Before I talk through the strategy itself, I want to tell you more about why

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Julie Summers
6 years ago
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Below is what Dr Annette Bramley said on the day.

1 This presentation was given by Dr Annette Bramley, the Healthcare Technologies Theme leader. She thanked Professor Nelson and Professor Taylor for their presentations, and thanked everyone at the meeting for taking the time to come and hear about EPSRC s strategy for Healthcare Technologies. Below is what Dr Annette Bramley said on the day. We are really encouraged to have such strong attendance across a breadth of stakeholders, which I believe demonstrates the growing awareness and appreciation of relevance of Engineering and the Physical Sciences to healthcare, and the enthusiasm of the research base to contributing to solving healthcare challenges, re tooling the NHS and stimulating the UK life sciences sector. Before I talk through the strategy itself, I want to tell you more about why we need a strategy for Healthcare Technologies at EPSRC. 1

From regenerative medicine to robotic surgery, data fusion to innovative drug delivery, EPSRC supported research and training makes a unique and vital contribution to a sustainable healthcare system,

2 From regenerative medicine to robotic surgery, data fusion to innovative drug delivery, EPSRC supported research and training makes a unique and vital contribution to a sustainable healthcare system, improved patient outcomes and quality of life. EPSRC has a total portfolio of 74.5M of research and training relevant to Health, 421M of which is Healthcare Technologies funded. Healthcare Technologies investments underpin advances in the NHS and provide opportunities for businesses in the health and life sciences sector. Our portfolio covers Novel therapies, implants, surgical tools and prosthetics It covers Sensing and imaging technologies, and data handling for diagnosis in real time and at point of care. It also includes Design and manufacture to bring healthcare technologies through to products. Partnership is important for Healthcare Technologies research and training: Nearly one third of the research that we fund is in partnership with other funders, such as MRC, CRUK, Wellcome, Innovate UK. Its important for the researchers we fund too more than half of research grants are collaborative with more than 900 different partners outside of UK academia, leveraging a total of nearly 83M cash and in kind support. An endeavour of this magnitude needs to have strategy behind it, to make best use of tax payers money, to address the most pressing challenges and to ensure the highest quality research and training is funded.

3 The vision of the HT theme at EPSRC is to accelerate research impacts in EPS towards Healthcare Applications. We do this in two ways: Firstly, by building critical mass around UK research strengths in EPS that underpins healthcare. These act as focal points of activity and expenditure in multidisciplinary working at the EPS/health interface. We encourage EPS researchers to take transformational approaches to challenges in healthcare coming up with new EPS and new solutions in response to real world problems. Secondly, we maximise user engagement in research right from the very earliest stages. We want to make sure the right research questions are being looked at, that the right products are being created which clinicians want to use, to change practice and improve patient outcomes. 3

4 We will know if we are being successful in achieving our vision if the research and training we fund meets the following success features: 1. Focuses on the highest priority challenges and the skills and expertise to address them 2. We have partnered with others to encourage research impacts from our funding to progress along the pathway to translation 3. Create environments that support multidisciplinary research and training and 4. Stimulates new approaches to unmet clinical needs And this is where our strategy comes in. It will provide a framework to guide our interventions and to talk with stakeholders. It gives us a way of helping EPS researchers to engage with healthcare challenges by signposting to them where their skills might be relevant, where healthcare challenges might act as a provocation for their research, stimulating their creativity. And it with its emphasis on using tools for impact, we want to make sure that the researchers we fund are well positioned to understand how the potential impacts of their research might be realised and what resource they might need to enable that to happen.

