A £250,000 digital healthcare innovation fund in Yorkshire and Humber has been opened for applications.
Creative England is making grants of up to £50,000 available to companies seeking to develop ways of addressing healthcare issues through the use of the internet, mobile phones and tablets.
The scheme’s priorities are maintaining the independence of people living with long-term medical conditions, improving the safety and wellbeing of the elderly or infirm, management of prescribed medicines and tackling obesity, alcohol abuse and nicotine addiction.
Similar Interactive Healthcare Fund initiatives are already running in the North West and West Midlands.
“The Interactive Healthcare Fund is designed to combine creativity and technology, to uncover new and exciting ideas and revolutionise healthcare as we know it,” said Creative England CEO Caroline Norbury.
“The successful projects from the last round of funding are proof of how powerful creative businesses can be when it comes to developing products that extend beyond the creative industries themselves, and we can’t wait to see what innovative projects emerge next.”
The deadline for submissions is Friday 17th June.
The flow of funds into successful businesses will be managed with the Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network.
Its commercial director Richard Stubbs said: “In the very near future healthcare delivered digitally will undoubtedly be a major component of how the NHS continues to deliver outstanding care for all our patients.
“We are delighted to be supporting the Interactive Healthcare Fund and investing in the sustainable growth and development of the digital healthcare sector.
“The investment into the Yorkshire and Humber region will enable our most creative companies to design digital solutions that enable new models of service delivery and tackle some of our most pressing healthcare challenges and we’re excited about supporting these companies to improve the lives of as many patients as possible.”