LIfT Bioscience Ltd
Project Title:
Evaluation of a first-in-class neutrophil-based immunotherapy platform for solid tumour indications in novel translational in vivo models.
Acronym:
N-LIfT
Call:
UK’s Biomedical Catalyst
Start Date:
01/08/2024
Duration:
36 months
Grant Amount:
£1,140,739
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported LIfT Bioscience Ltd (LIfT) with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) competition, securing £1.14m of non-dilutive grant funding. With a score of 96.1%, it was the highest scoring funded project in the round.
LIfT is a disruptive biotech bringing to market a first-in-class immunomodulatory alpha neutrophil (IMAN) cell therapy designed to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapies in solid tumours. LIfT's ground-breaking IMANs not only directly kill tumour cells in an innate antigen-independent manner, but recruit and modulate recipients' cytotoxic effector cells, such as T cells and NK cells, to give a durable response and long-lasting anti-tumour immunity. LIfTs first generation IMANs are manufactured from the haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) of donors who possess exceptionally cytotoxic neutrophils. IMANs are generated using LIfTs proprietary Neutrophil-based Leukocyte Infusion Therapy (N-LIfT) platform, with future iPSC-derived and gene engineered products in the pipeline.
The aim of the BMC project, a collaboration between LIfT and the Saeb-Parsy Lab (SPL) at the University of Cambridge is to explore and investigate the application of IMAN cell therapy products in SPL’s cutting edge humanised in vivo model systems.
Alex Blyth, Chief Executive Officer of LIfT BioSciences, commented: “The awarding of this grant from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, is an exciting step that will help expedite our pipeline of new products and their combinations into the clinic and will improve outcomes through the foresight it provides. Current standard mouse models do not have the right chemokines and growth factors to support human neutrophils optimally. Tumour-bearing humanised mice that have been adapted to support human neutrophils are therefore very useful for more accurate modelling of the effects of neutrophils for early insights into what we might see in human trials. We will now conduct groundbreaking in vivo studies to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour and immunology models uniquely available at the Saeb-Parsy Lab.”
Fundamental to IMANs mechanism of action (MoA) is their ability to modulate the hostile solid tumour microenvironment (TME). Standard in vivo tumour models in immunodeficient mice lack the necessary human immune system components to investigate recipient immunomodulation by therapeutics, and thereby underplay the effectiveness of cell therapy modalities with this MoA by only assaying direct cytotoxicity. Additionally, SPL's humanised models utilise xenografted patient-derived tumour material (PDX), which allows a closer approximation of tumour architecture and component subsets that comprise the solid TME, and which are classically hostile to cell therapy infiltration and efficacy. The SPL humanised in vivo models represent the currently achieved experimental apotheosis in terms of in vivo modelling of the TME as would be encountered by IMANs during human clinical trials.
The BMC funding will allow the project team to perform ground-breaking in vivo (and associated in vitro) activities to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour indications. State-of-the-art -omics techniques will be employed to generate a holistic view of IMANs potential in solid tumours, unveiling biomarkers for both safety and efficacy of IMANs for future clinical research.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported LIfT Bioscience Ltd (LIfT) with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Biomedical Catalyst (BMC) competition, securing £1.14m of non-dilutive grant funding. With a score of 96.1%, it was the highest scoring funded project in the round.
LIfT is a disruptive biotech bringing to market a first-in-class immunomodulatory alpha neutrophil (IMAN) cell therapy designed to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapies in solid tumours. LIfT's ground-breaking IMANs not only directly kill tumour cells in an innate antigen-independent manner, but recruit and modulate recipients' cytotoxic effector cells, such as T cells and NK cells, to give a durable response and long-lasting anti-tumour immunity. LIfTs first generation IMANs are manufactured from the haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) of donors who possess exceptionally cytotoxic neutrophils. IMANs are generated using LIfTs proprietary Neutrophil-based Leukocyte Infusion Therapy (N-LIfT) platform, with future iPSC-derived and gene engineered products in the pipeline.
The aim of the BMC project, a collaboration between LIfT and the Saeb-Parsy Lab (SPL) at the University of Cambridge is to explore and investigate the application of IMAN cell therapy products in SPL’s cutting edge humanised in vivo model systems.
Alex Blyth, Chief Executive Officer of LIfT BioSciences, commented: “The awarding of this grant from Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, is an exciting step that will help expedite our pipeline of new products and their combinations into the clinic and will improve outcomes through the foresight it provides. Current standard mouse models do not have the right chemokines and growth factors to support human neutrophils optimally. Tumour-bearing humanised mice that have been adapted to support human neutrophils are therefore very useful for more accurate modelling of the effects of neutrophils for early insights into what we might see in human trials. We will now conduct groundbreaking in vivo studies to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour and immunology models uniquely available at the Saeb-Parsy Lab.”
Fundamental to IMANs mechanism of action (MoA) is their ability to modulate the hostile solid tumour microenvironment (TME). Standard in vivo tumour models in immunodeficient mice lack the necessary human immune system components to investigate recipient immunomodulation by therapeutics, and thereby underplay the effectiveness of cell therapy modalities with this MoA by only assaying direct cytotoxicity. Additionally, SPL's humanised models utilise xenografted patient-derived tumour material (PDX), which allows a closer approximation of tumour architecture and component subsets that comprise the solid TME, and which are classically hostile to cell therapy infiltration and efficacy. The SPL humanised in vivo models represent the currently achieved experimental apotheosis in terms of in vivo modelling of the TME as would be encountered by IMANs during human clinical trials.
The BMC funding will allow the project team to perform ground-breaking in vivo (and associated in vitro) activities to explore the impact of IMAN cell therapies in solid tumour indications. State-of-the-art -omics techniques will be employed to generate a holistic view of IMANs potential in solid tumours, unveiling biomarkers for both safety and efficacy of IMANs for future clinical research.
Treat-NMD Services Ltd
Project Title:
Patient Lifestyle and Disease Data Interactium
Acronym:
PaLaDin
Call:
Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking
Start Date:
01/01/2024
Duration:
48 months
Grant Amount:
€11,687,611
Our Role:
Bid Writing
The Patient Lifestyle and Disease Data Interactium (PaLaDIn), an ambitious Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) funded initiative (with contribution from The FSHD Society, TREAT-NMD and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); totalling 21 million Euros), has this month been launched to drive innovative real world data collection from patients with rare neuromuscular diseases (NMDs).
