Life Science - Winter 2011

Issue2

United Kingdom

A D V A N C E S

I N

H E A L T H

T E C H N O L O G Y

INDUSTRY

Home and Away Healthcare at home and on the move

Seven Up: Guide to FP7 for SMEs

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH MEDILINK UK

Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

Our research.Your business.

The perfect MATCH The Multidisciplinary Assessment of Technology

MATCH Tools Workshops

Centre for Healthcare (MATCH) is a

MATCH has transformed the research outputs

laptop. Questions are encouraged and time is

well-established research collaboration between

into tools to support health technology

made available afterwards for a fruitful group

four leading UK universities (Birmingham,

assessment and has been organising half day

discussion. A wide range of participants from the

Brunel, Nottingham & Ulster) and is funded since

‘Tools and Training’ workshops around the

NHS, the medical device industry and innovation

UK. A number of these events have been run in

service providers have resulted in cross-sector

collaboration with the regional Medilink

networking opportunities. The overall feedback

organisations. In 2008, we are proud to have

from the workshops has been very positive, with

received an award for industrial collaboration at

participants leaving with a workshop specific

the Healthcare Business Awards hosted by

delegate pack.

2003 by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and partner subscriptions.

PDR

Medilink East Midlands.

The workshops have been advanced with the

We encourage a ‘hands on’ approach at the

launch of a new partnership between MATCH and

workshops, with everyone working on their own

BITECIC Ltd. The partnership has jointly funded the recruitment of Dr Matthew Allsop. Matthew will be facilitating workshops and seminars around the UK.

Dates of workshops: Birmingham, MedilinkWM 22nd March 2011 Yorkshire, MedilinkY&H 29th March 2011

®

London, Brunel University April 2011 Nottingham, MedilinkEM 9th June 2011 Birmingham, MedilinkWM 20th June 2011

For information on future events please contact Elizabeth Deadman match@brunel.ac.uk 01895 266050 or check the MATCH website: www.match.ac.uk/news/workshops.aspx

CO N T E N TS

Issue 2

The Way Ahead These are challenging times for all of us in the life sciences industry, with support reduced, investment rationed, and major re-organisations in most of the global healthcare systems that constitute our markets.

Medilink UK has proactively responded to the new government’s “Growth Challenge”. We are working with the coalition and the relevant government departments to understand this significant opportunity for our member companies to deliver much-needed private sector growth in the UK economy.

This is made all the more imperative by the swingeing cuts being delivered to the public and third sectors.

Home is i where h re the healthcare is The UK’s expanding, ageing population is the natural result of improved living standards and medical care – but a long life does not necessarily mean a healthy one. Care for the elderly and those with chronic conditions is making up an ever-increasing proportion of the national health burden.

This is the context for a shift in healthcare from hospital to home that we examine in our lead article. Survey after survey has confirmed that people overwhelmingly prefer home-based care to repeated hospital visits, intermittent hospital stays, or long-term residence in a care home.

In our next issue, we will be looking at how comparable technologies can dramatically improve the management of dementia, and offer new and better options for people living with this difficult condition.

Editor

There are now over 700 Medilink UK members nationwide: we have continued to respond to their needs through all the machinations of the new government’s reconfiguring of the industrial support infrastructure. We know that the most important role a local Medilink UK organisation can play is in continuing to provide the targeted, specialist support its members value most.

If you are not already a member, we encourage you to join us and experience the benefits at first hand.

Tony Davies Medilink UK Chairman

Telehealth and telecare therefore improve quality of life while reducing service costs, offering a ‘win-win’ approach that is set to make major changes to the healthcare landscape. The technology has moved a long way in the past 20 years and the companies interviewed illustrate the range and scope of developing applications.

Coralie Palmer

We see many positives for our industry emerging out of the Growth Strategy process with the emphasis being on access to finance, coaching and mentoring for growth. We also welcome the concentrated focus on innovation and technology through the increased role played by the Technology Strategy Board, and look forward to working with colleagues at UK Trade and Investment on the new international trade and inward investment services as they emerge.

Features

In Brief

4 Home and Away

16 Early Birds Net Effect Help at Hand Instrumental Keeping Track

Revolutionising healthcare access at home and on the move

12 Seven Up a guide for SMEs to FP7, Europe’s leading R&D funding scheme

Biff 21 Great moments in medicine

PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH

www.medilinkuk.co.uk

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinions of individual Medilink UK members unless explicitly stated. © MediWales Ltd. 2011

Produced by MediWales for Medilink UK Contact: Editor coralie.palmer@mediwales.com Staff Writer jess.fisher@mediwales.com Advertising ruth.campbell@mediwales.com Coordinator

2011 ISSUE 2

7 Schooner Way, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff CF10 4DZ Tel: 029 2047 3456 Web: www.mediwales.com

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

Home and Away Worldwide, health providers are increasingly seeking to move more of health care into homes and communities. Coralie Palmer goes North to look at two UK initiatives tackling some of the fundamental challenges involved in making it happen.

Hospital-based care, whether through admissions or outpatient treatment, is the most expensive form of health provision. New technologies are increasingly making it possible to transfer particular treatments or stages of treatment from the hospital to the home and primary care, as well as helping to prevent the need for acute care.

This shift is becoming ever more important given an NHS under intense pressure to reduce costs: equally importantly, it can improve experience for the patient. Particularly for agerelated and chronic conditions, new technologies supporting preventative therapies, self-management and home treatment reduce the disruption of hospital visits and admissions, and foster patients’ wellbeing through increased independence and control.

In many ways this is the most significant change in the concept of healthcare provision for a generation or more, affecting not only the processes and budgets of organisations but the expectations and habits of users, whether health professionals or patients. Below we look at two projects – one focused on a hospital, the other on the general public – that are developing specific technologies for flexible, home-based health management. Together their work reveals some of the key challenges facing innovations of this kind, and the long-term issues they seek to address.

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Going Local

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Videotelephony is already familiar in a corporate setting, with highend dedicated technology used for long-distance conferencing. In 2007, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust in West Yorkshire pioneered its use in providing

virtual consultations for offenders at Full Sutton Prison: proving highly successful, the service was subsequently rolled out nationally. Dr Richard Pope, seconded to Airedale as Director of Innovation Research and Development, was convinced that if it could be applied to patients at home, the system could revolutionise care. But the challenges were daunting: a complex and costly technology had to be rendered affordable and user-

Given the shortcomings of the NHS’s Connecting for Health project, hospital staff could be forgiven for viewing such an ambitiously high-tech project with scepticism. But the Airedale work is guided by very different principles that involve the end-users right from inception. ‘The essential thing here,’ said Red’s Director Adam Hoare, ‘is that the technology guys who are designing it are talking to the clinicians who’ll be using it, saying, “if this is going to be

friendly, while at the same time performing to the high standard needed to retain the quality of faceface consultations.

