Launchpad: life & health sciences, Northern Ireland

To lead a project in the MFA strand, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• be active or growing your work activities in the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland

A business can lead on only one MFA strand application for this competition.

To lead a project in the CR&D strand, your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size
• be or involve at least one grant claiming micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• collaborate with other UK registered organisations
• be active or growing your work activities in the life and health sciences innovation cluster in Northern Ireland

To collaborate with the lead in the CR&D strand, your organisation must be one of the following UK registered:

• business of any size
• academic institution
• charity
• not for profit
• public sector organisation
• research and technology organisation (RTO)

A business can lead on only one CR&D strand application for this competition, but can be included as a collaborator in any number of applications.

If an organisation is not leading any application, it can collaborate in any number of applications.

If you apply to the MFA strand of this competition, as well as this CR&D strand, each project must be clearly distinctive and separate. We will monitor closely for this separation if you are awarded funding in both competition strands.

For the MFA strand, your project must:

• have a total grant funding request of between £25,000 and £100,000
• last between 6 and 12 months
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
• end by 30 April 2025

For the CR&D strand, your project must:

• be collaborative
• have a total grant funding request of between £150,000 and £1 million
• last between 6 and 18 months
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
• start at the earliest on 1 April 2024
• end by 31 March 2026

The aim of this competition is to support outstanding innovation projects led by businesses. Your business must be active or growing work activities in the life and health sciences cluster in Northern Ireland.

The geographical requirement is set to align this competition to the Government’s goals in the Levelling Up White Paper.

Your project must focus on innovation in life and health sciences. Your project must lead to increased investment into research and innovation. It must contribute to growing business activities and economic impact in the cluster.

Your proposal must explain how your team and project will contribute to equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) in the cluster.

We reserve the right to fund a variety of projects across different durations, locations, themes and across one or more of the following:

• biomarker discovery and validation
• medical technology devices
• translation or validation of precision medicine approaches

In support of the Government’s Levelling Up goals, we also reserve the right to prioritise projects that:

• are shorter in duration
• significantly advance innovation in life and health sciences
• are led by businesses already based in the innovation cluster
• have greater levels of activity outside the Greater South East

Your project can focus on one or more of the following:

Diagnostics, therapeutics and biomarkers

• multi-omics
• medical imaging
• liquid biopsy
• biomarker or genetic testing
• diagnostic or therapeutic development

Data, digital and medical devices

• point-of-care testing
• wearable or ambient sensors
• clinical trials decision support
• augmented reality
• digital health

Innovations in healthcare service delivery

• health service productivity
• integrated care platforms
• remote rehabilitation

Your project can also consider the following enabling areas:

• artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum
• advanced therapies, novel formulation or delivery
• regulation or ethics
• supporting innovation in skills development

These lists are not exhaustive. Where you can show your proposal fits within the scope of this Launchpad competition you can focus on other themes.

Innovate UK held an online briefing on Tuesday 7 November: click here to watch the recording.

If you would like help to find a project partner, contact Innovate UK KTN’s Health team.

In considering the eligibility of your proposal you are encouraged to review The Department for Economy (Northern Ireland): 10x Economic Vision.

Further information about the innovation cluster was provided in the online briefing event on 7 November: click here to watch the recording.