A new state-of-the-art data collection platform is being developed to transform how rare diseases are treated. Known as ‘The Interactium’, the platform will provide insights to accelerate novel drug development, improve patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) and inform health care decision-making at all levels. The learnings from the project will be shared with those working in other rare disease areas via a series of tools and training materials.
The project is expected to provide a major leap forward in integrating different sources of rare disease patient data, including Patient Reported Outcome Measures, patient preferences and data from registries and wearable devices.
Researchers and medicines developers will have access to the data that clearly elicits patients’ preferences and needs, which is particularly important in rare diseases where outcome measures and patient preference data is scarce. This means that treatments and interventions are developed to meet the needs of patients, informing better decision-making in healthcare, medicines development and health technology assessments.
“We at TREAT-NMD provide a global network of experts in neuromuscular diseases. The strength and expertise of our network, and all nine global partners working together to deliver the PaLaDIn project, means that we can collaborate to transform the NMD field.
“The mission of this consortium of partners is to create a data platform that will help to pioneer effective treatments, delivering the best care for those living with NMD and other rare diseases across the world. “One of the biggest challenges we face in our field is the lack of patient data. PaLaDIn is designed to tackle exactly that challenge, working with patients, healthcare professionals and researchers to collate impactful data that can make a big difference in rare disease diagnosis and treatment.”
PaLaDIn will advance knowledge in the rare disease field and address known bottlenecks and hurdles including lack of data from patients living with a rare disease, limited interoperability and reusability of data, low knowledge about diseases, disease heterogeneity, scarcity of PROMS, low numbers of patients.
It is expected that, as a result of the PaLaDIn initiative there will be:
• New frameworks to test the value of co-creation will be created
• More effective and patient-centred health care solutions and research developed
• Greater de-risking of trials for companies due to the availability of FAIR data
• Development of PROMS, and digital tools to give insights on the burden of disease
These expected outcomes will ultimately contribute to increased patient centricity and improved decision making, outcomes and healthcare solutions.
The 9 partners are:
TREAT-NMD services Ltd (Scientific Coordinator) – Newcastle, UK
Newcastle University- Newcastle, UK
Ludwig Maximillan University of Munich- Munich, DE
Duchenne UK- London, UK
University of Amsterdam Medical Centre- Amsterdam, NL
FSHD Society- Randolph, USA
Aparito BV – Leiden ,NL
Leiden University Medical Centre- Leiden, NL
Links:
X: @eu_paladin
Linked in: @eu-paladin
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101132943. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe, Vaccines Europe (and the FSHD Society and TREAT-NMD Services Ltd as contributing partners participating in the project) The project will also receive funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10105921, 10103989, and 10083579]
The Patient Lifestyle and Disease Data Interactium (PaLaDIn), an ambitious Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) funded initiative (with contribution from The FSHD Society, TREAT-NMD and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); totalling 21 million Euros), has this month been launched to drive innovative real world data collection from patients with rare neuromuscular diseases (NMDs).
A new state-of-the-art data collection platform is being developed to transform how rare diseases are treated. Known as ‘The Interactium’, the platform will provide insights to accelerate novel drug development, improve patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) and inform health care decision-making at all levels. The learnings from the project will be shared with those working in other rare disease areas via a series of tools and training materials.
The project is expected to provide a major leap forward in integrating different sources of rare disease patient data, including Patient Reported Outcome Measures, patient preferences and data from registries and wearable devices.
Researchers and medicines developers will have access to the data that clearly elicits patients’ preferences and needs, which is particularly important in rare diseases where outcome measures and patient preference data is scarce. This means that treatments and interventions are developed to meet the needs of patients, informing better decision-making in healthcare, medicines development and health technology assessments.
“We at TREAT-NMD provide a global network of experts in neuromuscular diseases. The strength and expertise of our network, and all nine global partners working together to deliver the PaLaDIn project, means that we can collaborate to transform the NMD field.
“The mission of this consortium of partners is to create a data platform that will help to pioneer effective treatments, delivering the best care for those living with NMD and other rare diseases across the world. “One of the biggest challenges we face in our field is the lack of patient data. PaLaDIn is designed to tackle exactly that challenge, working with patients, healthcare professionals and researchers to collate impactful data that can make a big difference in rare disease diagnosis and treatment.”
PaLaDIn will advance knowledge in the rare disease field and address known bottlenecks and hurdles including lack of data from patients living with a rare disease, limited interoperability and reusability of data, low knowledge about diseases, disease heterogeneity, scarcity of PROMS, low numbers of patients.
It is expected that, as a result of the PaLaDIn initiative there will be:
• New frameworks to test the value of co-creation will be created
• More effective and patient-centred health care solutions and research developed
• Greater de-risking of trials for companies due to the availability of FAIR data
• Development of PROMS, and digital tools to give insights on the burden of disease
These expected outcomes will ultimately contribute to increased patient centricity and improved decision making, outcomes and healthcare solutions.
The 9 partners are:
TREAT-NMD services Ltd (Scientific Coordinator) – Newcastle, UK
Newcastle University- Newcastle, UK
Ludwig Maximillan University of Munich- Munich, DE
Duchenne UK- London, UK
University of Amsterdam Medical Centre- Amsterdam, NL
FSHD Society- Randolph, USA
Aparito BV – Leiden ,NL
Leiden University Medical Centre- Leiden, NL
Links:
X: @eu_paladin
Linked in: @eu-paladin
This project is supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU) under grant agreement No 101132943. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, COCIR, EFPIA, EuropaBio, MedTech Europe, Vaccines Europe (and the FSHD Society and TREAT-NMD Services Ltd as contributing partners participating in the project) The project will also receive funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee [grant numbers 10105921, 10103989, and 10083579]
SyncVR Medical UK Ltd
Project Title:
Virtual reality application to aid self-management of people awaiting treatment for mental health conditions/symptoms
Acronym:
Auxilium
Call:
Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) For Digital Mental Health
Start Date:
01/07/2023
Duration:
18 months
Grant Amount:
£185,000
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported SyncVR Medical UK Ltd (SyncVR) and South London & Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM) with their successful application to the Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) For Digital Mental Health competition, winning the consortium a grant of £185,000.
