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6 April 2006
The DTI recently announced details of the Spring Research Funding Competition, providing welcome news for the Life Sciences community.
Of particular interest is the £8 Million fund for research into the area of safety biomarkers for pharmaceutical development, referencing the high attrition of therapeutics at pre-clinical trials stage due to toxicity or adverse side effects. There is a wide scope of application in this theme, and the DTI literature should be consulted for further information. For Further Details see : http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme/BioscienceHealthcare06.pdf
Similarly, £6 Million is available for research into exploitation of plant and microbial bioscience, referencing tools to aid discovery, scale-up and intensification of bio-based processes, the use of bio-catalysts for production of chemicals and materials, and the development of Biological/Chemical interfacing systems. For Further Details see : http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme/ExplorationofBioscience06.pdf
The Design Engineering theme provides £12 Million of funds for research into advancing the understanding of the science of fluid flow, resulting in improved performance, efficiency and durability of products. While at face value this theme applies to chemical and mechanical engineering systems, there is considerable scope for applications in cardiac and pulmonary devices. For Further Details see : http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme/DesignEngineeringFluidFlow06.pdf
There is also a £9 Million R&D budget set aside for developing innovative solutions for Medical Visualisation systems, with particular reference to remote visualisation, image processing and the use of wearables and haptics. For Further Details see : http://www.dti.gov.uk/technologyprogramme/InformationCommunication06.pdf
The DTI Technology Programme provides an accessible and significant source of funding for innovative SMEs. The programme is collaborative in nature, requiring partnerships to be forged between industry and research bodies. Applications typically require to demonstrate strong market pull, and this is achieved by including a large enterprise as a partner in the consortium, identified as a committed route to market.
The DTI scheme is the largest source of innovation funding in the UK, and successful programmes result in competitive advantages and major business gains for participating companies.
The deadline for registering intention to submit an application is 12 June 2006 and the application deadline itself is 19 June 2006. As proposals are complex and time consuming, it is advised that interest is progressed as early as possible.
The above information has been supplied courtesy of Pera Innovation, the research and technology organisation, which has been active in assisting SMEs win funding from the DTI for product development, with almost 85% success for applications last year against the scheme. For information on the assistance Pera can provide, contact Tony McKelvie, Pera Innovation
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