Medical technology businesses in Leicester and Leicestershire can apply to cover 50% of their clinical evaluation costs, thanks to a project delivered by Medilink East Midlands and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN).
Grants are available to qualifying companies who need to test and evaluate their products and services in a clinical setting. This ensures that they are working as intended, are effective and are safe for use. The gathering of this evidence is vital for companies wanting to sell their products and services to the healthcare market – including the NHS.
These grants are delivered as part of the SoLSTICE project, which is a £1.22million scheme, part-funded by ERDF. SoLSTICE provides free and impartial support and advice to Leicester and Leicestershire businesses working in, or looking to work in, life sciences; to innovate and create new products and services. The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN) is the project delivery partner for SoLSTICE and is also part-funding the project.
In addition to SoLSTICE support, businesses who access this grant scheme receive support from the EMAHSN to help bring their products and services to market. This includes one-to-one support during the trials, access to specialist events, support with product development, opportunities to meet with clinical experts, regular opportunities to showcase their products with NHS decision-makers and influencers and one-to-one discussions on completion of their evaluation.
Medilink East Midlands – the industry support organisation for the East Midlands which supports new and existing life science businesses – is delivering the SoLSTICE project and will help companies to access the grants in partnership with EMAHSN across the Leicester and Leicestershire area.
SoLSTICE is set to run until December 2021. Leicester and Leicestershire businesses who sign up to the SoLSTICE programme will receive wide-ranging business support. This includes help and advice from life science sector specialists, life science businesses, the NHS and universities, as well as grants for clinical evaluations, innovation development and specialist networking events.
Darren Clark, Chief Executive of Medilink East Midlands, said: “For medical technology businesses who want to sell to the healthcare market, the gathering of an evidence base is paramount. By making these grants available, we’re helping companies to overcome obstacles on the road to getting their products and services out to as wide a market as possible. We are extremely pleased to be working with the EMAHSN to offer companies and entrepreneurs the sector-specific knowledge and support they need through this programme.”
Mike Hannay, Managing Director of EMAHSN, added: “Through providing these grants, we want to work with life science companies in Leicester and Leicestershire to help them undertake the necessary research needed to produce clinical data. With this information, they can take their products and services to all corners of the healthcare market.”
For further information on the SoLSTICE project and to find out more about the support on offer, visit the SoLSTICE page on our website.
For further information about this media release contact Medilink East Midlands Project Leader Marketing Sam Burbage, on 0115 822 3154 or by email at [email protected]