The project, titled Auxilium, aims to create the world’s first mental health application to be used on virtual reality headsets for supporting at-risk patients waiting for mental health care. The novel application will be based on mindfulness and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) skills’ training elements, which have previously been shown to be effective for patients in crisis and suffering from mood instabilities.
“I started out my undergraduate research career transcribing interviews from patients receiving DBT in Dr.Linehan’s lab. Marsha’s passion is infectious, and despite only being at that lab for a short while- I had absorbed and carried that enthusiasm for DBT for years. I’m so thankful to be working at SyncVR where I have the resources to be able to turn my vision into reality and to have access to incredible leaders in the space to build this project. The UK has such a massive need for mental health support that it’s absolutely imperative that we empower users to take control of their own mental health and learn actionable skills that they can start using to better their own lives”- Ari Billig
In 2021-22, over 1.2m people in the UK were on a waiting list for community mental health care (up from 1.08m the previous year). The NHS also failed to meet its goal of getting 1.6m patients into “talking therapy” services, also called IAPT, which are aimed at treating people with mild to moderate depression (1.2m started sessions last year). These waiting lists enhance the sense of loneliness and frustration felt by patients. Alarmingly, 25% of mental health waiting list patients attempt suicide.
SyncVR aims to improve healthcare with its novel XR technology approach, which includes virtual and augmented reality approaches. These are underpinned by SyncVR’s proprietary XR healthcare platform, which enables the company to deliver its own, and host third party XR applications (similar to Netflix). SyncVR has created several successful mindfulness focused applications which are currently being used in over 100 hospitals, including 10 NHS trusts, helping patients to decrease pain, anxiety, and medication. The platform is also used for medical professional staff development through XR training.
The technology to be developed through the Auxilium project will go beyond other existing solutions by enabling users to practice mood management strategies in a relaxing and immersive environment. Auxilium will teach patients useful coping and mood management skills to manage their emotions while they wait for therapy. It will also help them feel more prepared for therapy when they encounter it and improve their overall healthcare experience.
Furthermore, Auxilium will help reduce the enormous economic burden presented by mental health problems, which currently cost the UK economy ~£118bn annually (~5% GDP). The application will enable people to better self-manage their condition, in turn reducing sick days, loss of productivity due to absenteeism, and costs to the health care systems managing patients with mental health concerns.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported SyncVR Medical UK Ltd (SyncVR) and South London & Maudsley NHS Trust (SLAM) with their successful application to the Innovate UK Mindset Extended Reality (XR) For Digital Mental Health competition, winning the consortium a grant of £185,000.
The project, titled Auxilium, aims to create the world’s first mental health application to be used on virtual reality headsets for supporting at-risk patients waiting for mental health care. The novel application will be based on mindfulness and dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) skills’ training elements, which have previously been shown to be effective for patients in crisis and suffering from mood instabilities.
“I started out my undergraduate research career transcribing interviews from patients receiving DBT in Dr.Linehan’s lab. Marsha’s passion is infectious, and despite only being at that lab for a short while- I had absorbed and carried that enthusiasm for DBT for years. I’m so thankful to be working at SyncVR where I have the resources to be able to turn my vision into reality and to have access to incredible leaders in the space to build this project. The UK has such a massive need for mental health support that it’s absolutely imperative that we empower users to take control of their own mental health and learn actionable skills that they can start using to better their own lives”- Ari Billig
In 2021-22, over 1.2m people in the UK were on a waiting list for community mental health care (up from 1.08m the previous year). The NHS also failed to meet its goal of getting 1.6m patients into “talking therapy” services, also called IAPT, which are aimed at treating people with mild to moderate depression (1.2m started sessions last year). These waiting lists enhance the sense of loneliness and frustration felt by patients. Alarmingly, 25% of mental health waiting list patients attempt suicide.
SyncVR aims to improve healthcare with its novel XR technology approach, which includes virtual and augmented reality approaches. These are underpinned by SyncVR’s proprietary XR healthcare platform, which enables the company to deliver its own, and host third party XR applications (similar to Netflix). SyncVR has created several successful mindfulness focused applications which are currently being used in over 100 hospitals, including 10 NHS trusts, helping patients to decrease pain, anxiety, and medication. The platform is also used for medical professional staff development through XR training.
The technology to be developed through the Auxilium project will go beyond other existing solutions by enabling users to practice mood management strategies in a relaxing and immersive environment. Auxilium will teach patients useful coping and mood management skills to manage their emotions while they wait for therapy. It will also help them feel more prepared for therapy when they encounter it and improve their overall healthcare experience.
Furthermore, Auxilium will help reduce the enormous economic burden presented by mental health problems, which currently cost the UK economy ~£118bn annually (~5% GDP). The application will enable people to better self-manage their condition, in turn reducing sick days, loss of productivity due to absenteeism, and costs to the health care systems managing patients with mental health concerns.
iAm Compliant Ltd
Project Title:
A next-generation, artificial intelligence-based, sustainability platform for schools
Acronym:
iAm Compliant
Call:
Innovate UK Innovation Loan
Start Date:
19/09/2023
Duration:
18 months
Grant Amount:
£592,860
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported iAM Compliant Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan competition, securing the Chester-based SME £592,860 of innovation funding.
iAM Compliant was established in 2016 to provide schools and businesses with a one stop shop for premises, health and safety compliance, and cut through the red tape. The company’s novel platform offers a seamless interface and cloud-hosted solution that brings all the information users need into one central place. Having pushed the innovation boundaries from the outset, the platform is used by over 500 state schools around the UK.
iAM Compliant will use the innovation loan funding to extend the platform’s functionality to provide the world’s first digital tool for schools to guide them through the process of creating their own Climate Action Plan and help them become more sustainable. The platform will be supported by the development of best in class, accredited learning content.
Tom Moore, Founder & Chief Operating Officer at iAM Complaint said, “[insert quote]”.