5 So to the strategy itself, summarised here. It has three elements which form an interconnected matrix and will provide a framework for the activities of the theme: Grand challenges: these are healthcare focussed challenges to which computational, engineering, mathematical and physical scientists can make a significant contribution; Cross cutting research capabilities: these are areas of research which are essential for delivering the grand challenges; Impact and translation toolkit: these are specific topics and issues that we encourage researchers to consider in order to make it more likely that impact will arise, that it will arise more quickly and that it will bring benefit to the UK. Future activities undertaken by the theme will have their scientific focus framed by the grand challenges and the capabilities required to deliver them. Such interventions will, where possible and appropriate, be delivered in partnership with other funders or EPSRC themes. We will continue to work in partnership with the EPSRC Capability themes to provide opportunities for investigator led research programmes with the potential to deliver the aims and vision of the theme. For these proposals, we would not expect as much emphasis on the grand challenges but we will expect researchers seeking impact in healthcare to use the impact and translation toolkit. This is a long term strategy for healthcare technologies at EPSRC which will guide us for a number of years. We will amend and update the strategy periodically to ensure it remains timely. The challenges are deliberately sufficiently broad to ensure they do not become quickly outdated. Within each challenge there will be more specific, focussed questions you may be able to think of some now and we will be asking for your view of these in the discussion sessions after lunch and there will be others that emerge over time which we will need to be agile enough to respond to within this framework. 5

The first point to notice is that each of our challenges is described in a similar way: through this challenge we aim to support the novel engineering, ICT, mathematical and physical sciences

6 The first point to notice is that each of our challenges is described in a similar way: through this challenge we aim to support the novel engineering, ICT, mathematical and physical sciences research required to... The reason for this is that the role of EPSRC is to support novel research in EPS, (and this is what government gives us our grant in aid to do). Through these challenges we aim to bring people together in a multidisciplinary research effort to stimulate novel approaches, with the potential for impact in healthcare. To quote Chris Taylor, the research funded by EPSRC should leave a legacy of knowledge in the Engineering and Physical Sciences That is not to say we are not interested in multidisciplinary research the programme we will fund will have a majority (>50%) of research in our remit. That leaves a lot of scope for bringing in other disciplines. Our first challenge is around supporting the development of novel therapies. This includes Regenerative Therapies (one of the 8 great technologies), technologies to enable drug discovery and advanced drug delivery technologies. It also encompasses flexible and adaptable manufacturing processes, (and here we interface with EPSRC s manufacturing the future theme with whom we will work in respect of this part of the challenge). Current portfolio includes: UK Regenerative Medicine Platform (with MRC, BBSRC, ARUK, Ruemafonds) Non animal technologies (with NC3Rs, BBSTC, MRC, InnovateUK) Antimicrobial Resistance (with MRC, BBSRC and others) 6

Our second challenge is in the area of non medicinal interventions: physical interventions such as surgeries, radiotherapies and high field ultrasound as well as rehabilitative

We envisage potential impacts in this challenge in the area of robotic and minimally invasive surgeries, improved precision and targeting for surgery and radiotherapies to reduce side

7 Our second challenge is in the area of non medicinal interventions: physical interventions such as surgeries, radiotherapies and high field ultrasound as well as rehabilitative technologies such as prostheses and other assistive devices. We envisage potential impacts in this challenge in the area of robotic and minimally invasive surgeries, improved precision and targeting for surgery and radiotherapies to reduce side effects and improve outcomes, bioelectronic devices, and disruptive technology for implants prostheses and assistive devices. Current portfolio includes Assistive, Adaptive and Rehabilitative Technologies Sandpit Medical Devices IKC Wellcome Trust/EPSRC Innovative Engineering for Health grants at Newcastle and UCL 7

It could cover technologies for early diagnosis where that will lead to better outcomes, which is the case for most cancers.

8 Our third challenge is focussed on effective diagnosis, prognosis and treatment planning for the individual based on evidence. It covers patient specific models which integrate data from different sources for timely, accurate diagnosis and modelling of disease progression. It could cover technologies for early diagnosis where that will lead to better outcomes, which is the case for most cancers. It could develop technologies which could feed through to the Innovate UK Precision Medicine Catapult. Current portfolio includes: Sensing and imaging for the Diagnosis of Dementias (SIDD) grants World leading portfolio of medical imaging and sensors/diagnostics research Wellcome Trust/EPSRC Innovative Engineering for Health grants at Kings College CRUK/EPSRC Cancer imaging centres. Maths for Healthcare call. IRC in optical molecular imaging at Edinburgh 8

