SBRI Healthcare launch new competitions – ‘Mental Health Inequalities in Children and Young People’ and ‘NHS Reset and Recovery’

SBRI Healthcare have launched two new competitions, in partnership with the AHSN Network, to support the implementation of mature innovations to address the following:

1. Mental Health Inequalities in Children and Young People 

A large proportion of adults with mental ill health experience their first symptoms during childhood or adolescence. However, despite a well-recognised need for early interventions, the supports and services have not been able to keep up with the increasing demand. 

The demand for specialist Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) have continued to increase in recent years, leading to long waiting times and insufficient support, challenges that are particularly pronounced and exacerbated in Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, low-income families, and other marginalised groups during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Companies and organisations are being invited to bid for funding to develop innovative solutions to tackle three specific challenges: 

• Mental health service and support improvements
• Mental health service access 
• Support for disadvantaged, marginalised, or Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

Further details are available on the SBRI website.

    2. NHS Reset and Recovery from the pandemic and consider new ways of working 

The NHS has faced a deep crisis since the start of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, with staff working tirelessly to support patients, and all non-urgent planned surgeries postponed or cancelled to adjust to the demand.

Recognising the need to support the NHS services, to reset and recover from the pandemic, the programme seeks to address this immediate challenge with a funding competition that will facilitate the implementation of developed innovations in the relevant healthcare settings.

Companies and organisations are being invited to bid for funding to develop innovative solutions tackling the following challenges:

• Reducing the NHS workforce pressure
• Increasing NHS effectiveness.

Further details are available on the SBRI website.

Entering the competitions 

These Phase 3 competitions are intended to accelerate mature innovations that are in an advanced stage of development, into relevant health or social settings, and to facilitate the generation of evidence in real world settings required by commissioners and regulators to make purchasing or other recommendations/decisions. 

The contracts awarded will be for a maximum of nine months and up to £500,000 (inc. VAT) per project.

Key dates for both competitions:

• Competition launch – 24 August 2021
• Deadline for applications – 13 October 2021
• Shortlisting - November 2021
• Decision Panel – January 2022
• Contracts awarded - February/March 2022

Further details are available on the SBRI Healthcare website.