The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) and Durham University have launched Spotlight, a joint programme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to apply photonics and emerging technologies to products for the healthcare market.
Photonic technologies use light for a range of healthcare applications including therapies, diagnostics, imaging and surgical interventions. This is a growing area globally, as the demand for non-invasive, cost-effective, rapid and personalised care and treatment rises.
The programme is designed to run until September 2020 and is supported with funds from the European Regional Development Fund. Through this project, companies will get access to experienced senior staff at Durham University and CPI with a track records in the research, innovation and the commercialisation process of photonics and emerging technologies.
Spotlight will also offer consultation services in areas such as market assessment, health economics, regulatory and legislative matters, and specialised photonics.
Professor John Girkin of the Department of Physics at Durham University, and academic lead for the Spotlight project, commented: “The primary goal and key benefits of this project are to provide SMEs with support services to accelerate their technology commercialisation and into improving healthcare. This project also fits into a wider initiative benefiting County Durham by creating a healthcare photonics and medical technologies development hub in the area.”
As well as the collaboration between CPI and Durham University, further expertise will be brought in to provide specialist services such as device approval. The project will work with local SMEs to understand their specific needs, find out what stage in the innovation process they are at and what assistance they require.
A tailored package of practical laboratory-based work and/or support services will then be put together to help SMEs to realise their product concept or development quicker and at lower risk.
Healthcare photonics
Resources and technology available at CPI’s National Centre for Healthcare Photonics development at NETPark in Sedgefield, would be available for SMEs in the Spotlight project.
Tom Harvey, strategic programmes manager, head of technology – healthcare photonics at CPI, commented: “This project will drive long-term inward innovation investment into the region, in combination with CPI’s National Centre for Healthcare Photonics development at NETPark in Sedgefield. Ultimately, this is part of a vision to create a UK hub for healthcare photonics and medical technology companies to develop technologies within this field.”
The National Centre for Healthcare Photonics, a purpose built 2,000 sq m building, provides specialist product development and manufacturing facilities for photonics enabled medical devices and systems, including dedicated and integrated laboratories for optics, life sicences and prototyping. It has the capacity to manufacture at quantities required for development, clinical investigation and validation trails but not to produce at commercial scale.
Printable electronics
Also available for companies in the Spotlight programme are the facilitates and technology at CPI’s printable electronics centre.
New ways of manufacturing electronics give rise to a wide range of novel applications such as flexible displays for mobile devices, smart therapeutic bandages for managing and monitoring recovery of wounds, wearable electronics for monitoring and improving performance, wireless medical devices for rapid diagnostics using printed sensors, conformable lighting and intelligent packaging for consumer goods and industrial products.
The printable electronics site features 1,250 sq m building with a ISO 6 cleanroom and ISO 5 cleanrooms and associated laboratory space, including a 300mm wide roll to roll wet coat prototyping and processing, a batch and continuous sputter coating, and full lithography and subtractive patterning suite, to name a few.
