Overview
The NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) programme is inviting outline applications to its Product Development Awards (PDA) funding opportunity.
This is a two-stage funding opportunity. To apply for the first stage you should submit an outline application. If invited to the second stage, you will then need to complete a full application.
i4i PDA is participating in the following funding opportunities with separate applications on the awards management system. Applicants should read each one carefully before applying to the relevant one.
Product Development Awards
The Product Development Awards (PDA) support collaborative projects and aims to de-risk innovations, supporting early product development and real-world evaluation, to make them more attractive for follow-on funding or commercial investment.
- Scope: Preclinical and clinical product development and development of real world evidence for NHS or social care adoption. Research proposals must address an area of unmet need and show a clear pathway towards adoption and commercialisation for the proposed innovation.
- Entry point: Experimental proof-of-concept or laboratory-validated technology; innovations focusing on real-world evidence generation must have regulatory approval or demonstrated equivalent safety and efficacy for the intended use.
- Exit point: Depending on the entry point, laboratory and/or clinically validated technology or performance of technologies evaluated in a real-world setting.
- Lead applicant eligibility: HEI, SME, NHS or social care provider, not-for-profit organisation, based in the UK.
- Minimum number of co-applicants: 2.
- Funding level: No maximum, we are encouraging ambitious projects with the potential to make a real impact.
- Project duration: Between 24 – 36 months.
Scope
The aim of the PDA is to achieve benefits to patients and end users, de-risk technologies and make them attractive to follow-on funders, investors and buyers, in particular NHS commissioners and national guidance bodies.
Types of project:
- Product development required to enable technologies for clinical use or use in social care.
- Clinical development of a laboratory-validated technology.
- Real-world evaluations to accelerate the development and uptake of innovative products, which already have demonstrated safety and efficacy.
Proposals must:
- Include a strong element of patient and public involvement, as well as end-user engagement.
- Set out a commercial strategy that takes into account the regulatory pathway, IP management, commercial barriers, health economics and route to market.
- Present a plan for future adoption of the technology into the NHS or social care system.
Applicants should be aware of the NHS MedTech funding mandate policy, which came into effect in April 2021 to help overcome the financial barriers to adopting medical devices, diagnostics and digital products in the NHS, as well as other government policies as updated.
Projects may last up to 3 years. SMEs and NHS organisations may receive up to 100% of the requested funding, with no requirement for matched funding for commercial organisations. Higher Education Institutions are entitled to up to 80% of the full economic costs (please refer to the finance guidance for more details).
Eligibility
The lead organisation must be based in the UK. Eligible organisations are:
- NHS and social care service providers, including Trusts, primary care and community care providers and tertiary care centres.
- Higher Education Institutions (HEI), including universities and research institutes.
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs with a staff headcount no greater than 250 and an annual turnover no greater than €50 million, including start-up or spin-out companies).
- Not-for-profit organisations, including charities and community interest companies.
Projects must include a collaboration of at least two organisations and may include two or more of the same organisation type. If support for a clinical trial is requested, one or more of the partners must be an NHS organisation or social care service provider that will act as the site(s) for evaluation.
NIHR funding supports a range of activities from those associated with the research and development to activities associated with the implementation of transformative technologies in health and care settings. NIHR expect projects to involve a combination of the activities below rather than focusing on a single aspect. Projects involving artificial intelligence (AI) are eligible and more detail on what to include in the application is specified in the funding opportunity itself.
For further information see guidance notes here
Exclusions
- Work that involves animals, animal tissues or stem cells (if such studies are required as part of the project, we expect applicants to seek parallel funding to cover the work, and the details should be provided in the application form).
- Projects involving the development of pharmaceuticals or cosmetic products.
- Biomarker discovery.
- Any work packages related to early stage or fundamental research.
- Minor or incremental changes to technologies in current clinical use, unless, for example, a technology is being repurposed from another healthcare area for which it has already received regulatory approval.
- Scale-up manufacture of the product needed to carry out a clinical evaluation (applicants must develop a plan for managing possible costs associated with these and provide the plan as part of the full application).
- Implementation costs other than those associated with research, including some of the costs incurred in order to put in place the technology.
- Evaluation of a fully developed product, which has already been adopted within the NHS or social care system.
- Digital health technologies that fall under Tier A and Tier B of the NICE evidence standards framework for digital health technologies, including wellness and wellbeing apps, technologies intended only for hospital information, administration, infrastructure and other related software.
- Professional training, including PhD fees and stipends, although costed time of the individual is allowed.
- Development of innovation or knowledge networks and healthcare technology cooperatives which aim to accelerate the development of innovative technology products.
Funding Costs
No maximum, NIHR are encouraging ambitious projects with the potential to make a real impact.
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