Research enabled by this challenge will provide information to individuals, healthcare professionals which might provide early warning of deterioration in a person s

9 Our fourth challenge is about using data and information to help us manage our own health. Its about helping us to stay healthy and about empowering us as individuals to self manage our health conditions, working collaboratively with our care team. Research enabled by this challenge will provide information to individuals, healthcare professionals which might provide early warning of deterioration in a person s health, enable better long term management of chronic health conditions, advice and encouraging behaviour change. Current portfolio includes: EPSRC IRCs in sensing systems at UCL (infectious disease) and Bristol (Sensing in a residential environment) 9

essential for addressing our future healthcare challenges: Advanced materials (another 8

10 In order to deliver the challenges I have described requires a multidisciplinary approach. In our Engagement process, six recurring EPS capabilities came up again and again as being essential for addressing our future healthcare challenges: Advanced materials (another 8 great technology) Disruptive technologies for sensing and analysis Future manufacturing technologies 10

Interesting research questions might be found at the intersection of a single cross cutting capability and a challenge, but research across all capabilities will be

11 Medical Device Design and Innovation Novel computational and mathematical sciences and Novel imaging technologies. No one of these alone will address the requirements of the challenges. Interesting research questions might be found at the intersection of a single cross cutting capability and a challenge, but research across all capabilities will be needed for all of the challenges. There is enormous scope for the Engineering and Physical Sciences research community to contribute to these Grand Challenges. Our role in Healthcare Technologies is to help facilitate that through our funding for research and training and our partnerships with other funders. 11

The final dimension to our Challenge framework is the impact and translation toolkit. To understand this, it helps to understand where EPSRC sits in the innovation landscape for healthcare. n.b.

This diagram gives an idea of where EPSRC research for HT is in the wider landscape of other funders and why considering impact/translation is so important for this theme.

12 The final dimension to our Challenge framework is the impact and translation toolkit. To understand this, it helps to understand where EPSRC sits in the innovation landscape for healthcare. n.b. Indicative only! Research and translation in the real world is iterative. This diagram gives an idea of where EPSRC research for HT is in the wider landscape of other funders and why considering impact/translation is so important for this theme. EPSRC does not fund translational research, we do however look to accelerate the impacts of the research we fund towards application. In this sector, this may be through industry or through a translational research programme funded by another part of the landscape. We aim to encourage our researchers to think about how to better make their research impacts translation ready so that they can more readily be picked up by other funders. In some cases we will work closely with others to join up the pathway e.g. Cell Therapy Catapult. 12

The Impact and translation toolkit itself highlights a number of topics for researchers to consider, to make it as likely as possible that the research we fund and they carry out will find its

Its almost a checklist for researchers to use to consider the various options and issues which might usefully be considered, then to decide which of them they will use for their own research

13 The Impact and translation toolkit itself highlights a number of topics for researchers to consider, to make it as likely as possible that the research we fund and they carry out will find its desired impact in health. We can t be specific about what exactly individual research projects and impacts would require, because the research agenda is so broad. Its almost a checklist for researchers to use to consider the various options and issues which might usefully be considered, then to decide which of them they will use for their own research programme. A very fundamental project might take a different range of approaches to a research project which is further along the pathway. We will support requests for funding to support these elements of a research programme through the Pathways to Impact section of a research proposal, whether in response to a call or in an investigator led research proposal. 13

14 The Impact and translation toolkit itself highlights a number of topics for researchers to consider, to make it as likely as possible that the research we fund and they carry out will find its desired impact in health. We can t be specific about what exactly individual research projects and impacts would require, because the research agenda is so broad. Its almost a checklist for researchers to use to consider the various options and issues which might usefully be considered, then to decide which of them they will use for their own research programme. A very fundamental project might take a different range of approaches to research which is closer to impact. We will support requests for funding to support these elements of a research programme through the Pathways to Impact section of a research proposal, whether in response to a call or in an investigator led research proposal. 14

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One of the reasons for undertaking the engagement and strategy development was to position the Healthcare Technologies theme and EPSRC for the likely period of the next spending review 2016 2021.

