Clinical technologies covers a range of areas relevant to developing new healthcare device solutions for diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and monitoring of disease, injury, or disability. Research in this space requires strong connection with users in the healthcare sector to maximise impact.
Clinical technologies encompass a range of areas relevant to the development of new healthcare device solutions for the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and monitoring of disease, injury, or disability. These include sensors, instrumentation, modelling, materials, and drug delivery. Research in this space requires strong connection with users in the healthcare sector to maximise impact.
This research area comprises multiple individual medical engineering research areas, for example:
- novel therapies and interventions
- diagnostic sensors and instrumentation
- physiological modelling and simulation
- medical robotics.
It is highly multidisciplinary, requiring specialised training and leadership development to create and sustain capability.
We will work with the community to develop a research culture with investigators working with relevant industrial stakeholders to accelerate industrial uptake and maximise the potential commercialisation of research.
The research culture should also have a clear collaborative approach with other funders, such as BBSRC, MRC and Wellcome, to ensure that training and leadership is preserved for academic, clinical and industrial needs
The community should focus on co-creating projects with clinicians and other users. By ensuring this relationship, our investment will enable novel research that addresses clinical needs, and adds to the knowledge base. We will expect researchers to develop strategic relationships with stakeholders with the clinical and regulatory expertise needed for innovative research to be translated.
Aims
We have three aims for this research area.
Healthcare technologies impact toolkit
We encourage the use of the Healthcare technologies impact and translation toolkit to foster the ability to accelerate the impact of research.
Fundamental technology
We support diverse research drawing on fundamental technology in other research areas across our remit, for example:
- Sensors and instrumentation
- Microelectronic device technology
- Robotics
- Chemical biology and biological chemistry
- Artificial intelligence technologies.
Multidisciplinary research
We promote opportunities for research across these interfaces in a multidisciplinary manner, as well as through international collaborations.
Strategic interventions
The current portfolio is a diverse suite of investments requiring nuanced strategies to maximise potential. We therefore aim to work with the community to enable implementation of the right strategic interventions. Evaluating the portfolio and assessing the taxonomy will enable us to act fully upon the synergies and opportunities provided.
Development assistance funding
This research area is also of potential relevance to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office’s Official Development Assistance funding streams.