Patients are set to benefit as researchers are invited to submit proposals to develop innovative healthcare products to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease in the NHS.

The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme has allocated up to £13 million to fund new research projects in medical technology, and is launching a call for proposals on 1 November 2011.

An educational DVD made for Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has won a Silver Award at The Institute of Medical Illustrators (IMI) 2011 Annual Awards.

More About Me’, devised by Barry Pinkney, Matron at the Hospital, together with Ali Thayne, Dementia Project Facilitator and Sarah Hay, Dementia Project Advisor has won the Spotlight Prize for Publications & Training Aids in a competition organised by Health Enterprise East (HEE), the regional NHS partner for innovation

Eight companies engaged in developing innovative technologies to support the growing number of people with long-term health conditions have been selected to receive funding worth up to £100,000 each to progress their ideas.

Supported by NHS East of England, the European Regional Development Fund and the Technology Strategy Board, the East of England Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI East) is looking to industry to bring innovative ideas that can be shown to make a difference to the care of people with long-term conditions. This includes the delivery of care closer to home and the empowerment of people to take greater control and responsibility for their own health and well-being.