20 One of the reasons for undertaking the engagement and strategy development was to position the Healthcare Technologies theme and EPSRC for the likely period of the next spending review Having said that, given the uncertainty over the election and future public funding, we are putting some funding opportunities in place this financial year which will start the implementation and provide some foundations for the future. We have already published 2 0f 3 specific EPSRC led calls to initiate strategy which you will hear about later. We have agreed 3 multi partner calls which align to different parts of the strategy We will use our grand challenges in future discussions with applicants for strategic critical mass investments such as programme and platform grants. We will maintain a route for investigator led research ideas through standard routes, working with capability theme partners where the primary assessment criterion will be research quality. This will provide a route for health related EPS research not aligned to the grand challenges. We would still expect these proposals to draw on the impact and translation toolkit as part of the pathway to impact. 20

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As part of the implementation of the strategy we will need to make changes to our fellowships priorities. The first step on this road is to withdraw the existing priorities.

However, in the last few years, many EPSRC themes have opened up fellowship priority areas which overlap with healthcare technologies and some of these are listed here (a more

23 As part of the implementation of the strategy we will need to make changes to our fellowships priorities. The first step on this road is to withdraw the existing priorities. This was announced last month and will happen from 1 st October. However, in the last few years, many EPSRC themes have opened up fellowship priority areas which overlap with healthcare technologies and some of these are listed here (a more complete list is on the next slide). In Healthcare Technologies, we will be piloting something new for fellowships in 2015 which we are in the process of working up and which will be announced in the autumn. Future plans will be dependent on the spending review and on the outcomes of the pilot. 23

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25 After the election there will be a spending review, whoever forms the government. EPSRC will be making the case for sustained long term investment in science and engineering over the coming months. We hope that you will feel able to join us in making that case. We cannot be more specific in how we will implement our strategy going into due to the uncertainty around the CSR outcomes, what we are looking to do today is to start the process of thinking about what we might to. 25

We hope that it will be picked up and used by the EPS and health communities to corral research teams around challenges. But it is still the first step.

26 We have spent a year of engaging with the community to develop the strategic framework. Thank you to everyone that has helped us get this far. It gives us a way of engaging with our stakeholders, and a way of talking to EPS researchers about research impacts and challenges in health. We hope that it will be picked up and used by the EPS and health communities to corral research teams around challenges. But it is still the first step. Today is an opportunity for you to help shape how we use this framework in the future. This afternoon s discussion sessions will be all about this, and when you go back to your universities you can continue these discussions and feed your ideas back to us. 26

27 Part of the selection criterion for attending was the dissemination of our strategy within your organisations after the event. We turned away over 100 people for this event, there will be interest within your universities and networks. 27

To close, here is a slide with contact details for the team and remit query service email address.

organising this event. The whole team deserves past and present recognition for the way they have all pulled together and contributed over the last year.

28 To close, here is a slide with contact details for the team and remit query service address. Thank you to my whole team for their work over the past year, in particularly Katie Daniel for her role in coordinating the strategy development and to Nick Cook, Anne Farrow and Heather Winsor for organising this event. The whole team deserves past and present recognition for the way they have all pulled together and contributed over the last year. Last but not least thanks to the Healthcare Technologies Strategic Advisory Team for their hard work and input over the last six months in particular. EPSRC recruits annually for membership of our SAT, if you want to be part of the team please come and talk to us and we can tell you more about how to apply. We would particularly like to encourage applicants from the business community and to move towards Council s aspirations for an increased mixture of women on our strategic advisory bodies. 28

EPSRC Healthcare Technologies & Engineering May 16 Dr Annette Bramley and Dr Kedar Pandya

EPSRC Healthcare Technologies & Engineering May 16 Dr Annette Bramley and Dr Kedar Pandya What we will cover today: Introduction to EPSRC s delivery plan for 16-21 and why it would help you to get funded