Asthma Health Technology Fund Open for Applications

Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation are working in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support the development and adoption of innovative healthcare technologies that will address unmet needs for the diagnosis, monitoring or management of asthma.

The £3million+ Asthma Health Technology Fund will support multidisciplinary research teams working on the development and adoption of scalable, user-centred and evidence-based tools, from concept stage through to scaling in the NHS. Projects should aim to transform asthma outcomes to prevent asthma attacks and reduce emergency healthcare use and asthma deaths.

The fund will operate in two streams, which will run concurrently:

Stream 1 – Concept Stage:

to support early R&D of new technology and proof of concept studies with high potential impact

aimed at multidisciplinary academic research teams engaged in health technology development, including established respiratory researchers but also, for example, researchers involved in software and hardware engineering, data science, behavioural science, and other condition areas where health technology is more advanced or widely adopted (e.g. cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes)

maximum project duration 24 months

maximum award £750,000 (at 80% of fEC)

funded in partnership with EPSRC

must aim to demonstrate technical and clinical feasibility by the end of the grant

Stream 2 – Translation and Adoption Stage:

to support translational R&D of existing technology (eg medical devices, diagnostics), studies generating real world evidence for existing products and projects enabling scaling of existing technology into the NHS

aimed at multi-sector collaborations (academics, SMEs, NHS trusts and big tech)

no maximum funding limit

maximum project duration 36 months

funded in partnership with the NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme

Applications to Stream 1 will be administrated by the EPSRC in accordance with standard EPSRC eligibility criteria. Applicants should be multidisciplinary academic research teams conducting early-stage, proof of concept research. Researchers should be based at UK HEIs, Research Council Institutes, UKRI-approved independent research organisations and NHS bodies with research capacity.

Applications to Stream 2 will be administrated by the NIHR under Round 11 of the i4i Challenge Awards and Call 21 of the i4i Product Development Awards (applications may be submitted to the NIHR i4i programme for any area of disease research and all applications for asthma-related projects submitted to Round 11 of the Challenge Awards and Call 21 of the Product Development Awards will be considered for the Asthma Health Technology Fund).

Applications to the i4i Challenge Awards are invited from SMEs, NHS Trusts, NHS service providers or Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). A minimum of two organisations must be involved, and the proposal must include at least one collaborator from an NHS Trust or NHS service provider. Lead applicants must be based in England.

Applications to the i4i Product Development Awards must be collaborative and include applicants from two organisation types: NHS provider (including NHS Trusts), HEI or SME. Lead applicants must be based in England.

Projects involving international collaborations are also eligible.

Applications to Stream 1 must be submitted to the EPSRC via Je-S by the closing date on 11 February 2021 (4pm).

Stage 1 applications for Call 21 of the i4i Product Development Awards (Stream 2) should be submitted via the NIHR RMS by the closing date on 9 December 2020 (1pm).

Round 11 of the i4i Challenge Awards (Stream 2) opens on 4 November 2020. Stage 1 applications should be submitted via the NIHR RMS by the closing date on 12 January 2021.

More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.