For this to become a reality, Airedale needed partners with uniquely specialised skills: remarkably, they found them virtually on their doorstep. West Yorkshire’s Advanced Digital Institute (ADI) offers targeted business support for technologically leading-edge companies. When its CEO John Eaglesham met Richard, he could reveal that a company with precisely the designated expertise was based just five miles from Airedale, in the form of Red Embedded. With both ADI and Red as partners, in 2008 the hospital launched a project to deliver both virtual consultations and health education to patients at home.

seamlessly integrated into the hospital, how would it work? What exactly do you want it to do and how?”’ John confirmed this ethos: ‘The positioning of this project,’ he said, ‘is to get technology that’s led by the service need. So it’s about what Airedale Hospital want to do, and getting the video quality and functionality that is fit for what they want to do with it.’

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Squaring the Circle

hospital admission. ‘Video offers us a real opportunity to promote selfcare,’ said Richard. ‘As a practising consultant I have seen first hand how technologies can help my diabetic patients live independently and safely.’

Video capability is pre-eminent in being able to assess the status of a patient.

‘The method of video compression we’re using is state of the art,’ said Adam. ‘It’s what’s used in Blu-ray and comparable technologies.’ It allows clinicians

the quality of interaction that, integrated with telehealth and patient records data, makes for an effective consultation.

Meanwhile for patients the priority was for the technology to be simple and

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The project is focused on the treatment of chronic conditions through virtual consultations and video education, both delivered through the patient’s television. The consultations lower costs for the hospital and release the patient from the demands of repeated hospital visits. At the same time, tutorials about their condition encourage patients to manage their health more proactively and thereby lower the risk of

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

intuitive, corresponding to their usual experience of using the TV. This meant developing both software and hardware for a set-top box that in manufacture could match the cost and volume of a consumer product.

Last but not least, these capabilities had to be deliverable via a standard domestic broadband connection – a ‘big ask’ in technology terms. ‘What people don’t realise,’ Adam explained, ‘is that with a home broadband connection, whatever you get as the download speed, the upload speed – the ability to send data the other way – tends to be much lower, about a quarter of the speed in fact.’

Hence the term ‘ASDL’ (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line): assymetric because one direction is much faster than the other. In successfully crossing that barrier the Airedale technology has achieved a rare flexibility, being fully functional with connections ranging from a basic 1Mb to the exceptionally good.

Making Waves

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In co-ordinating the complex demands of this project, ADI’s skilled networking was vital: it was John who brokered the link-up between Airedale and Red Embedded. Equally importantly, he engineered the backing of senior NHS personnel to invest in a classically ‘disruptive’ innovative technology, where the potential for improved service and reduced costs also implied significant changes to organisational and budgetary systems.

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That reality made political buy-in essential. ‘So we’ve gone straight to the top,’ said John. ‘The people we’ve been working with are the chief executives and directors at the Strategic Health Authority. The economic argument is about the savings for the overall health system – but in order to have that discussion, you’ve got to go to the people who are running the whole system.’ With their support secured, the project began in 2008 with a trial involving twenty patients with chronic conditions, half the cost being funded by the Technology Strategy Board’s ALIP (Assisted Living Innovation Platform) programme. This trial is now being extended to 120 patients, with backing from the Strategic Health Authority.

FE AT U R E S

Name of the Game

Red Embedded was itself created on the basis of its founders’ faith in the market potential of video telephony, but for many years that remained unrealised. ‘I remember talking to them years ago about this potential of remote engagement,’ said John. ‘This is a company of 50 people who were in the position of trying to create a market for their product. But they couldn’t find the right way to market it initially to generate the pull.’ In the meantime, it was the company’s exceptional expertise in digital TV that brought in consulting revenue from an international customer base. The connection with Airedale was the long-sought breakthrough: ‘Red’s spent seven years trying to place this technology in a market where it will be appreciated,’ said Adam, ‘and this application is it.’

Equally, the project has potential for extending the range of the technology’s applications for different users and situations. As the number of connections increases between patients, primary/secondary and social care the platform could offer many layers of service to support people at home, from consulting and education to counselling and social inclusion. ‘I believe,’ said John, ‘that if someone with a long-term condition can talk to their clinician, then it’s a natural extension to think about using the same technology to talk to your family. But it’s creating the critical

The social dimension of health management is at the heart of another ambitious North-East project. Also part-funded by ALIP, ‘Freedom to Roam’ aims to recalibrate the notion of assisted living, taking it from a marginal to a central position in terms of its user base. Stuart Colmer’s involvement in the project originated in his work as Business Solutions Manager for Newcastle-based CELS, a business support network for lifescience companies. ‘I was approached to look into assistive technology,’ said Stuart, ‘and to start developing a road map, because they were struggling to engage SMEs in this area.’

It rapidly became clear that the very term “assistive technologies” came burdened with negative and outdated preconceptions, being still largely associated with low-tech products and an insignificant market. ‘People immediately think of pendants, fall alarms and the like,’ said Stuart, ‘and most businesses just hide!’ Not just businesses find it a turn-off: at an ALIP conference last year for example, delegates expressed doubts about the usefulness and relevance of the terminology. By contrast, surveys consistently quote independence as a central value for end-users. Stuart is now Freedom to Roam’s Programme Leader for Independent Living.

In developing under the ALIP umbrella the project aimed to facilitate mobile, personalised healthcare that “followed the individual,” using communications technology to reach users whenever and wherever needed. Early and open-ended exploration of the options involved intensive consultation with prospective end-users as to the form that should take. Interestingly, their response was overwhelmingly focused on how difficult it was to access the comparatively simple products and services they most needed, and how easing that access would have a substantial impact on their quality of life.

Across the Board The result was Freedom to Roam, with its concept of an open-access technology that could develop incrementally and would also be commercially viable. ‘We know that 80% of the spend goes on 20% of the people,’ said Stuart. ‘This project is about what can we do here and now to meet 80% of the needs – even if those needs are ‘simple’ – to help make a difference to people’s lives.’ Designed for national application, this is a ‘crossover’ platform serving both people managed through social care and members of the general public. The range is reflected in the project’s mix of partners from across the country, from City Councils to citizen support groups and from telecomms corporations to telehealth providers.

The technology will be an exchange for information, advocacy and access to products and services. As a hub for both private and public sector users, the project can be a significant resource for institutions and individuals alike.

