AI in healthcare: the future of medical support

Three North West start-ups are on a mission to transform healthcare using AI at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Daresbury Laboratory.

Decently, Talk It Out and Leaf AI are among the most recent businesses to locate to Daresbury Laboratory, joining one of the UK’s most successful networks of Business Incubation Centres (BICs).

From supporting patients with brain injuries to assisting those with dementia, these innovative businesses are now set to bring their new innovations to market quicker, to improve our lives and succeed in global markets.

Decently: transforming brain injury care

Digital health start-up Decently is developing an AI-powered platform designed to help clinicians manage, support and improve lives of patients with brain injuries.

Its platform, Melo, helps clinicians manage challenging behaviours seen in patients with brain injuries, dementia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and learning difficulties, to overcome challenges in diagnosis, management, and rehabilitation.

Already in use in some UK hospitals, Melo streamlines assessments and improves understanding of highly complex behavioural needs, to enhance treatment and improve patient outcome.

Joining the BIC programme, Decently gains access to STFC’s leading research and development (R&D) facilities and expertise, including at the Hartree Centre to accelerate its software development and explore potential for broader healthcare applications.

Talk It Out: enhancing mental health support

Digital start-up Talk It Out is integrating AI with walking and talking therapy, to help reduce the feelings of anxiety and stress, and enhance overall wellbeing.

They are developing an interactive app that analyses the user’s voice in real-time, identifying emotional cues as they express their thoughts and feelings.

By providing useful insights, the app aims to help users gain clarity on their emotions and priorities.

Joining the BIC programme, Talk It Out is now advancing the development of its AI prototype, exploring how accurately AI can detect emotions in voices.

Leaf AI: preserving memories for people living with dementia

Health tech start-up Leaf AI has developed an AI-enabled app designed for families and individuals affected by dementia.

The app, Leafstory, helps users to document their memories and life stories, enabling them to share and celebrate these moments with others.

Created in collaboration with the dementia community, Leaf AI is currently trialling its software ahead of an official launch, alongside a suite of complementary apps which support the social care sector.

By joining the BIC programme, Leaf AI has gained access to valuable networking and funding opportunities, enabling the business to refine its product and prepare for market entry.

Adam Galloway, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Leaf AI, said:

The support we are receiving from the BIC programme, has been critical for our growth plan over the next 12 months.

Having a presence at Daresbury Laboratory lets us work with many other businesses who operate with similar tech to us.

We’re excited to grow here and continue our relationship with other R&D driven businesses.

Accelerating innovation through business incubation

STFC manages a network of successful business incubation programmes both at Daresbury Laboratory and across its other UK sites.

Last year alone, the BICs collectively delivered £78 million in economic impact to the UK economy.

The programme is designed to support start-up and early-stage companies in developing innovative technologies, getting them market ready quicker and cost-effectively.

Successful companies are located within one of six BICs, with opportunities to collaborate with industry-leading partners and facilities in specific fields.

Innovation across key sectors

The six BICs are:

European Space Agency (ESA) BIC UK (space)
BIO BIC (biotechnology)
Digital BIC (AI and high performance computing)
QuBIC (quantum technologies)
Health BIC
Higgs BIC (applied physics)

Support for health businesses in the North West

Of the six BICs, the Health BIC is the most recent to be launched at Daresbury Laboratory, geared towards health and life science businesses based in the Liverpool City Region.

Supported by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, the overall aim is to help businesses achieve commercial opportunities and success, and to further drive innovation within the health and life science sector.

By locating to Daresbury Laboratory, the businesses also become part of the wider Sci-Tech Daresbury campus community as well as a thriving and successful North West Health Cluster.

Improving lives through AI

Paul Vernon, STFC’s Executive Director of Business and Innovation, said:

AI has the potential to revolutionise healthcare, and I am proud to support these innovative start-ups driving that change right here at Daresbury Laboratory.

By providing access to our world-class facilities and expertise, we’re accelerating innovations that enhance patient care and support across the healthcare sector, benefitting the UK economy and society.

STFC’s Business Incubation Centres programmes are designed to nurture breakthrough ideas, empowering start-ups to grow, overcome challenges and achieve world-changing success.

Empowering start-ups

Across the BICs, each start-up benefits from £50,000 in non-dilutive funding and a wide range of bespoke business support.

In addition to the funding, businesses receive access to world-leading facilities, expertise and intellectual property, resources that are usually inaccessible to start-up companies.

This valuable combination of funding, support and resource enables start-ups to accelerate product development, achieving commercial success, generating opportunities and jobs.

Powering UK innovation

Decently, Talk It Out and Leaf AI are just three of the 28 start-up companies to join STFC’s BICs programmes, part of a £2 million drive to empower small businesses and boost economic growth.