Healthcare innovators are being urged to take advantage of grants ranging from £10,000 to £100,000 to support projects focusing on 5G and advanced wireless technologies in Glasgow

Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health says that workforce innovators are well-placed to apply to The Smart and Connected Social Places Innovation Fund in partnership with other groups if they have innovative wireless ideas that can benefit Glasgow City Region.

Applications are being invited now and the opportunity will remain open until midday on Monday 16 September.

The fund is designed to support 5G and advanced wireless innovations that “drive community benefits, address social challenges in housing or health and wellbeing, and enhance connectivity across the region”.

Part of its strategy is to foster collaboration including public-private partnerships and cross-sector innovation, producing connected care and wellbeing to help:

• Keep people safe, well, and socially connected in their own home/community
• Enable right-time and right-place care and support interventions
• Promote wellness and prevent illness
• Realise whole system benefits for NHS Scotland, Councils, and Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs)

InnoScot Health’s Innovation Manager for the west of Scotland, Frances Ramsey said: “I would urge Glasgow’s forward-thinking healthcare workers to ensure they don’t miss out on this chance to secure precious funding for collaborative connectivity projects.

“In doing so, they could receive vital funding to take an innovative idea to the next level, in turn supporting regional digital transformation and smart city initiatives.

“Connectivity is now hugely important in the effective delivery of care so by bringing technology and social impact together, it’s a chance to make a real difference to the people of Glasgow.

“Applicable parties are advised to act quickly in order to tap into this significant opportunity.”

The fund is part of the UK Government 5G Innovation Regions programme which aims to drive innovative applications powered by 5G from proof of concept to widespread adoption.

Innovation regions will “demonstrate and adopt 5G and other advanced wireless use cases across key sectors of the economy” with “each Innovation Region expected to demonstrate the scalability, replicability, and sustainability of use cases, and disseminate project learnings and benefits”.

Visit the SCSP Innovation Fund page for full details.

Potential applicants can also reach out to the InnoScot Health team if they would like to discuss their eligibility.