A constant complaint at focus groups was the paucity of information about the kinds of low-tech but vital devices they wanted, and the unwieldy process of trying to access them through public services. ‘If we can get this virtual community to exist,’ said Stuart, ‘then users could go on and ask, “Where can I find something that does xyz?” And 50 other people could come on and say, “Check such-and-such out”’.

Many people stressed that they were happy to buy these devices directly – as long as they were the right ones.

‘People do not want to go through the firewalls of public sector assessment and approval,’ Stuart went on. ‘They just want information they can trust. If we can cover those people then formal assessment and support can be for the ones who really need it.’ With the NHS and social services struggling to accommodate an ageing population, relieving the pressure of demand in this way is a strategic necessity. At the same time public sector users of the hub benefit from constantly renewed information about what is needed, what is available and how well it works.

Equally importantly, the hub aims to drive badly-needed innovation and

2011 ISSUE 2

mass, and the clinical application can generate that so it could expand into being used for social reasons.’

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

improvement. The limited range and poor design of products in this particular market sector has long been criticised. Consumer demand could and should be a key factor in promoting innovation here as it is elsewhere, but as yet private buyers largely remain stuck with the technology of last resort.

Stuart sees the lack of SME interest as a major factor: ‘It’s the whole “assistive technology” tag and the fact that it’s seen as a public sector market,’ he opined.

Through Freedom to Roam, individual buyers can collectively exert pressure of demand on companies to stimulate new and better provision. ‘The products or services need to be what users want, designed in ways that they like,’ said Stuart. And our hub is a platform for that.’

New Model The project is now developing the specialised technology that will turn this into reality. At its heart are three key components, beginning with what Stuart described as the “schema”: essentially, a set of rules that enables the platform to work as a multi-access facility. ‘So the Council can publish information through it for example,’ he said, ‘but so can a local club or you the individual or whatever else.’

2011 ISSUE 2

Next, and most complex, comes location, which the hub must be able to factor in so that its information is relevant and context-aware. ‘Say you’re away from home,’ said Stuart, ‘and you do a health check via the platform and it advises you to contact your GP. It will recognise where you are and give you a contact and notify that contact that you want to drop in.’ The final part of the jigsaw is identity, so that users have assured security. ‘If you’re away from home we would send you a security code, probably to your mobile phone,’ said Stuart. ‘Or if you’re at home we would do the same when say your district nurse visits and she needs to access your records. So we’re trying to glue it together.’

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The project also offers an effective model for commercial development for this kind of facilitative service: the partnership owns the hub as the service platform that can work with multiple technologies and thereby attract other providers. ‘So if someone thinks of an

iphone app, or any other idea,’ Stuart explained, ‘there’s a set of rules that tells them how to plug in.’ The concept is that providers would pay to qualify and gain access, and the partnership would receive so many pence every time they undertake a transaction. CBSL, the CELS commercial arm, is a partner: ‘Effectively, we’re doing this as an investment,’ Stuart continued. It allows us to develop a space that we believe in commercially. We believe there’s a market here and this is a business development opportunity.’

enable a step change in the way care is provided and managed, encouraging individuals to take a more active stance to their own health and providers to be more responsive to their needs. With a larger population living for longer, such shifts in approach will be essential to ensure that our future healthcare systems can accomplish their formidable task.

Assissted Living Innovation Platform Web: https://ktn.innovateuk.org/web/ assisted-living-innovation-platform-alip

Local to Global Both of these projects demonstrate the dynamic that is such a feature of the healthtech sector, where national strategies are successfully implemented through regional action. ALIP emerges as a key player in the projects’ development, not only through funding but also by fostering the emphasis on ultimate user need. Highly networked regional support groups access specialist knowledge of their sector and locale to make essential connections on the ground: the results feed back into national applications in a ‘virtuous circle’.

Having brokered the Airedale-Red Embedded link, ADI for example is now a partner in Freedom to Roam. Another partner, Looking Local, was originally commissioned by Kirklees Council and now provides connectivity for services via TV, satellite and broadband to 120 local authorities nationwide: through Freedom to Roam, they can access the location-based capability that they lacked until now.

Another striking feature of these projects is the way their technologies facilitate the crossing of traditional divides. Airedale’s system has to meet the specialised needs of both consultants and patients and translate between the two, not least by enabling patients better to understand their condition. Freedom to Roam is catering not to a ghettoised ‘assisted living’ group, but to private and public sector users who together reveal the new and developing profile of a much larger demographic.

For both projects the full scope of potential applications is only just emerging. Technologies like these

Adam Hoare Director Red Embedded The Waterfront Salts Mill Road, Saltaire, W Yorks BD17 7EZ Tel: 01274 287727 Email: adam.hoare@redembedded.com Web: www.redembedded.com

John Eaglesham Chief Executive Advanced Digital Institute The Waterfront Old Mill Lane Saltaire BD17 7EZ Tel: 01274 535221 Email: john.eaglesham@adi-uk.com Web: www.adi-uk.com Dr Richard Pope Director of Innovation & Research Airedale NHS Trust Keighley, West Yorkshire BD20 6TD Tel: 01535 652511 Email: richard.pope@anhst.nhs.uk Web: www.airedale-trust.nhs.uk

Stuart Colmer Business Solutions Manager CELS 38 Collingwood Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1JF Tel: 0191 269 6896 Mobile: 07808 141066 Email: stuart.colmer@celsgroup.com Web: www.celsgroup.com

FE AT U R E S

Heads up Medilink WM Design the Home for Future Healthcare

The best brains in the healthcare technology market are talking to you.

Attend a MedilinkWM briefing or conference and you’ll get the knowledge you need about the UK’s fastest growing commercial opportunities in the healthcare market.

5 April

Alvolution and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) examine design techniques that can create adaptable living spaces.

Designing the Environment: Temporary & Mobile Health

10 May

Spot opportunities for NPD and interior design within mobile medical clinics.

Making it Real: Simulation Conference

7&8 June

See how augmented reality, animation and role playing are shaping healthcare.

Consumer Products for Home-based Healthcare

14 June

Investigating the legal ramifications of consumers purchasing telehealth and telecare products.

Integrating Assisted Living and Sustainable Design

29 June

Interactive discussions on new housing to meet the needs of an aging population.

Designing the Environment: Maternity

12 July

Spot opportunities for NPD and interior design within maternity units.

Funding Later Life

18 September

Examine the opportunities for new financial planning products for later life.

Hospital Walk & Talk

13 September

A behind the scenes tour of a West Midlands hospital.

New events are being launched now for interiors and furniture, building and construction, architecture, new product development (NPD), legal and financial services, insurance, and professional services.

Smart Home Technologies

29 September

Incorporating home health technology at design and build stage.

