Health Innovation Wessex is pleased to announce the launch of the Real World Evaluation Competition 2025-26, which will fund evaluation, worth more than £30,000, of health and medtech innovations in real-world health and care settings. This competition seeks to support providers, integrated care board, and innovators working within Dorset or Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The competition is funded through our national commission.
The successful applicants will receive end-to-end delivery of an RWE resourced by HIW to an equivalent value of between £30,000 to £50,000. As a guide, this award is not suitable for complex, multi-site, long-term evaluations. Any costs associated with implementation or payment for an innovation are not included in the award. The RWE will be undertaken by HIW.
We are seeking applications that are led by health or care providers or ICBs, in collaboration with the supplier of the innovation. There is a two-stage application process with initial expressions of interest to be completed, followed by a full application if invited to do so.
RWE generates evidence about the use of an innovative product or service in real world settings (i.e. not in a controlled research environment). An RWE will usually answer questions about the impact of an innovation in a health or care setting as well as its acceptability, suitability, use, feasibility, and sustainability. Findings from an RWE will enable decision-makers in health and care to make evidence-based decisions about the adoption (or otherwise) of an innovation into practice. For innovators, even once your innovation can demonstrate that it functions, the adoption needed to support your economic growth is often limited by evidence of impact; understanding impact and implementation, is a vital part of the pathway towards adoption-readiness. A robust RWE can address this. Before applying, and for full details of the competition, please ensure you have read all the following documents (accessible on this page):
If you are unsure about your eligibility, please contact insight@hiwessex.net
"Working with the HIW team throughout the RWE has been a very positive experience. The outcomes of the RWE were everything we could have hoped for, expertly and independently highlighting the transformative potential of our product."
Paul Whittle, Market Access Manager, Pentax Medical
| RWE Competition launches | w/c 26 May |
| Deadline for first-call applications | 9am on 11 June |
| Notification of successful progression to stage two of the applications | w/c 23 June |
| Deadline for stage two application | 9am on 3 July |
| Selection meetings for shortlisted applicants | mid to end of July |
| RWE awards confirmed | w/c 4 August |
