13/09/2022 – Funding Call 2 – Collaboration Innovation Projects

Our second call focuses on high quality feasibility and pilot proposals. These projects should last no more than 18 months and should be in the general area of digital health systems to support remote blood monitoring, AI enabled blood sample analysis, personalised decision support, and self-management and timely intervention in community health and care. We will therefore consider novel proposals in any of the following areas (but not limited to):

  • Remote monitoring: Technologies for blood biomarker identification with high levels of accuracy and robustness in non-clinical environments, including but not limited to examples as below:
    • Sensing, applied optics, biochemistry and electronic engineering, AI for a wider range of blood biomarker identification or clinical diagnostic
    • Non-invasive or high-quality sample obtaining whilst minimising intrusion
    • Remote or near patient blood testing or monitoring platform for multiple blood tests
  • Information Communication Technologies (ICT): ICT technologies to ensure secure data connectivity for remote blood monitoring and personalised analytics. We will therefore consider novel proposals in any of the following areas (but not limited to):
    • Mobile health and ICT for connected diagnostics
    • Privacy and security in remote blood monitoring
    • ICT infrastructure for Decentralized blood testing and monitoring
    • Diagnostic testing automation and robotics
  • Personalised analytics and AI: Remote blood monitoring data facilitate the ability to trend patient data over time and monitor hospital treatment goals, which allows clinicians to better manage their patients, and this subsequently helps to improve patient care. We will therefore consider novel proposals in any of the following areas (but not limited to):
    • Decision support using multimodal data such as blood testing, monitoring and electronic health record data etc.
    • Personalised analytics using longitudinal blood monitoring data
    • AI and machine learning-based testing analysis
  • In addition, we strongly encourage applicants to consider healthcare applications of their proposed technology, including but not limited to:
    • Prevention, early detection, improved diagnostics, treatment monitoring and personalisation
    • Efficiency improvement and capacity augmentation
    • Chronic disease management and selfcare and self-management
    • Clinical research and clinical trials

The key dates are as follows:

  • 13th September 2022 – Call formally announced
  • 14th December 2022 – Deadline for applications (to be emailed to s.kanza@reading.ac.uk)
  • 30th January 2023 – Successful projects announced

Please read the Guidance Document carefully before filling in the Application Form (both files can be downloaded by following these links, or from the Documents Page). The Terms and Conditions can be found in our FBTN Single Letter Agreement (Coming soon).

Please note, individual projects can request up to £50,000 funding (total spend up to £62,500 as per fEC 80%). Applicants will be awarded 80% of the full cost and the institution receiving the award is responsible for the remaining 20%. If you have any questions please contact our Network+ Coordinator Dr Samantha Kanza on s.kanza@reading.ac.uk.

Here are some key points about the application requirements:

  • Projects are expected to last for a maximum of 18 months.  
  • Projects must be able to demonstrate how beneficiaries will be engaged, and how the likelihood of impacts can be increased. See the EPSRC guides for preparing an impact plan: https://epsrc.ukri.org/funding/howtoapply/preparing/impactguidance/   
  • Projects must be able to demonstrate reasonable prospects of continuation funding to enable sustainable development.  
  • Projects research is required to be at least 50% within EPSRC remit: https://epsrc.ukri.org/funding/applicationprocess/basics/remit/  
  • Applications must be made on the FBTN application form, and must not exceed 8 pages, using 11pt Arial Font, with no adjustments to margins. They must be accompanied by a 1 page Gantt chart style project plan.