Designing the Environment: The Hospital

13 October

Spot opportunities for NPD and interior design within hospitals.

Innovation Panel

1 December

If you own or work for an entrepreneurial business, book your place today on 0121 452 5630 or log on to www.appliedeventology.co.uk/event-list for more details of these, and more events.

MedilinkWM

2011 ISSUE 2

Meet a panel of experts for advice on taking new products to the next stage.

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

OVERSEAS OPPORTUNITIES FOR UK-BASED BUSINESSES How UKTI can assist UK companies to internationalise The UK Life Sciences sector covers biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, healthcare and medical technologies. It is a vibrant, world leading sector and a strong driver of economic growth providing highly–skilled employment opportunities.

The Life Sciences Sector Team in UKTI supports the UK Life Sciences industry in internationalising and exporting its goods and services. The Team delivers a range of support to business to access opportunities in key markets.

A feature of the Team’s 2011/12 Business Plan will be the delivery of 6 high-profile outward missions to the key established and emerging markets of USA, Brazil, Japan, China, India and Saudi Arabia, which offer the greatest opportunity to UK Life Science businesses.

Missions will be theme based allowing a focus on a number of areas where the UK has particular strengths. UKTI is looking to recruit around 25 companies to each mission. The following provides an overview of the opportunities in each market. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining the mission or exploring how UKTI can help you.

USA

China

The USA spends approximately $2.5trillion on healthcare each year and at $91.3billion is the global leader in the medical device market accounting for over 40% of the world wide sector. Imported medical device products represents almost 1/3 of medical device spend.

China is currently in the middle of an £85billion healthcare investment programme and in just 4 years the Chinese Life Sciences market has grown from £20billion to £30billion for pharmaceutical and healthcare products. It has nearly 20,000 hospitals and over 1.7m doctors.

Major trading opportunities exist including in new and refurbished hospital build programmes, e-health, health education, biotechnology and medical devices.

The UKTI mission to the USA is planned for October 2011 and will be based around the theme of ‘Health and Ageing’, allowing a focus on areas including regenerative medicine, orthopaedics, assistive technologies, remote patient monitoring and diagnostics.

UKTI will also continue to offer assistance to attend major USA exhibitions such as AAOS (American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons), ADVAMED, (MedTech Conference) and FIME (Florida International MedTech Exhibition).

UKTI plan to run a mission to China in October 2011 initiative. This will concentrate on partnership opportunities in translational medicine and will fall under ‘The UK-China Business Partners for Growth in Bio-Pharmaceuticals’ initiative.

UKTI will also offer assistance to attend key trade shows in China

including CMEF Spring 2011 (China Medical Equipment Fair). CMEF is the largest medical equipment exhibition in the Asia Pacific region attracting over 60,000 visitors, 2000 exhibitors from 21 countries and 13 national country pavilions.

Japan Japan is the second largest

medical device and pharmaceutical market in the world. In 2009 over 1 in 5 people were over 65 years old and this figure is expected to rise to just over 1 in 3 in 2030.

Given Japan’s ageing demographic and the UK’s strong offer around a range of products and therapies related to ageing, UKTI proposes running a thematic mission to Japan in February 2012. A smaller focussed mission on oncology is also under consideration.

India

The Middle East

Brazil

The private health industry in India is undergoing massive growth, with the sector expected to grow to $150billion by 2017 (from $40billion currently). This presents wide-ranging trade opportunities. UKTI has recently completed a comprehensive review of these opportunities and are holding a number of information seminars on these at the beginning of March 2011.

Significant growth in healthcare expenditure across the Middle East presents UK companies with major opportunities. There are numerous major infrastructure projects and upgrade programmes in the region.

To help UK companies access these opportunities, a major mission to Saudi Arabia with a relevant thematic focus is planned for the latter part of 2011.

The Brazilian healthcare market is currently estimated to stand at £13.9billion and is expected to grow at 35% per annum until 2015. An emerging middle class, higher life expectancy and an increase in life style disease such as diabetes are all expected to contribute to the rapid growth of the sector. A thematic mission at the time of Hospitalar, São Paulo, on 24-27 May 2011, is planned.

UKTI are also planning to run a thematic mission to India, possibly on the theme of eHealth and IT or hospital design and build during 2011/12. A smaller mission in the bio area is also under consideration.

UKTI are focusing resources on markets where there are the greatest opportunities for UK business.

The OLYMPICS: making it work for you The Olympics creates a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase UK innovation. UKTI are actively developing themes for an exhibit to be integrated into the UK pavilion at major trade shows in the sector during 2011 and 2012 to showcase UK expertise in areas like sports medicine and rehabilitation. During the Olympics and the Paralympics, there will be events dedicated to promoting UK excellence in Life Sciences.

For full details of all the missions and events UKTI is supporting, please visit: www.ukti.gov.uk/export/sectors/lifesciences/events.html If you require further details on any of these missions or events that UKTI are organising please contact Merton Murrell, Email: merton.murrell@ukti.gsi.gov.uk Tel: 020 7215 8122 The Life Sciences section on the UKTI website www.ukti.gov.uk contains reports on overseas markets providing an overview of the size of the sector in these countries. This information provides excellent background and will help you develop your approach to Life Science markets throughout the world.

UK Trade & Investment is the government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy.

We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s dynamic economy – acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business.

UK Trade & Investment offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage.

www.ukti.gov.uk 0207 215 8000

Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

Seven Up A Users’ Guide to FP7 for Health SMEs by Graham Hughes The European Framework Programme is one of the largest R & D funding schemes in the world. Its seventh programme – FP7 – runs through to 2013 and health research is one of its key themes. The UK health sector excels in attracting FP7 funding, but unlike Germany and France (its closest equivalents in the EU 27 nations) this success is almost wholly driven by academic institutions. The proportion of EU funds going to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is therefore substantially lower despite their high profile in the UK health sector. That needs to change, and recent amendments to the current Programme represent a significant window of opportunity.

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For these next two years of FP7 the Commission is making strenuous efforts to meet its self-imposed target of 15% of funding going to SMEs (it currently lies at 10.8%), so their participation is being heavily incentivised. A twostage application process now reduces the up-front financial and resource commitment. SMEs are eligible to receive 75% matched funding for research activities within the project and a flat rate of 60% for indirect costs (overheads etc). Management costs and many other activities (such as securing IP) are reimbursed at 100%.

“SME-friendly” topics have also been introduced, with more of them being open enough to allow flexibility in the research interests of participants.

