UK Technology Strategy Board puts £11M into healthcare projects

The UK Technology Strategy Board is to fund nine projects focusing on the development of technology-based solutions for long-term healthcare. The projects will bring together expertise from industry, the health and care professions and universities in areas including; in-home two-way video technology for the supply of health information and for tele-consultation with health professionals; an automated, non-intrusive, intelligent monitoring system for the elderly and disabled; the development of an innovative real time gait training system for people with an abnormal gait; the evaluation of the potential benefits of proactive preventative telecare and telehealth systems.

The Board will invest over £5 million in the initiative with the Department of Health contributing a further £500,000. This investment will be matched by funding from the companies participating in the research. TSB Chief Executive Iain Gray said the impact of living longer, the quality and potentially increasing cost of care for those with chronic long term conditions, and preventing health problems like obesity, are major societal and economic challenges.  

“However, such challenges also give us the incentive to develop innovative solutions. Through our investment in these projects, the TSB is helping to bring together the UK’s world class expertise to research and develop innovative technologies in a key area for the UK. The technologies to be developed will bring social and economic benefits to the UK, and will have global potential,” said Gray.

This is the first investment by the Assisted Living Innovation Platform, which was launched in November 2007 to address health and care challenges caused by the increasing demand for care for people with long-term conditions.