NIHR awards £2.31m for tech tackling chronic condition progression

The NIHR has awarded £2.31m to 24 chronic condition tech projects aimed at stopping a single long-term illness progressing into multi-morbidity.

This funding will support the development of technology-assisted workforce solutions focused on preventing a single chronic condition from progressing to multi-morbidity, the presence of two or more long-term health conditions, in community, home and care settings.

The funding is being delivered through the Invention for Innovation (i4i) Funding At the Speed of Translation (FAST) funding opportunity, in partnership with the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre Network.

Professor Mike Lewis, NIHR scientific director for innovation, said: “Projects like these showcase the ambition and potential in health technology – NIHR’s funding for this research supports the government’s 10 Year Health Plan, aiming to prevent ill-health, catch conditions early, and shift services out of hospitals and into the community.

“Health tech research like this will bring benefits for the whole of society.”

The 24 funded innovations span virtual rehabilitation, AI-enabled diagnostics, home-based monitoring devices and digital self-management platforms.

They also include tools supporting frailty, dementia, cancer care, mental health and other long-term condition management.

Multi-morbidity places a significant strain on healthcare resources and workforce capacity.

Technology-assisted solutions used in home and community care settings can help the workforce manage patient health more proactively.

This approach is expected to improve patient outcomes and quality of life, support people with chronic conditions to remain active and in employment, and enhance system efficiency by reducing the need for intensive clinical interventions.

The funded technologies showed a clear pathway to prevent the transition to multi-morbidity, with the aim of reducing overall workforce demands while improving patient outcomes.

All projects support at least one of the government’s priority shifts for healthcare, including moving care from hospital to community, shifting from analogue to digital, and focusing on prevention over sickness.

Nathaniel Mills, NIHR HealthTech Research Centre Network chief operating officer, said: “We are delighted that the NIHR HRC Network has supported this funding opportunity.

“The focus on preventing progression from single chronic conditions to multi-morbidity represents a significant opportunity to reduce pressures on our health and social care workforce while improving patient outcomes.

“This call was driven by the NIHR HealthTech Research Centres in Long Term Conditions, Community Healthcare, and Diagnostic and Technology Evaluation, whose clinical expertise identified critical unmet needs where technology-assisted solutions can make a real difference.”

Among the 24 funded projects, Resynk is a virtual reality rehabilitation platform for stroke survivors that aims to extend therapy from hospital into the home and reduce long-term disability.

EquiCare is an AI-powered adult social care assessment tool that could automate triage and reduce inequalities in access to support.

LightScope, a non-contact “smart stethoscope”, is designed to enable early detection of heart valve disease in community pharmacy settings.

Path Active is a wearable insole for people with diabetes that monitors pressure and temperature, the main causes of foot ulcers.

Other projects include Jam Up!, a gamified daily living skills app for children with additional needs that helps families manage dressing, brushing teeth and periods at home.

RapidX Bio’s novel 10-minute rapid DNA test will be trialled directly in care homes to spot urinary tract infections much earlier, helping prevent them from developing into serious illnesses.

PuntoTest, a speech-based cognitive assessment app, could support early dementia detection through simple spoken tasks used at home or in GP settings.

Nelli is an at-home, AI-informed video monitoring device for adults with intellectual disabilities and epilepsy.

It is designed to recognise complex seizures from other behaviours so users get the right care and avoid unnecessary emergency and hospital interactions.

iTalkBetter is a digital therapy app designed to treat word-finding difficulties in stroke survivors.

It uses AI-guided feedback and gamified features to provide intensive, structured speech practice at home.