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There are currently 43 UK-based SMEs participating in FP7 health projects and after the latest set of projects start this year there should be 17 more. That total could and should be substantially augmented. Suggested reasons for the seeming wariness of SMEs to date include distrust of the excessive bureaucracy in EU projects and the academic focus of most of the research topics, but it’s also likely that many companies are unaware of FP7 and what it could offer them. The experience of one highly successful FP7 participant, Oxford Gene Technology, shows how

A microarray slide being prepared for washing in OGT’s high-throughput, ozone-controlled laboratory

with the right approach a Framework project can bring far more than financial rewards.

Founded in 1995 by Professor Sir Edwin Southern, Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) is focused on providing innovative clinical genetics and diagnostic solutions to advance molecular medicine. Participation in two previous (FP6) Framework projects helped OGT to develop a prototype microarray scanner capable of single dye molecule resolution, which in turn led to method development for

single-molecule detection in single cells. This technology is highly relevant to the study of stem cells, which is where the connection with FP7 project EuroSyStem was made. OGT is now an active consortium member of this €16,000,000, world-leading programme in fundamental stem cell biology, and is also actively involved in a number of new FP7 applications as a partner SME. John Anson, OGT’s Vice President of Biomarker Discovery, says the company has succeeded because they entered projects with commitment, a clear sense

Data source SME Participation in FP7 Report, October 2010

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of what they wanted to achieve and the support of senior management for developing new technologies in a highly applied and collaborative environment.

With substantial rewards to play for, participation in the Framework Programme is nevertheless not suited to everyone and potential participants should thoroughly research the issue before launching on an application.

strong requirement for innovation and external input. However, it is important to note that projects are not fully funded, so the company has to be committed to providing the additional support, financial and otherwise, to ensure the project meets its deliverables.

The key thing to remember is that the funding should never be used to bootstrap the company. A few may have

‘and keep on top of the administration requirements so that they don’t become a burden. Maintain good communication with other partners during the project and if you hit problems let the project coordinator know in a timely manner’.

Build Collaboration Always remember that the Framework Programme exists to promote collaborative research. John stresses that companies should work

FP7 Resources A very readable introduction to FP7 can be found in this downloadable booklet: http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/pdf/fp7-inbrief_en.pdf An overview of health research in FP7 is provided in this pamphlet: ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/health-research_leaflet_en.pdf The health research pages on CORDIS contain all the relevant material for anyone wanting to find the call documentation and more: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/health/home_en.html CORDIS http://cordis.europa.eu/home_en.html is the primary source of information relating to Research and Development activities in Europe. It is a vast resource however and it takes considerable time to become familiar with its structure and content.

Understand what it is all about A Framework Programme project requires a very different approach from most national funding schemes and grants. The research objectives of FP7 projects must demonstrate “European added value” and will be looking to tackle complex challenges that require transnational cooperation. The expectations of the quality of research are consequently very high and the evaluation process is very competitive.

Commit for the right reasons It is vitally important that participation in an FP7 project aligns with the existing skills and expertise of the company and with the business plan. The project must give a competitive advantage and/or lead to new commercial opportunities.

Remember that there are no “quick wins” and that the significant funding advantages require hard work in return.

‘The access to funding for R&D activities is important,’ says John, ‘particularly where it can support projects with a

survived with such a strategy, but many more will have failed.’

Allow enough time Pulling together a European Framework project takes time. Don’t wait for the call launch to get started, use any resources available to get early indications of the call text and allow two or three months. All the Framework themes have someone designated as a National Contact Point (NCP) who will often have an early draft of the call and can discuss individual topics with you.

Read the Call Text Carefully It is essential that you understand exactly what is required of the project from the outset. As well as NCPs, there are also Scientific Officers at the Commission who are responsible for particular topic areas. You need to source as much advice as possible from these experts well in advance.

Organise and Communicate FP7 projects require careful planning from the outset and strong project management throughout. It pays to have a skilled and dedicated Project Manager looking after these aspects. ‘Set yourself stretching but achievable milestones and deliverables,’ advises John (these are negotiable at the start of the project)

hard to develop scientific networks across the UK and the rest of Europe, using the resources available to help with finding partners and building consortia. ‘The access to a consortium of leading experts in a particular field is of enormous value to SMEs,’ he affirmed.

‘Examples in OGT range from the validation of technology to identification of key consultants in specific areas.

Finally, being part of a strong consortium can act as a springboard to accessing further funding either through FP or other vehicles.’

There are going to be many project consortia looking for the expertise of SMEs this year: contact Graham for free, impartial and confidential information about all aspects of FP7 health projects, from advice on call topics to details of the application process and how to find partners or a consortium to join.

Graham Hughes FP7UK National Contact Point for Health Tel: 01302 322633 Mobile: 07775 584028 e-mail: graham.hughes@betatechnology.co.uk Web: https://ktn.innovateuk.org/web/fp7-uk-health

2011 ISSUE 2

There is a wealth of information available as the resource list indicates, but participants’ direct experience is a particularly valuable guide. In the brief summary below John adds his voice to the chief points they have made:

OGT uses a bank of high-resolution scanners to ensure rapid turnaround of high-quality microarray results]

13

Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

Knowledge Transfer Network HealthTech and Medicines

Building a Healthy Nation through Business Innovation

The HealthTech and Medicines KTN supports business innovation through partnerships, funding and knowledge transfer: ● Connecting partners: Bringing together and facilitating collaborations with a common goal ● Access to funding: Identify and influence new and existing sources of funding

SUMMER 2010 EDITION

● Knowledge transfer: Opening doors to wider networks of people, organisations

14

www.innovateuk.org/healthktn

IN BR I E F

Members of HealthTech and Medicines KTN get an Innovation Boost Innovation depends on an intimate knowledge of a technology and close relationships with subject experts on one hand, and a breadth of contacts and an overview of the supply chain on the other.

These competing demands can often seem difficult to reconcile for companies at the forefront of technology transfer and commercialisation, working to develop new and innovative products and services in the field of medicine and healthcare. In many cases there are no role models, the supporting infrastructure may not be in place, regulatory requirements are not established, and the route to market is yet to be mapped out.

The HealthTech and Medicines Knowledge Transfer Network is a single front door through which members can find all the expertise and support they need across the innovation chain, from first idea, to patenting and packaging intellectual property, finding academic and industrial partners for product development and manufacturing scale-up, meeting regulatory standards, and getting access to market.

The HealthTech and Medicines KTN also help members to access funding from the Technology Strategy Board for prototype development and proof of concept work.

Membership of the KTN provides access to a dynamic, UK-wide knowledge transfer network covering all aspects of medical devices, diagnostics, and medicines. In addition, the KTN works with these communities, actively promoting sharing of knowledge, building value chains and suggesting possible collaborations and partnerships. It is also involved in developing international networks, supporting business engagement in the US, China, Japan and Europe.

