The launch of the Brain Health Technology & Data Challenge as part of Data Fest 2022, will take place on Wednesday 2nd November 2022 from 9.30am – 12.30pm, in person, at the Mandela Auditorium, Strathclyde Students’ Union in Glasgow.

Inclusive Innovation Awards 2022/23

Innovate UK wants to support businesses who are role models in developing innovations that centre on equality, diversity and inclusion in their design and development. Apply for the Inclusive Innovation Awards to win a £50,000 grant for scale-up of existing, or development of new, work on inclusive innovations, and a chance to be showcased as a business that is leading the way in developing inclusive innovations. Competition closes on Wednesday 9th November 2022 at 11:00am.

Registration is now open for DigiFest22

Registration is now open for DigiFest22. The DigiFest programme will feature Scottish, UK and International examples of digitally enabled services being deployed across a range of health, care, and home settings. DigiFest22 will combine a programme of free-to-attend, virtual and in-person satellite sessions from October 2022, and a one-day in-person event in November 2022. The one-day in-person conference on 30th November 2022 is taking place at the University of Strathclyde, Technology & Innovation Centre, Glasgow and will be launched by Mr. Humza Yousaf, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Cllr. Paul Kelly, Social Care and the COSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care.

Transforming diabetes care in Scotland – The role of policy, research, and innovation

This event will take place 9am – 4pm on Wednesday, 23rd November 2022 at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and will provide an update on the diabetes research and innovation projects in Scotland. The morning keynote will be delivered by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, NHS Scotland and will be followed by a variety of speakers providing short talks on topics of significant interest such as SCI Diabetes, ANIA programme, Scottish Diabetes Group update and both research and innovation project highlights.

Cohort 19 applications closing soon for NES DLP

Applications are still open for Cohort 19 of the NES Digital Health & Care Leadership Programme (DLP). This programme is open to health, care, and housing staff. Deadline for applications is 31st October 2022 with a start date in January 2023.

Latest funding opportunities

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