Corporation Pop and Lucid Group Limited secure Pitch to TITCH innovation funding to work with NHS to improve care for sick children
The funding will be used to drive forward the development of: a virtual guide to reduce anxiety for children visiting hospital; and a new device aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment for children suffering from faecal incontinence.
Provided by Greater Manchester Academic Health Science Network (GM AHSN) and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CMFT), the Pitch to TITCH innovation fund enables industry:NHS collaborators to develop solutions to unmet clinical needs affecting paediatric patients.
TITCH (Technology Innovation Transforming Child Health) is a national consortium, in conjunction with Devices for Dignity, developed to address the problems associated with the niche and often neglected market for technology in the field of child health.
The two selected innovators are:
- Corporation Pop, awarded £19,500 to develop a prototype of a patient virtual guide.
- Lucid Group Limited, awarded £14,700 to finance a paediatric faecal incontinence diagnostic feasibility investigation.
The funding call, which was launched following a successful workshop event back in March, is operated by TRUSTECH, the North West Innovation Service, and supported by the CMFT Charity.
Dom Raban, Managing Director of Corporation Pop said: “We were delighted to receive the Pitch to TITCH funding for our Virtual Guide project. It will allow us to develop some early stage prototypes and, in conjunction with our research partners Sutherland Labs, enable us to conduct user needs research and testing. This will really help reinforce our business case and provide a solid bedrock for us to then seek further funding to take the project to market.”
Alistair Williamson, Managing Director of Lucid Group said: “Pitch to TITCH backing for An-i-sys will better focus the innovation on the needs of patients and clinicians – and the challenges that our NHS faces. We’ll be involving surgeons, continence specialist and clinical physiologists in co-creation. Joining up design with ongoing user input will help us develop a more effective and accessible connected diagnostic device and app. Clinical involvement really improves our compliance, adoption and business case. We believe TITCH will accelerate delivery of benefits to patients.”
Linda Magee, Executive Director, Industry & Wealth, at GM AHSN said: “Supporting innovators at the early stages is an important way of encouraging the development of solutions to unmet needs in healthcare. We were pleased to team up with CMFT to promote new collaborations between clinicians and innovators through this funding call where we also sought the view of patients in our decision process. The diversity of the projects chosen demonstrates the wide pool of talent and ideas we have to draw on to help improve life for patients. ”
Keith Chantler, Director of Innovation at CMFT added: “Our patients are at the heart of everything we do. Innovation is most successfully translated into clinical care through the combined efforts of the NHS, industry and other partners. Pitch to TITCH is one way in which we are investing in partnerships to improve health outcomes for children visiting Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.”
Peter-Marc Fortune, Associate Clinical Head of Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Clinical Lead for the TITCH initiative at CMFT, commented: “I’m very excited about supporting both of these projects. They have the potential to massively improve the life experience for many children in the UK and across the globe. Both projects also have the potential to influence the development of concurrent adult technologies thus delivering an even wider impact. I look forward to future success!”
