Background to SBRI

The national Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) programme aims to use government procurement to drive innovation. SBRI enables government departments and public sector organisations to procure new technologies faster and with managed risk through a phased development programme, and it provides paid contracts for the critical stage of product development.

SBRI East is a regional pilot funded jointly by NHS East of England, the East of England Development Agency and the Technology Strategy Board and is designed to enable companies to bid for development contracts for innovative technologies that will help to meet current health priorities in the region. In addition all entrants had to demonstrate that they could contribute to achieving a low carbon environment.

Companies were invited to submit ideas that could be turned into practical solutions to make a substantial difference in three priority areas:

• Managing long-term conditions
• Patient safety
• Keeping children active

The competition is run in two phases. Several projects, of up to 6 months duration and £100k, will be funded in Phase 1 feasibility. Successful projects will then be funded for Phase 2.

The competition was launched in April 2009 and received a total of 177 entries. After an extensive selection process eleven companies were each awarded funds in Phase 1 to develop their idea to the next stage.

Ideas selected include a programme to encourage children to cycle or walk to school and to increase their levels of physical activity generally through an approach that involves the whole school, a device to monitor respiratory rate which gives an early indication of patient deterioration enabling healthcare professionals to intervene early and a device for measurement and characterisation of wounds such as diabetic ulcers.

Applications for Phase 2 funding were submitted by the end of May.  The final presentations were held in June.

For information on other SBRI competitions from around the UK please click here.