While it is clear that medical products are increasingly interdisciplinary in nature – novel devices are used to deliver medicines, diagnostics call for the marriage of electronics and antibodies – it is also necessary to provide focus, both to help companies navigate a route to market and ensure medical needs are met. The KTN has set up specialist groups in areas including

Membership of the KTN provides access to: l Potential practitioner network into industry and industry friendly academia l Technology Strategy Board, National and EU funding competitions l Impartial advice and access to the full KTN team l Key individuals within the community – putting you in touch with the right partners for forming collaborations l Networking opportunities and event

Advanced Wound Management, Assisted Living, Clinical Trials, Regenerative Medicines, Healthcare-Associated Infections and Stratified Medicines to help companies home in on the particular resources they need to address any of these areas.

Led by key opinion leaders, these specialist groups bring researchers, entrepreneurs, companies, clinical and regulatory experts together to identify opportunities, flag up potential roadblocks and foster new partnerships.

Backing up these meetings, the KTN’s innovation platform features online tools that enable partners to explore projects and issues they are working on together.

The HealthTech and Medicines KTN give its members the tools and networks to systematise knowledge transfer and put open innovation into action.

For more information and how to engage with the HealthTech and Medicines KTN community visit:

www.innovateuk.org/healthktn

Technology Strategy Board Driving Innovation

15

Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

Early Birds

Magnetic Attraction Endomagnetics has developed a new technique to determine the stage of breast cancer, using magnetic rather than radioactive materials to trace its progression. Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women: identifying its spread at the outset is crucial, allowing rapid treatment or preventing unnecessary invasive therapy.

‘When cancer first spreads,’ explained Endomagnetics’ CEO Dr Eric Mayes, ‘its cells generally follow the lymphatic system and collect in the sentinel lymph node in the armpit – the node closest to the original tumour.’ Locating the sentinel node means that a biopsy can be performed and the patient given the most appropriate treatment. Finding the sentinel node is traditionally done using a radioactive tracer, but this is expensive and hard to obtain, so even in the UK the majority of cancer patients go without.

The new Endomagnetics technique uses a much cheaper, harmless magnetic tracer (currently used during MRI scans) that is injected in or near the tumor. The tracer

collects in the sentinel node: this is then detected by scanning with the SentiMag, the company’s new portable hand-held sensor. The scan can be performed within minutes of the surgeon giving the injection, whereas a radioactive tracer must be handled in a separate department or even hospital, inevitably meaning additional stress and delay for the patient.

There are other potential applications for the technology: ‘Nodes deep in the body could be reached if the magnetic probe was attached to an endoscope,’ said Eric. ‘A probe could even be used to locate metal shrapnel embedded within a patient’s body.’

Currently, a Dutch hospital keen to reduce the exposure of its clinicians to radiation is trialling the SentiMag on patients with colorectal cancer.

For further information visit www.endomagnetics.com or phone Dr Eric Mayes on 020 7491 6538

Shifting the Goalposts Each year prostate cancer claims over 10,000 lives in the UK, but many more men are falsely diagnosed at the outset. This distressing incidence of false positives reflects the problems of the current routine blood test: based on detection of a single molecule, it is highly inaccurate. Cambridge company Brax Ltd has developed a new technology with the potential for dramatically improving diagnostic procedures.

2011 ISSUE 2

‘It has long been known that many of the biomarkers used for diagnosis are very crude,’ said Andrew Thompson, one of the biochemists who developed the technology. ‘We often don’t know if they are a cause of the disease or

16

part of the body’s defence. Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is the marker used to detect prostate cancer, but 70% of men with raised levels of PSA haven’t actually got the disease.’

antibodies. The Brax Shifter tags use the alternative of multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), a highly sensitive mass spectrometry technique.

Using their proprietary tagging label, Shifters, the Brax technology enhances the detection of proteins in blood and can be highly “multiplexed” - so many molecules can be detected simultaneously. This means that other markers could be used in conjunction with PSA to produce a more reliable prostate cancer test. The technology is an alternative to the widely-used ELISA laboratory technique, which can detect specific proteins but is difficult to multiplex and requires expensive

It is this greater sensitivity that opens up improved diagnostic possibilities, with dramatic implications for patient care. ‘False positives mean healthy men go through the distress of hearing they may have cancer, and are subjected to painful and unnecessary biopsies,’ said Andrew. ‘We can develop a superior test that would ease the burden on both health services and patients.’

For more information visit www.shifterproteomics.com

I N BR I E F

Net Effect

Linked In The familiar High Street presence Lloydspharmacy has joined the latest recruits to the myM-link web-based networking system.

A division of MedilinkWM, myM-link serves life science entrepreneurs, start-ups, established brands and industry leaders who want to grow their business. Since its launch in 2008 it has helped members secure contracts worth over £1.5million, and is now working with Lloydspharmacy to source new healthcare devices that customers can use at home.

‘The focus right now is on expanding our assisted aids and technology business,’ said the pharmacy’s Head of Business Innovation Chris Frost, ‘and

we’re looking to collaborate with companies generating ideas and products in this area.’ The myMlink service includes personal introductions, networking, market intelligence and direct notification of relevant tenders, sales leads, licensing and collaboration opportunities.

The site’s Suppliers’ Registration Portal is a major asset for UK medtech companies, being specifically designed to simplify access to the NHS market: NHS Trusts use it to issue thousands of sub-OJEU requests for quotations.

This is particularly important for SMEs. Without precluding Trusts’ current or preferred suppliers, the Portal opens up requests to all

interested and registered suppliers in a specific product or service category. The result is that Trusts gain value for money and SMEs can compete on equal terms against larger rivals.

With its latest ‘Chain Reaction’ campaign, myM-link is aiming to demonstrate the link between collaborations and growth, with collaborative work spurring innovation and global sales.

Companies across the UK are being invited to fill in individual ‘linkcards’ stating the one thing that could transform their business, and the three companies with whom they would most like to do business.

Lord Darzi has already added his own link-card to the chain.

For further information visit www.mym-link.co.uk

Bloodlines

Standards of care in Dialysis Centres are crucial and this underpins the new membership scheme. With a database of 15,250 dialysis centres in over 160 countries, the site sets minimum data quality standards these centres must meet to become members, gaining benefits such as a higher profile and appearing further up the search ranking. A ‘rate and review’ feature allows users to score dialysis centres

and those member centres receiving the highest scores can become ‘5-Star Members’.

Another new feature – already proving highly popular – is the worldwide Find and Book Service for dialysis users. ‘Since the service launched,’ said Managing Director

For further information call Global Dialysis on 01513 253109 or email contact@globaldialysis.com

Katy Draper, ‘we have been inundated with requests and new business from all around the world.’ Meanwhile the company is developing further innovations and is keen to speak with medical devices and capital equipment companies in the dialysis field who are interested in collaboration.

