SMEs and technology entrepreneurs are invited to share their ideas to address challenges in the health sector, as The Scotland 5G Centre and its S5GConnect Dumfries hub launches their first innovation challenge.

The ‘Shaping Digital Health & Social Care’ Innovation Challenge will support three projects to improve healthcare delivery, by giving the selected companies the 5G support necessary to make their solution market ready.

Businesses are invited to respond to real problems and bring their solutions, enabled by 5G, to meet patient and care provider needs accurately, efficiently, conveniently, cost effectively and at scale.

Companies entering are required to highlight a solution that enhances digital access to health and care services across the region, particularly in rural areas.

Also welcome are digital ideas to help support people to manage their own conditions and care for themselves safely at home. Finally, participants can choose to highlight connectivity solutions that enable information to be shared with people and others involved in patients’ care safely and efficiently.

Spearheaded by S5GConnect, the challenge will provide access to a private 5G network in Dumfries, with expertise and advice to drive development within a 5G environment.

The winning companies will get access to the challenge owners’ expertise and insider knowledge throughout the accelerator programme, with support also committed post programme to bring the solution closer to market integration.

CGI, an additional challenge partner, will also be bringing its “go-to-market” and scaling expertise throughout the programme. CGI’s support will continue with network introductions and a potential showcase at the CGI Innovation Centre’s 5G lab in London. Technical support will be delivered by AWTG virtually and through direct one-to-one sessions at the testbed.

The ‘call’ is open to SMEs across Scotland and the UK who currently have a healthcare product or service in development or already on the market but requires additional digital capacity to meet a need or improve performance.

Entrants also need to show they are committed to the programme and can ensure team members can attend the required sessions. There is a £1,000 travel and subsistence budget available to each winning company to support these costs.

The S5GConnect innovation programme offers a comprehensive package of support for the successful companies. This includes: a 15-week development programme; access to the 5G testbed in Dumfries with one-to-one technical expertise to support technical development.

In addition, companies will receive business and investment advice and introduction to potential customers and ongoing access to S5GConnect business and technical support until March 2023. The post challenge opportunities through the network of challenge owners and partners will add real value to a company.

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Lara Moloney, Head of S5GConnect, said: “Private 5G networks offer organisations a new way to deliver services, this innovation challenge focuses on how we can support independent living and care to ease the burden on the NHS and Care Providers.

“Collectively we are offering a real opportunity to businesses who can solve these difficult problems and that can be enhanced through advanced connectivity. This intensive programme will allow the acceleration of a business concept into a product that has the potential to transform how we care for people and change lives for the better.

“This is an ideal opportunity for businesses to access expert support to fine-tune their concept and assess it in a real environment. This will in turn lead to scaling up and commercialisation to create new skills and jobs and will make a positive and real difference to the economy.”

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