In April 2022, the UK Government published its policy paper titled Sustainability and Climate Change: A Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services Systems. The policy supports a drive for all UK schools to be “zero carbon” by 2030 and announces long term and consistent policies and funding to enable this (in line with wider Government targets for the UK to be carbon neutral by 2050). The policy ensures there will be investment in training teachers in education for sustainable development across the curriculum, and in equipping colleges and schools to give all learners a connection to nature. The Government also commits to investing in adapting and retrofitting the school estate and the Department for Education commits to improving their building specifications, so that all new school buildings from 2022 onwards will be net zero carbon.
To support these ambitions, by 2025 every school is mandated to have a Climate Action Plan that will result in zero carbon status. Each school will have a trained staff member who acts as a Sustainability Lead and Climate Literacy Training will be offered to every school with sustainability embedded as a statutory feature of careers guidance.
The sustainability responsibility will ultimately rest with site managers (referred to as School Business Managers in schools), many of which manage their current compliance responsibilities disparately across many different spreadsheets. The biggest challenges for those managing compliance is that they are often reactive, limited by budget, resource, and time. There is also often a lack of safety mindset, not necessarily driven by the individual but by the myriad of regulations and legislation they need to interpret and understand. The additional sustainability requirements outlined above will add further weight to the challenge.
The technology and training material to be developed through this innovation loan project will provide a much needed, easy-to-use, cost-effective digital tool to support schools in complying with the new UK Governments strategy and helping them in becoming more sustainable.
RedKnight is delighted to announce it has supported iAM Compliant Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan competition, securing the Chester-based SME £592,860 of innovation funding.
iAM Compliant was established in 2016 to provide schools and businesses with a one stop shop for premises, health and safety compliance, and cut through the red tape. The company’s novel platform offers a seamless interface and cloud-hosted solution that brings all the information users need into one central place. Having pushed the innovation boundaries from the outset, the platform is used by over 500 state schools around the UK.
iAM Compliant will use the innovation loan funding to extend the platform’s functionality to provide the world’s first digital tool for schools to guide them through the process of creating their own Climate Action Plan and help them become more sustainable. The platform will be supported by the development of best in class, accredited learning content.
Tom Moore, Founder & Chief Operating Officer at iAM Complaint said, “[insert quote]”.
In April 2022, the UK Government published its policy paper titled Sustainability and Climate Change: A Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services Systems. The policy supports a drive for all UK schools to be “zero carbon” by 2030 and announces long term and consistent policies and funding to enable this (in line with wider Government targets for the UK to be carbon neutral by 2050). The policy ensures there will be investment in training teachers in education for sustainable development across the curriculum, and in equipping colleges and schools to give all learners a connection to nature. The Government also commits to investing in adapting and retrofitting the school estate and the Department for Education commits to improving their building specifications, so that all new school buildings from 2022 onwards will be net zero carbon.
To support these ambitions, by 2025 every school is mandated to have a Climate Action Plan that will result in zero carbon status. Each school will have a trained staff member who acts as a Sustainability Lead and Climate Literacy Training will be offered to every school with sustainability embedded as a statutory feature of careers guidance.
The sustainability responsibility will ultimately rest with site managers (referred to as School Business Managers in schools), many of which manage their current compliance responsibilities disparately across many different spreadsheets. The biggest challenges for those managing compliance is that they are often reactive, limited by budget, resource, and time. There is also often a lack of safety mindset, not necessarily driven by the individual but by the myriad of regulations and legislation they need to interpret and understand. The additional sustainability requirements outlined above will add further weight to the challenge.
The technology and training material to be developed through this innovation loan project will provide a much needed, easy-to-use, cost-effective digital tool to support schools in complying with the new UK Governments strategy and helping them in becoming more sustainable.
Waymap Ltd
Project Title:
The world’s most accurate and inclusive personal navigation
Acronym:
Waymap
Call:
Innovate UK Innovation Loan
Start Date:
01/10/2023
Duration:
12 months
Grant Amount:
£990,580
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to have supported Waymap Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan programme, securing the start-up £990,580 to deliver the late-stage research and development required for its disruptive indoor positioning and navigation technology.
Waymap’s vision is to develop the world’s most accurate and inclusive personal navigation smart phone application. Rather than simply routing a user to a train station, imagine if an app could then route them through the building, underground to the correct platform, on and off the train, and all the way to the end destination. These are the truly end-to-end journeys that Waymap can make a reality. No other personal navigation app on the market has adequately addressed the great indoors, which represents a major commercial opportunity.
When discussing the success of the loan application, Mr Celso Zuccollo, Waymap COO said, ““This funding, and the continued support of Innovate UK, is crucial in incentivising businesses to continue investing in hard technologies that solve difficult real-world problems, like what we are doing at Waymap. This money allows us to expand our core technology portfolio further, creating a better product and ultimately a better experience for the users of our app. Given the product we are building, this not only means that we can better address a very large commercial opportunity, but also that we can create meaningful social impact at scale.”
Waymap was born out of requirements identified by the Royal Society for Blind Children. Through several focus groups, the RSBC identified independent city navigation as a key issue for children with visual impairments and tasked Waymap to develop a high-tech solution that would allow them to navigate cities as if they had no disability.
As a result, Waymap has developed world-leading core technology and a smart phone app that locates and navigates users to an accuracy of up to 1m and 10 degrees heading. In 2021, Waymap extended the functionality of its core location algorithm, to ensure the app operates effectively while the smart phone is carried in all the manners that a usual commuter would carry their mobile phone, for example, in their pocket, whilst texting, or in a bag. All of this is done with no physical infrastructure and no external signal required, meaning the navigation app can work indoors, outdoors, underground, and when the smart phone is in flight mode. Waymap’s unprecedented level of accuracy and ability to be used anywhere makes it a truly unique and game-changing proposition.
The Innovation Loan project will enable Waymap to deliver the late-stage research and development work required to finalise the product development. Successful demonstration of the proprietary technology will pave the way for market deployment within 12 months of project closure.
RedKnight is delighted to have supported Waymap Ltd with its successful application to Innovate UK’s Innovation Loan programme, securing the start-up £990,580 to deliver the late-stage research and development required for its disruptive indoor positioning and navigation technology.
Waymap’s vision is to develop the world’s most accurate and inclusive personal navigation smart phone application. Rather than simply routing a user to a train station, imagine if an app could then route them through the building, underground to the correct platform, on and off the train, and all the way to the end destination. These are the truly end-to-end journeys that Waymap can make a reality. No other personal navigation app on the market has adequately addressed the great indoors, which represents a major commercial opportunity.