2011 ISSUE 2

Global Dialysis, the website for information about dialysis access worldwide, is including an innovative membership scheme for dialysis centres in its expanded services. Simplifying travel for dialysis users whether for business or pleasure, the Lichfield-based company was set up in 2000 by Russell England after experiencing the difficulties travel caused his wife Val, a dialysis user. The site has since grown to be a leading global resource for dialysis users, centres and the industry.

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

Help at Hand

In the Mood Bath University’s Centre for Pain Research is developing radically innovative IT tools for the management of chronic pain, working alongside three other universities on the ‘SMART2’ project.

Self-management is recognised as vital to the treatment of chronic conditions, but people currently have limited access to help in making behavioural changes that can accommodate their condition, promote recovery or prevent deterioration. Using a mobile device, the project aims to provide automated, intelligent feedback that will improve users’ quality of life – which means that the technology must be moodrespondent.

From early on, potential users made it clear that they hoped to find greater autonomy and independence through the technology, but that pain would affect the way they responded to it.

‘Patients were saying, “If I’m having a bad day I’m going to get really irritated with this system!”’ said psychologist and Research Officer Dr Ben Rosser. ‘So we realised that we would have to accommodate how patients felt at the moment they were using it.’ Queries, information or advice need to be addressed differently according to the person’s mood and pain level, although the content of the query has to be the same. This level of responsiveness to interdependent psychological and physiological states is a major challenge for the developers.

2011 ISSUE 2

To meet it, the project brings together experts from the Universities of Bath, Sheffield Hallam, Sheffield and Ulster in a multidisciplinary collaboration.

Funded by the EPRSC, their work is at the cutting edge of the exchange between humans and technology. ‘We’re trying to simulate aspects of human interactions that we take for granted,’ Ben pointed out, ‘such as slightly altering how we talk to someone if they’re down. We’re moving towards technology that’s capable of these subtle, nuanced interactions. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in this area, but if we can take a step towards that then it’s a positive.’ The four-year project is due for completion at the end of 2011.

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For further information and updates, visit www.thesmartconsortium.org/smart_2

Breaking the Habit Set up to help people deal with addictions, the charity Swanswell is to introduce groundbreaking support technologies for them. One of the toughest challenges for their clients is the ‘maintenance stage’ where they try to sustain the positive changes they have made, and learn to avoid the triggers for their addiction. Through KTN’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership, Liam North from Reading University is working with Swanswell to design and develop tailored computer-based systems to help them do it.

Liam’s input is vital given the complexity of the technologies’ interaction with clients. At Swanswell offices they will be able to access virtual reality simulations that reflect their personal experience: ‘They’ll be able to rehearse strategies for typical situations,’ Liam explained, ‘such as a party where there’s pressure to drink.’ Computer games will be designed to work in the same way, using familiar scenarios to reinforce positive options.

Meanwhile from home, people with substance misuse problems will be able to use the internet as a platform for ‘automated remote therapy’, where online support augments face-to-face counselling: American studies have found that the combination speeds results for clients. Remote contact also eases the vital first step of asking for help, because the anonymity of the web avoids the stigmatisation many addicts deal with.

The project is now at the development stage, with a handful of prototypes that will be taken back to staff and service users for their responses. ‘There’s a feedback loop built into this,’ said Liam, ‘so we will continuously amend and improve these designs until we decide the strongest prototype. That will be the one we take into clinical trials.’ At the conclusion of Liam’s three-year placement the charity aims to have evidence-based products ready for use in its services.

For further information visit www.swanswell.org. and www.reading.ac.uk/ktc/Casestudies/ktc currentpartnerships.aspx

I N BR I E F

Instrumental

Band Aid With current obesity trends expected to cost the NHS nearly £50bn a year by 2050, the LogiFlex device for gastric banding is easing an operation that benefits both patients and NHS. John Black, the president of the Royal College of Surgeons, has called for more patients to be fitted with gastric bands, claiming that if just one in four people who met the clinical criteria were to undergo the procedure the cost saving over three years would be an estimated £1.3bn.

Known for its close collaboration with surgeons, Leeds company Surgical Innovations developed LogiFlex using both single use and reusable components in a technique it has branded “Resposable.” Ergonomically designed for maximum ease of use, the device consists of a disposable single-use sterile insert, which allows surgeons to fix

gastric bands around the top of a patient’s stomach, attached to a reusable handle.

Specialising in the design and manufacture of creative solutions for minimally invasive surgery, Surgical Innovations uses the Resposable technique in a range of products including its pioneering YelloPort+plus, a port access system which acts as a channel into the body allowing surgeons to carry out delicate keyhole procedures.

The introduction of reusable elements into a surgical arena currently dominated by expensive disposables automatically brings down procedure costs and reduces clinical waste.

At the same time Resposable products are designed to exceed their needs and provide the highest levels of patient care: Surgical Innovations was founded in 1992 by Professor M J McMahon, one of the UK’s foremost laparoscopic surgeons, and renowned surgical instrument maker Peter Moran.

The company quickly gained a worldwide reputation for innovation and last year won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.

For further information visit www.surginno.com

A Fresh Eye

The Freehand camera-holding robot allows key-hole surgeons to control precise images of the procedure they are undertaking. Clamping to the operating table, Freehand holds the camera inside the patient and transmits a view of the operating site to a monitor. Wearing a small headband that communicates with

a sensor above the monitor, the surgeon controls the view he sees by moving his head, and presses a foot pedal to make the camera move.

In this way, and without removing his hands from his instruments, the surgeon can arrange exactly the view he wants.

Launched in 2009, Freehand won international acclaim and awards, and a rapidly growing international community of “FreeHand Surgeons”. Every year, over 2.5 million laparoscopic procedures are carried out across the EU and USA, with this number growing at an annual rate of approximately 9%. There is no doubt that the product is greatly liked by the surgeons who use it, while research shows an improved outcome for patients from shorter operating times and – with one fewer person required for the operation – a cost reduction for hospitals.

For further information visit www.freehandsurgeon.com

2011 ISSUE 2

Freehand Surgical, the medical robotics company, has been re-launched as Freehand 2010 Ltd. The assets of the company have been bought by a consortium led by directors, who will continue to develop and supply its highly innovative ‘Freehand’ laparoscopic camera. New investment has been raised from existing investors and the management team remains in place. The company reports that business continues as normal for customers, suppliers and staff.

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

Looking for success in the healthcare market?

