The NIHR i4i Challenge Awards are open for applications! This competition provides funding to support the assessment of MedTech innovations in real-world healthcare settings. It aims to shorten the gap between the clinical evaluation of technologies and their adoption, therefore leading to a disruptive medical device or in vitro diagnostic test that can offer improved outcomes for NHS patients.
Am I eligible for funding?
- The lead applicant must be an SME, NHS provider, or higher education institution. They must also be based in England.
- Projects should involve a minimum of two organisations, with at least one of the collaborators being from an NHS provider.
- Technologies must have demonstrated safety and efficacy and must have obtained or be in the process of obtaining CE marking.
- Projects can last up to 3 years, but a duration of up to 5 years will be considered if a strong case is made.
What funding is available?
i4i Challenge funding supports the following research and development activities:
- Activities associated with the design and delivery of evaluations for innovations in healthcare settings
- Collection of effectiveness data if this is part of a clinical utility study
- Health economic analysis
- Work around market analysis and development of a business case for adoption
- Project management and stakeholder engagement activities
- Activities associated with data analysis, management, and governance
- Small changes to the technology that might be needed for its optimisation during the lifetime of the project
- Training associated with the implementation of the new technology
- Implementation research costs
- Activities associated with the dissemination of outputs
You can access the full scope for the i4i Challenge Awards here.
What is the application process?
All competitions under the i4i programme have a two-stage application process – only those successful at Stage 1 will receive an invite to proceed to Stage 2. Stage 1 is open from 4th November until 12th January, with applicants set to receive the results of their submission on 23rd March. Then, Stage 2 will follow with a deadline of 11th May.
How can RedKnight help?
RedKnight’s team of grant funding consultants has over 50 years combined experience, accessing more than £50 million. If you’d like our help applying to the i4i Challenge Awards, please get in touch today.