When discussing the success of the loan application, Mr Celso Zuccollo, Waymap COO said, ““This funding, and the continued support of Innovate UK, is crucial in incentivising businesses to continue investing in hard technologies that solve difficult real-world problems, like what we are doing at Waymap. This money allows us to expand our core technology portfolio further, creating a better product and ultimately a better experience for the users of our app. Given the product we are building, this not only means that we can better address a very large commercial opportunity, but also that we can create meaningful social impact at scale.”
Waymap was born out of requirements identified by the Royal Society for Blind Children. Through several focus groups, the RSBC identified independent city navigation as a key issue for children with visual impairments and tasked Waymap to develop a high-tech solution that would allow them to navigate cities as if they had no disability.
As a result, Waymap has developed world-leading core technology and a smart phone app that locates and navigates users to an accuracy of up to 1m and 10 degrees heading. In 2021, Waymap extended the functionality of its core location algorithm, to ensure the app operates effectively while the smart phone is carried in all the manners that a usual commuter would carry their mobile phone, for example, in their pocket, whilst texting, or in a bag. All of this is done with no physical infrastructure and no external signal required, meaning the navigation app can work indoors, outdoors, underground, and when the smart phone is in flight mode. Waymap’s unprecedented level of accuracy and ability to be used anywhere makes it a truly unique and game-changing proposition.
The Innovation Loan project will enable Waymap to deliver the late-stage research and development work required to finalise the product development. Successful demonstration of the proprietary technology will pave the way for market deployment within 12 months of project closure.
Futuresoft
Project Title:
A next generation hybrid office visualiser platform to enhance workforce collaboration and productivity.
Acronym:
Focos-HOV
Call:
UK Smart Grant
Start Date:
01/10/2022
Duration:
18 months
Grant Amount:
£347,449
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to announce a successful application to Innovate UK Smart Grants on behalf of Futuresoft Ltd. The cutting-edge software-as-a-service (SaaS) company will receive £347,449 to develop its next-generation hybrid office visualiser platform, Focos-HOV.
The successful application means RedKnight has secured more than £10.5 million since launching in 2015. Mr Dayne Hodgson, Director at RedKnight said:
“We are thrilled that Futuresoft have secured this funding to support a game-changing innovation that will help address challenges we have all experienced over the past two years. We look forward to seeing how this exciting technology develops over the next 18 months and where Futuresoft can take it.”
The Problem
When the pandemic began in 2020, the tools and technologies that workplaces needed to operate remotely already existed. The main challenge was adopting them quickly and updating longstanding processes.
For some, remote work has created new job opportunities, offered more family time, and provided options for whether or when to commute. These benefits have made many organisations recognise that hybrid working is here to stay as we emerge from the pandemic.
However, the transition to a hybrid workplace is proving more disruptive than the move to remote work, with many organisations greatly underestimating the challenge. One crucial factor is that the technology needed to create a seamless hybrid office experience remains largely nascent, meaning there is a significant technology gap in the Digital Workplace market.
Immersive technology remains costly and impractical as it requires the use of hardware, such as headsets. While non-immersive technology provides virtual environments with no hardware requirement, current solutions only offer basic collaboration functionality. None currently harness the power of big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
The Solution
Futuresoft’s first-generation product, Focos, enables businesses to operate all their SaaS applications via one single cloud platform, reducing the user’s need to switch between various tabs and windows.
Focos-HOV will build on this technology, harnessing the data collated by Focos and integrating other data sources and AI/ML techniques. The platform will provide an on-screen virtual office environment, showing company members, location, and availability to one another for enhanced remote and office worker awareness. It will enable vital ‘unscheduled’ interactions between workers to foster creativity and collaboration and reduce unnecessary context switching and interruptions.
Testimonial
Futuresoft said of their Innovate UK Smart Grants success:
“We are excited for the future and how we may positively affect workplace productivity at a time when there has been so much change with working from home. It is great to see Innovate UK acknowledge our ambition and capabilities as a cutting-edge, innovative technology company by awarding us this grant.”
Helping companies access innovation grant funding is RedKnight’s core mission. Please get in touch in order to discuss a potential application.
RedKnight is delighted to announce a successful application to Innovate UK Smart Grants on behalf of Futuresoft Ltd. The cutting-edge software-as-a-service (SaaS) company will receive £347,449 to develop its next-generation hybrid office visualiser platform, Focos-HOV.
The successful application means RedKnight has secured more than £10.5 million since launching in 2015. Mr Dayne Hodgson, Director at RedKnight said:
“We are thrilled that Futuresoft have secured this funding to support a game-changing innovation that will help address challenges we have all experienced over the past two years. We look forward to seeing how this exciting technology develops over the next 18 months and where Futuresoft can take it.”
The Problem
When the pandemic began in 2020, the tools and technologies that workplaces needed to operate remotely already existed. The main challenge was adopting them quickly and updating longstanding processes.
For some, remote work has created new job opportunities, offered more family time, and provided options for whether or when to commute. These benefits have made many organisations recognise that hybrid working is here to stay as we emerge from the pandemic.
However, the transition to a hybrid workplace is proving more disruptive than the move to remote work, with many organisations greatly underestimating the challenge. One crucial factor is that the technology needed to create a seamless hybrid office experience remains largely nascent, meaning there is a significant technology gap in the Digital Workplace market.
Immersive technology remains costly and impractical as it requires the use of hardware, such as headsets. While non-immersive technology provides virtual environments with no hardware requirement, current solutions only offer basic collaboration functionality. None currently harness the power of big data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML).
The Solution
Futuresoft’s first-generation product, Focos, enables businesses to operate all their SaaS applications via one single cloud platform, reducing the user’s need to switch between various tabs and windows.
Focos-HOV will build on this technology, harnessing the data collated by Focos and integrating other data sources and AI/ML techniques. The platform will provide an on-screen virtual office environment, showing company members, location, and availability to one another for enhanced remote and office worker awareness. It will enable vital ‘unscheduled’ interactions between workers to foster creativity and collaboration and reduce unnecessary context switching and interruptions.
Testimonial
Futuresoft said of their Innovate UK Smart Grants success:
“We are excited for the future and how we may positively affect workplace productivity at a time when there has been so much change with working from home. It is great to see Innovate UK acknowledge our ambition and capabilities as a cutting-edge, innovative technology company by awarding us this grant.”
