Overview

The aim of the Biomedical Catalyst is to support the development of innovative healthcare products, technologies and processes. These can include (but are not limited to):

  • disease prevention and proactive management of health and chronic conditions
  • earlier and better detection and diagnosis of disease, leading to better patient outcomes
  • tailored treatments that either change the underlying disease or offer potential cures

Scope

The aim of this competition is to enable companies to create a data package that can support the subsequent testing of your products or carry out evaluations in a clinical setting or other relevant environment. This can include:

  • experimental evaluation (at laboratory scale)
  • use of in vitro and in vivo models to evaluate proof of concept or safety
  • exploring potential production mechanisms
  • prototyping
  • product development planning
  • intellectual property protection
  • demonstrating of clinical utility and effectiveness
  • demonstrating of safety and efficacy (including phase 1 and 2 clinical trials)
  • regulatory planning

Your project must focus on the development of a product or process that is an innovative solution to a health and care challenge.

Support is available for any life science sector or discipline, including (but not limited to):

  • medical technologies and devices
  • stratified healthcare
  • advanced therapies (gene and cell therapies)
  • digital health
  • drug discovery
  • diagnostics

If you choose the innovation area ‘Diagnostics, medical technology and devices’, you must indicate in the initial project summary whether your project falls within ‘Diagnostics’ or ‘Medical technology and devices’.

Eligibility

To lead a project or work alone you must:

  • be a UK-registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) or a research and technology organisation (RTO)
  • be an organisation focused on life science
  • carry out your project in the UK

You can work alone or in partnership with others (SMEs, academics or research organisations).

The lead must claim funding.

To be a collaborator you must:

  • be a UK based business, academic organisation, charity, public sector organisation or research and technology organisation (RTO)
  • carry out your project work in the UK
  • intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

Funding Costs

Your project’s total eligible costs must be between £250,000 and £4 million.

Your project must start by 1 September 2019 and end by 31 March 2021. It must last at least 1 year.

For feasibility studies (early stage projects only) and industrial research projects, you could get funding for your eligible project costs of:

  • up to 70% if you are a micro or small business
  • up to 60% if you are a medium-sized business

The research organisations in your consortium can share up to 50% of the total eligible project costs. If your consortium contains more than one research organisation, this maximum will be shared between them.

Exclusions

Innovate UK will not fund projects as part of this competition that are in scope for the Biomedical Catalyst feasibility or primer awards.