NI Life and Health Sciences New Innovator Launchpad

Funding for New Innovators announced for the life and health sciences Launchpad in Northern Ireland

• Innovate UK, Invest NI, and the Department for the Economy, the Northern Ireland Office are working in partnership on a Launchpad to grow innovation in Northern Ireland’s health and life sciences technology cluster.

• Innovate UK has opened a Launchpad competition to offer up to £1.5 million in grant funding and business support for ‘New Innovators’. This competition opened on 7^th May and will close at 11am on 19^th

• Business growth is at the heart of the Launchpad that aims to significantly advance innovation in developing and applying technologies in the health and life science priority markets.
• The Northern Ireland region is renowned for its cluster in diagnostics, medtech, digital platforms and therapeutics which creates highly skilled, productive jobs and opportunities.

• Micro and small companies that haven’t received Innovate UK grants before can now apply through the New Innovators competition for funding and business support. The funding is a Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) grant of between £25,000 and £50,000. The grant is to cover 100% of the project costs. Innovate UK will aim to pay 70% within a month of project start.
• Under the heath and life sciences Launchpad, new innovators can seek funding for projects developing and applying technologies including one or more of the following themes:
  • diagnostics
  • therapeutics
  • biomarkers
  • data, digital and medical devices, including for healthcare delivery planning
  • technologies that support the supply chain for life and health sciences

• The competition comes from Innovate UK’s Launchpad that has a total budget of up to £7.5 million. The partners recently awarded the first £1.8 million of this budget. After this New Innovators competition, additional funding opportunities are planned for the Autumn.

• This is one of eleven Launchpads funded by Innovate UK. Each Launchpad aligns with the UK government’s goals in the Levelling Up White Paper.