Helping companies access innovation grant funding is RedKnight’s core mission. Please get in touch in order to discuss a potential application.
GeneFirst
Project Title:
Robust Automation and Point of Care IDentification of COVID
Acronym:
RAPID-COVID
Call:
Horizon 2020/Innovative Health Initiative
Start Date:
01/11/2020
Duration:
15 months
Grant Amount:
€2,832,585
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight are delighted to have supported GeneFirst with its successful application to Horizon 2020, securing the innovative med-tech start-up and its 4 collaborating partners (two SMEs and two hospitals) over €2.8m in grant funding. In total, 144 applications were submitted to the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) competition, of which 8 projects have been selected for funding (6% success rate). The successful projects represent the most promising advances in therapeutics and diagnostics to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
GeneFirst’s project, entitled RAPID-COVID, aims to clinically validate its innovative multiplex technology in both point of care and high throughput (HTP) settings, which includes testing for SARS-CoV-2. Based in Oxford, GeneFirst provides simple, reliable, and effective molecular solutions to aid the accurate diagnosis of diseases and the improvement of patient management.
As of July 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 11 million infections globally, claiming more than 500,000 lives. In response to the current outbreak, a rapid and definitive diagnosis of the specific SARS-CoV-2 is crucial. A recent study has shown that 5.8% of SARS-CoV-2 infected and 18.4% of non-SARS-CoV-2-infected patients had other concurrent pathogen infections. Therefore, single target testing is not optimal; failure to distinguish between different pathogens may lead to unnecessary antimicrobial use, cross-infection of mis-grouped patients, and further spreading of the infection.
Simple, sensitive, and multiplex detection of all respiratory pathogens is technically challenging. In response to the need for faster and better detection of multiple respiratory pathogens, GeneFirst has developed a prototype using its innovative proprietary technology – MPA (Multiplex Probe Amplification). The prototype will simultaneously detect and differentiate SARS-CoV-2 as well as 30 other common respiratory bacteria and viruses.
GeneFirst’s assay will allow for accurate, cost-effective, and comprehensive diagnoses during the current outbreak, as well as future routine diagnosis. In this project, the consortium aims to analytically and clinically validate this assay on both high throughput and point of care platforms. This strategy provides maximum flexibility for screening and triage, allows better and faster care, alleviates pressures on healthcare systems, and improves patient recovery rates.
Dr Winnie Wu, COO at GeneFirst, said of the success,
“We are ecstatic with this outcome and all consortium partners are very excited to start the project. For an SME, securing this funding allows GeneFirst to further its R&D and to deliver these crucial diagnostics at scale and pace in time for the winter season. We have pulled together a great project team for the delivery.
We credit our bid success to the RedKnight team; without their support, we would not have been able to achieve what we did in the short time needed to submit the application. We found RedKnight to be professional and diligent, and it has been a real pleasure working with them. This is our first collaborative opportunity and I am confident that our partnership will continue into the future.”
Helping companies grow is RedKnight’s core mission. You can find out more about the types of projects we support here.
RedKnight are delighted to have supported GeneFirst with its successful application to Horizon 2020, securing the innovative med-tech start-up and its 4 collaborating partners (two SMEs and two hospitals) over €2.8m in grant funding. In total, 144 applications were submitted to the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) competition, of which 8 projects have been selected for funding (6% success rate). The successful projects represent the most promising advances in therapeutics and diagnostics to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
GeneFirst’s project, entitled RAPID-COVID, aims to clinically validate its innovative multiplex technology in both point of care and high throughput (HTP) settings, which includes testing for SARS-CoV-2. Based in Oxford, GeneFirst provides simple, reliable, and effective molecular solutions to aid the accurate diagnosis of diseases and the improvement of patient management.
As of July 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused over 11 million infections globally, claiming more than 500,000 lives. In response to the current outbreak, a rapid and definitive diagnosis of the specific SARS-CoV-2 is crucial. A recent study has shown that 5.8% of SARS-CoV-2 infected and 18.4% of non-SARS-CoV-2-infected patients had other concurrent pathogen infections. Therefore, single target testing is not optimal; failure to distinguish between different pathogens may lead to unnecessary antimicrobial use, cross-infection of mis-grouped patients, and further spreading of the infection.
Simple, sensitive, and multiplex detection of all respiratory pathogens is technically challenging. In response to the need for faster and better detection of multiple respiratory pathogens, GeneFirst has developed a prototype using its innovative proprietary technology – MPA (Multiplex Probe Amplification). The prototype will simultaneously detect and differentiate SARS-CoV-2 as well as 30 other common respiratory bacteria and viruses.
GeneFirst’s assay will allow for accurate, cost-effective, and comprehensive diagnoses during the current outbreak, as well as future routine diagnosis. In this project, the consortium aims to analytically and clinically validate this assay on both high throughput and point of care platforms. This strategy provides maximum flexibility for screening and triage, allows better and faster care, alleviates pressures on healthcare systems, and improves patient recovery rates.
Dr Winnie Wu, COO at GeneFirst, said of the success,
“We are ecstatic with this outcome and all consortium partners are very excited to start the project. For an SME, securing this funding allows GeneFirst to further its R&D and to deliver these crucial diagnostics at scale and pace in time for the winter season. We have pulled together a great project team for the delivery.
We credit our bid success to the RedKnight team; without their support, we would not have been able to achieve what we did in the short time needed to submit the application. We found RedKnight to be professional and diligent, and it has been a real pleasure working with them. This is our first collaborative opportunity and I am confident that our partnership will continue into the future.”
Helping companies grow is RedKnight’s core mission. You can find out more about the types of projects we support here.
REDEEMA
Project Title:
REsonant cavity DEtectors for Environmental Monitoring Applications
Acronym:
Redeema
Call:
Eureka Eurostars
Start Date:
01/03/2020
Duration:
24 months
Grant Amount:
€345,566
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is delighted to celebrate its 5th birthday with another grant funding success story! A successful application to Eureka Eurostars has secured €345,566 for the South Wales-based Compound Semiconductor Centre Ltd and its partners. The REDEEMA consortium also includes Glasgow-based Amethyst Research Ltd and VTEC Lasers & Sensors, based in Eindhoven.