Finding innovations to shape the future of healthcare

Medilink North West can help you make it happen!

Smart Solutions for Healthcare is a new programme being delivered

by TrusTECH, the North West NHS Innovation Hub and is supported by NHS North West and the New Economy Partnership.

Over the past 12 months Medilink North West has helped its members raise in excess of £1m in grants and investments.

Areas of activity include:

• Infection Control • Assisted Living

• Diagnostics • Compliance Monitoring

To help you achieve your goal Medilink North West can provide:

• Access to the NHS • Project Management

• Targeted Market Research • Investment Readiness

We are inviting companies and other non-NHS organisations to submit applications for innovations within the priority areas of cardiovascular disease or long term conditions.

Successful products, technologies or services will be evaluated within the NHS and companies will be provided with the evidence relating to clinical and cost effectiveness.

For full details of the programme visit:

www.smartsolutionsforhc.co.uk

For further information on how we can help please contact Jamie Gill on jamie.gill@medilinknw.co.uk or call: 0161 660 9480

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SUMMER 2010 EDITION

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I N BR I E F

Keeping Track

Home Sweet Home Leading telecare and telehealth provider Tunstall has now linked up with Just Checking, providers of its eponymous system specifically for supporting people with dementia at home. The Just Checking system monitors their movements and generates an online chart of activity, without intruding or undermining their independence. Simple to install, the system uses wireless movement sensors and the mobile phone network: needing neither broadband nor video cameras, it uses a single power socket.

The partnership will mean access to an expanded market for this already popular

system. Families use Just Checking Carer to get a clearer understanding of how someone is managing when alone in the house, whether they are retaining a daily pattern, and when they may need more help. Professional carers use Just Checking Professional for assessment and care planning. With services under enormous pressure to make finite budgets work harder, the system’s accurate and consistent data allows practitioners to target care where it is needed, and to encourage independence when it is not.

The experience of Leeds Mental Health Intermediate Care Team exemplifies the

range of effects. A one-year pilot of Just Checking improved both the quality of assessment and the experience of service users, delaying the need for residential care and providing more opportunities to support people at home. It was particularly interesting that people with dementia proved to be managing at home better than expected: the objective data helped challenge preconceived fears, so that interventions could concentrate on supporting users’ capabilities. The system was subsequently rolled out to all the Community Mental Health Teams as well as the Leeds Memory Service.

For further information visit www.justchecking.co.uk

On the Spot

Currently working in conjunction with over 100 UK healthcare establishments, MediFilm produce visual floor or wall graphics that can represent any particular piece of equipment found in a hospital environment. This enables the object to have its own ‘car parking’ space, reducing time (and frustration) spent in locating equipment. Medifilm products therefore fit well with the Lean

methodology adopted by some Trusts: the aim is improving the quality of patient care by stripping waste out of systems. Integral to Lean is the 5S process of ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’.

Many hospitals have been using tape to mark out these places – which inevitably peels and creates cleaning problems.

Medifilm graphics are printed on the reverse side of the film: resistant to fading and wear-and-tear, they are also designed to withstand the attrition of both manual and mechanical cleaning. Hygeine is also integral to the film itself: Biomaster, a silver-based antimicrobial technology, is built in to the vinyl substrate and has been proven to reduce the growth of bacteria by up to 99% in as little as two hours on treated surfaces.

For further information visit www.medifilm.co.uk

2011 ISSUE 2

The re-emergence of the Swine Flu virus has reinforced the fact that rigorous hand washing is the most effective way of stopping the transfer of bacteria by touch. Medifilm’s antimicrobial hand gel graphics are proving to be highly effective in promoting hand washing in clinical environments, with customers reporting an average of a 76% increase in hand gel useage once the graphics are installed.

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

When it comes to innovation, the East Midlands makes it happen

T

he Healthcare and Bioscience iNet gives inventors across the East Midlands the expert information, guidance and support they need to develop ideas into commercially viable products. Sometimes it’s an individual inventor; sometimes an SME. Either way, the iNet’s specialist advisers all have a healthcare background, which enables them to help people take their idea or product forward.

Which is exactly what iNet adviser George Canty did for East Midlands company the Laboratory Electrical Engineering Company (LEEC) - who devised a revolutionary self-sterilising CO2 incubator.

“LEEC knew they’d hit on a huge opportunity,” says George, “but before they could launch it to the international market, they needed to partner with someone who could formally verify its sterilisation capabilities.”

SUMMER 2010 EDITION

George was able to help their export

22

drive by linking them to testing specialists at the Health Protection Agency. Positive results followed and this enabled LEEC to not only secure distribution rights in Japan but gain international interest in the incubator.

Their export sales turnover grew from 15% to 30% in 2010, plus the surge in business has also allowed the firm to recruit new staff and offer apprenticeships.

Indeed, channelling financial investment in the right direction is an essential catalyst to regional business success. Corby company Pluswipes, which supplies infectioncontrol products to the NHS and private sector customers, has created and safeguarded over 20 jobs thanks to their links with the Healthcare and Bioscience iNet. “Our challenge was to find new ways to improve our credibility and exposure to major players in the healthcare market,” explains Tanya Teesdale-Brown, Company Secretary

LEEC showcasing their revolutionary self-sterilising CO2 incubator

of Pluswipes. “Max Pulford, Healthcare and Bioscience iNet advisor was a huge help behind our expansion. He helped us to gain recognition and PR through innovation awards, as well as providing a direct line to the right people and organisations, including Leicester’s two universities.”

Max commented, “Pluswipes are an inspirational company at the forefront of their industry – effectively using innovation to keep ahead both here and in the international market. It has been a pleasure working with them”.

The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Inspired? Whether you’re an East Midlands SME or working alone and want to turn a new idea into a new business opportunity, the Healthcare and Bioscience iNet’s expert advisers are on hand to help.

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I N BR I E F

Innovate and grow - with help from us The Healthcare and Bioscience innovation Network (iNet) helps inventive and creative people in the East Midlands turn new ideas into new business. Through its team of specialist advisers, sector events and support schemes, it helps people make their innovation journey more quickly and easily. Whether it’s overcoming challenges or discovering opportunities, the iNet can help

people through its extensive network of academics, businesses, clinicians and other support organisations.

The Healthcare and Bioscience iNet is delivered by Medilink East Midlands and financed by the East Midlands emda) and the Development Agency (emda) European Regional Development Fund.

We can help you if you ar e:

- An SM E - A start -up - Workin g alone

For further information and to discuss your innovation please contact the Healthcare and Bioscience iNet on +44 (0) 115 912 4332 or email info@healthcare-inet.org.uk

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Spring/Summer 2010 Issue 1

It pays to pull together

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