SBRI Healthcare

Small Business Research Initiative for (SBRI) Healthcare is targeted at SMEs and early stage businesses. It provides vital funding for the crucial stage of product development.

SBRI Healthcare is an NHS England initiative, championed by the AHSNs, which supports a programme of competitions that invites companies to come forward with their ideas and new technologies for unmet needs and known challenges in the NHS.

These ideas are assessed and if successful are awarded a fully funded development contract which is agreed between the company and the NHS.

There are two primary phases to SBRI Healthcare that start with an initial identification of an unmet need undertaken by clinicians. These challenges are offered to industry to test the feasibility of their ideas and these projects, if successful, can result in a contract to develop their product.

Phase 1 contracts for feasibility testing are valued at up to £100,000 and last for six months. If the feasibility testing in Phase 1 is successful, companies can bid for Phase 2 funding to continue product development and testing. All applicants are assessed by the same clinical, technical and business experts with the panel looking for game-changing technologies and commercial plans to make a real difference in the challenge areas defined at the start of the process.

Phase 2 contracts are worth up to £1 million over a period of 12 months. Throughout the process, SBRI Healthcare sources health economists to help with the business model and provides ‘light touch’ monitoring to ensure projects are on track to meet agreed milestones.

SBRI Healthcare is a fast track, simplified process that enables the NHS to work with industry to tackle known challenges.

For further information, please see www.sbrihealthcare.co.uk.