The project, titled REsonant cavity DEtectors for Environmental Monitoring Applications (REDEEMA), aims to design and develop an inexpensive manufacturable (III-V semiconductor material based) resonant cavity enhanced photodiode (RCE-PD) infrared (IR) sensing array for monitoring greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. A paradigm in high sensitivity mid-IR GHG sensing, the REDEEMA sensor will aid existing analytical instrumentation in the intelligent field deployment of the quantitative analysers and in the determination of gas sources.
Many chemical compounds in the earth’s atmosphere act as GHGs, including water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane. The percentage of environmentally significant trace gases is rising due to increased human activity. There is a critical need to track these changes to monitor the extent of global changes in the GHG composition of the atmosphere. It is also crucial to actively identify the sources of these emissions so that action can be taken to mitigate and effectively manage the releases.
In this regard, Amethyst’s RCE-PD incorporates a unique and revolutionary design, which will be used in the development of next-generation IR detectors capable of meeting the demands of a vast range of applications. The resulting gas-detection system developed through REDEEMA will significantly improve performance over nearest state-of-the-art IR detectors, opening many new opportunities with environmental applications.
Dr. Wyn Meredith, Director at CSC, said of the successful application:
“The Redknight team supported our proposal by taking ownership of the specific requirements of the Eurostars application process, allowing our own staff to focus on the essence of the technical and commercial proposition. This accelerated the development of the bid and ultimately was a key factor in a successful outcome in a highly competitive process.”
Helping companies grow is RedKnight’s core mission. For our assistance in putting together a competitive proposal for your business, contact us today.
RedKnight is delighted to celebrate its 5th birthday with another grant funding success story! A successful application to Eureka Eurostars has secured €345,566 for the South Wales-based Compound Semiconductor Centre Ltd and its partners. The REDEEMA consortium also includes Glasgow-based Amethyst Research Ltd and VTEC Lasers & Sensors, based in Eindhoven.
The project, titled REsonant cavity DEtectors for Environmental Monitoring Applications (REDEEMA), aims to design and develop an inexpensive manufacturable (III-V semiconductor material based) resonant cavity enhanced photodiode (RCE-PD) infrared (IR) sensing array for monitoring greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. A paradigm in high sensitivity mid-IR GHG sensing, the REDEEMA sensor will aid existing analytical instrumentation in the intelligent field deployment of the quantitative analysers and in the determination of gas sources.
Many chemical compounds in the earth’s atmosphere act as GHGs, including water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane. The percentage of environmentally significant trace gases is rising due to increased human activity. There is a critical need to track these changes to monitor the extent of global changes in the GHG composition of the atmosphere. It is also crucial to actively identify the sources of these emissions so that action can be taken to mitigate and effectively manage the releases.
In this regard, Amethyst’s RCE-PD incorporates a unique and revolutionary design, which will be used in the development of next-generation IR detectors capable of meeting the demands of a vast range of applications. The resulting gas-detection system developed through REDEEMA will significantly improve performance over nearest state-of-the-art IR detectors, opening many new opportunities with environmental applications.
Dr. Wyn Meredith, Director at CSC, said of the successful application:
“The Redknight team supported our proposal by taking ownership of the specific requirements of the Eurostars application process, allowing our own staff to focus on the essence of the technical and commercial proposition. This accelerated the development of the bid and ultimately was a key factor in a successful outcome in a highly competitive process.”
Helping companies grow is RedKnight’s core mission. For our assistance in putting together a competitive proposal for your business, contact us today.
Medi2Data Awarded Innovate UK Smart Grant
Project Title:
My Health Wallet – A Patient Centric Mobile Application To Securely Hold and Transmit Medical Data.
Acronym:
MHW
Call:
Innovate UK Smart Grant
Start Date:
01/08/2022
Duration:
12 months
Grant Amount:
£370,157
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight are delighted to have supported South Wales based Medi2Data with a successful application to Innovate UK. The healthcare software company will receive a Smart Grant of £259,100 to further develop its innovative mobile application, ‘eMR Health Passport.’
Using the company’s flagship proprietary software, eMR, Medi2Data develops highly secure applications that make it simple for GP practices and patients to exchange data. The project, titled eMR Health Passport – A patient-centric mobile application to securely hold and transmit medical data, aims to further enhance the technology’s potential by developing a fully interactive app that will securely hold a copy of the patient’s medical record in an easy-to-navigate format.
Crucially, eMR Health Passport provides a digital solution to two of today’s most pressing healthcare challenges: 1) GPs are becoming overwhelmed by GDPR requirements for data handling and requests for patient medical records from third parties, costing primary care an estimated £70m. Medi2Data estimates these costs could be considerably reduced by using eMR technology and interfacing through the health passport with the patient. 2) eMR Health Passport also offers a novel solution to rising levels of mental illness, distress, and low wellbeing among UK Higher Education students. It provides students with the first free patient-centric health wallet with access to real-time data monitoring performance.
The interactive app will allow users to control who sees their medical data, ensuring appropriate consent. Information stored in the app can be pushed back to their GP practice from health organisations outside the NHS, or overseas, and ‘redacted’ records can be created for authorised third parties to receive.
The enhanced application will allow users to access and update their health record from anywhere in the world at any time, improving patient outcomes and the relationship between GP and patient.
Mr Richard Freeman, CEO of Medi2Data said of the success,
“We’re delighted to be receiving this grant from Innovate UK in order to develop and enhance our proprietary technologies. The Smart Grant means we can build on our achievements and test new innovative software and applications that not only gives patients control of their medical data, but has the potential for significant societal impact in how healthcare services are delivered for decades to come.
The support we received from RedKnight was excellent. Their professional approach and knowledge of the process was crucial in helping us secure the funding.”
Helping companies grow is RedKnight’s core mission. You can find out more about the types of projects we support here.
RedKnight are delighted to have supported South Wales based Medi2Data with a successful application to Innovate UK. The healthcare software company will receive a Smart Grant of £259,100 to further develop its innovative mobile application, ‘eMR Health Passport.’
