Companies can apply for a share of £150,000 as Health Innovation Manchester’s Momentum Fund opens for innovations which can benefit Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire’s healthcare system.

The call focuses on a search for solutions to address the demand for imaging services, tracking and transporting for diagnostic and sample management services, and looking for innovative ways to utilise transferable skills across the NHS workforce.

Companies can apply for up to £50,000 of funding, with the call open to UK and International applicants. Greater Manchester and Cheshire East is to be used as the test bed for the solutions across social, primary, or secondary care.

Three key priority areas have been highlighted for this call. These are:

• A solution to reduce “non-value adding” demand in imaging (i.e. reducing requests which are of no clinical value).
• Innovative ways to track and transport pathology samples between point of collection and laboratory testing sites (to mitigate loss of samples, maintain sample integrity, ensure efficient and timely receipt, provide audit trails, and compliance with legal requirements).
• System wide collection of “skills and training updates” for staff from different organisations, to aid with potentially using staff across organisations.

Richard Deed, Associate Director – Industry at Health Innovation Manchester, said: “The Momentum Innovation Fund has proven to be a successful programme of support for companies developing innovative solutions to clinical priorities.  For this call we are focusing on solutions to reduce demand on imaging, to innovate ways to track and transport pathology samples between point of collection and laboratory testing sites, and to enable system wide collection of skills and training updates, for staff from different organisations. Informed by key stakeholders from the Greater Manchester system, we believe these priorities represent true problem areas for the region. Through the Momentum Fund companies can access vital capital and support to help accelerate the delivery of their innovation, which means for our health and care system, solutions are brought forward to improve the delivery of care to our communities.”

Health Innovation Manchester established the Momentum fund to support the introduction and adoption of needs-led, evidence-based innovations into the healthcare system within Greater Manchester and East Cheshire.

Key dates & information:

Applications will close on Monday 10^th January 2022, with shortlisting commencing between the end of January and early February 2022. Following this shortlisting, applicants will be informed of the outcome and interviews will commence in early March 2022.

To apply, applicants will need to access the Innovation Fund grant platform, in order to create an account before submitting an application form.

The initial proposal is open to all applicants. This will then be reviewed, with shortlisted applicants invited to deliver a pitch presentation and a short video to the review panel.

If you have any queries please email the Innovation Nexus team at: IN@healthinnovationmanchester.com