Collaboration between Stroke Association and MedCity
MedCity and Stroke Association have entered into a collaboration agreement to identify and support the development of digital health therapeutics and medical devices for patients and carers living with the long-term health impact of stroke.
The long-term effects of stroke are wide-ranging, leaving many patients living with complex challenges that severely impact quality of life and ability to return to work. This new joint programme will sit within MedCity’s Collaborate to Innovate initiative and bring together academics and SMEs, combining clinical stroke research expertise from the academic community with the commercial know-how of companies developing solutions for the health and care sector.
Stroke Association will provide funding and expertise, while MedCity will bring its extensive experience promoting the transfer of knowledge between academia and industry. A total funding pot of £180,000 will be available, with awards made through the programme being directed to innovations that:
- lead to measurable improvement in patient recovery and quality of life
- reduce the risks of follow on stroke
- provide support to carers of stroke patients.
Applications will be invited from companies developing digital health and medical device innovations across a broad development pathway, with an expectation that support will be provided for the development of technologies from a proof of concept stage, through and up to the commercialisation/implementation stage. We would also expect to fund diagnostic projects that will measurably improve the accuracy of stroke diagnosis and lead to changes in practice.
Elias Zapantis, Programme Manager, MedCity said:
MedCity is delighted by this initiative with Stroke Association, which supports our core aim of improving population health outcomes through better cross-sector collaboration. There is a huge amount of knowledge and expertise within the third sector and academia that is yet to be connected to companies developing and commercialising exciting innovations. We hope that this new collaboration will provide a test-bed for more similar joint activities between MedCity and the third sector.
Kate Holmes, Assistant Director of Research, Stroke Association said:
The Stroke Association is keen to support high quality digital health technology research and we believe a collaboration with MedCity is ideal to help us achieve this goal. We would like to facilitate relationships and collaboration between academics and SMEs, in order to combine the expertise and knowledge regarding clinical stroke research in the academic community with the commercial and digital know-how of companies experienced in product development and roll-out in the healthcare sector.