Using the company’s flagship proprietary software, eMR, Medi2Data develops highly secure applications that make it simple for GP practices and patients to exchange data. The project, titled eMR Health Passport – A patient-centric mobile application to securely hold and transmit medical data, aims to further enhance the technology’s potential by developing a fully interactive app that will securely hold a copy of the patient’s medical record in an easy-to-navigate format.
Crucially, eMR Health Passport provides a digital solution to two of today’s most pressing healthcare challenges: 1) GPs are becoming overwhelmed by GDPR requirements for data handling and requests for patient medical records from third parties, costing primary care an estimated £70m. Medi2Data estimates these costs could be considerably reduced by using eMR technology and interfacing through the health passport with the patient. 2) eMR Health Passport also offers a novel solution to rising levels of mental illness, distress, and low wellbeing among UK Higher Education students. It provides students with the first free patient-centric health wallet with access to real-time data monitoring performance.
The interactive app will allow users to control who sees their medical data, ensuring appropriate consent. Information stored in the app can be pushed back to their GP practice from health organisations outside the NHS, or overseas, and ‘redacted’ records can be created for authorised third parties to receive.
The enhanced application will allow users to access and update their health record from anywhere in the world at any time, improving patient outcomes and the relationship between GP and patient.
Mr Richard Freeman, CEO of Medi2Data said of the success,
“We’re delighted to be receiving this grant from Innovate UK in order to develop and enhance our proprietary technologies. The Smart Grant means we can build on our achievements and test new innovative software and applications that not only gives patients control of their medical data, but has the potential for significant societal impact in how healthcare services are delivered for decades to come.
The support we received from RedKnight was excellent. Their professional approach and knowledge of the process was crucial in helping us secure the funding.”
Helping companies grow is RedKnight’s core mission. You can find out more about the types of projects we support here.
Free Space Optical Links for 5G networks (FrOLik)
Project Title:
Free Space Optical for 5G
Acronym:
FrOLik
Call:
Eurostars
Start Date:
01/09/2021
Duration:
24 months
Grant Amount:
€674,160
Our Role:
Bid Writing
RedKnight is pleased to announce another successful grant funding application. Free Space Optical Links for 5G networks (FrOLik) will receive €674,160 from Eureka Eurostars to develop its innovative Free Space Optical (FSO) links technology. Impressively, FrOLik ranked 16th out of all 500 eligible applications to the September 2020 call! This is a testament to the strength of the team and the project’s innovation potential.
The project comprises the following R&D-performing SMEs: Integrated Compound Semiconductor Ltd (ICS – Manchester, UK), VTEC Lasers and Sensors BV (Eindhoven, Netherlands) and Aircision BV (Eindhoven, Netherlands). The Compound Semiconductor Centre (South Wales) will also provide support.
Approach
FrOLik aims to deliver a novel FSO communication product for 5G infrastructure deployment. Currently, point-to-point fibre optic links are the standard deployment option as they provide high integrity and high bandwidth transmission. FSO is a more flexible and lower-cost alternative, but it suffers from outages in adverse weather conditions.
The project involves an innovative structured laser beam technology that enables long-range, 100 Gb/s data transmission with high link reliability. This was developed by The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and subsequently commercialised by Aircision. By leveraging the laser beam technology with unique high-performance detector technology (developed by ICS) and new high-speed component integration techniques (developed by VTEC), FrOLik hopes to deliver a radically new FSO system optimised for 5G interfacing.
It will address the trade-off between bandwidth and range backhaul with two clear advantages:
1) Firstly, the system is easily deployable and cost-effective in comparison to fibre optic links.
2) Compared to microwave links, the system is easier to upgrade, requires no spectrum licenses, and consumes less electricity.
Testimonial
Professor Wyn Meredith, Managing Director of the Compound Semiconductor Centre, said of the success,
“This project brings together highly specialist photonic component and communications system expertise at different levels in a technically challenging supply chain. RedKnight took away the burden of developing the framework and broader narrative of the proposal, to allow the consortium to focus on articulating the advantages of a collaborative approach, and the uniqueness of the proposal solution. The fact that the proposal ranked in the top 5% of all bids submitted in the call speaks for itself….”
If you are a tech-based startup or SME and would like help securing grant funding, then please contact RedKnight today.
RedKnight is pleased to announce another successful grant funding application. Free Space Optical Links for 5G networks (FrOLik) will receive €674,160 from Eureka Eurostars to develop its innovative Free Space Optical (FSO) links technology. Impressively, FrOLik ranked 16th out of all 500 eligible applications to the September 2020 call! This is a testament to the strength of the team and the project’s innovation potential.
The project comprises the following R&D-performing SMEs: Integrated Compound Semiconductor Ltd (ICS – Manchester, UK), VTEC Lasers and Sensors BV (Eindhoven, Netherlands) and Aircision BV (Eindhoven, Netherlands). The Compound Semiconductor Centre (South Wales) will also provide support.
Approach
FrOLik aims to deliver a novel FSO communication product for 5G infrastructure deployment. Currently, point-to-point fibre optic links are the standard deployment option as they provide high integrity and high bandwidth transmission. FSO is a more flexible and lower-cost alternative, but it suffers from outages in adverse weather conditions.
The project involves an innovative structured laser beam technology that enables long-range, 100 Gb/s data transmission with high link reliability. This was developed by The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and subsequently commercialised by Aircision. By leveraging the laser beam technology with unique high-performance detector technology (developed by ICS) and new high-speed component integration techniques (developed by VTEC), FrOLik hopes to deliver a radically new FSO system optimised for 5G interfacing.
It will address the trade-off between bandwidth and range backhaul with two clear advantages:
1) Firstly, the system is easily deployable and cost-effective in comparison to fibre optic links.
2) Compared to microwave links, the system is easier to upgrade, requires no spectrum licenses, and consumes less electricity.
Testimonial
Professor Wyn Meredith, Managing Director of the Compound Semiconductor Centre, said of the success,
“This project brings together highly specialist photonic component and communications system expertise at different levels in a technically challenging supply chain. RedKnight took away the burden of developing the framework and broader narrative of the proposal, to allow the consortium to focus on articulating the advantages of a collaborative approach, and the uniqueness of the proposal solution. The fact that the proposal ranked in the top 5% of all bids submitted in the call speaks for itself….”
If you are a tech-based startup or SME and would like help securing grant funding, then please contact RedKnight today.