More than 50 small firms in the Highlands will compete for funding to develop technology to enable inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) sufferers to better manage their health from home.
A briefing on the competition, run by the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) and aimed at firms involved in the life science and technology sector, will take place today in Inverness.
The SBRI, being led by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the NHS Innovation Partnership Board, aims to promote the rapid prototyping and adoption of solutions for people living with IBD.
Firms will vie for a share of £400,000 of Scottish Government funding which has been allocated specifically to help IBD patients manage their health from home.
The competition itself has three phases. The first focuses on technical feasibility, with the best projects then given funding prototype development and testing, which precedes a final phase of pre-commercial testing.
Final phase projects should last up to a year and can range in size up to a total cost of £75,000 each.
Competing firms can carry out the project on their own or with others.
The half day briefing will be held at HIE’s An Lochran building on the UHI Campus from 12.30pm.
During the afternoon sessions, companies will be able to hear directly from gastroenterology clinicians and patient representatives to discuss and better understand their requirements.
