Announced today, the Growing Rehabilitation Industries Project (GRIP) was one of 24 to receive up to £50k in early-stage funding to develop full-stage bids.
If its full-stage bid is successful, the GRIP would be awarded between £10m and £50m.
The GRIP team want to create substantial economic growth in the Nottingham, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ and Leicester areas by harnessing pioneering rehabilitation and medical technology research and industrial capability from the region.
Recent years have witnessed extraordinary advances in rehabilitation medicine and the technologies that underpin the recovery of people suffering from trauma, injury and chronic health conditions.
Capitalising on this, the UK has become a leader in the development of new medical, healthcare and technological methods, approaches and devices in this field. Many of these innovations have been achieved collaboratively in world-leading East Midlands research institutions, working alongside industry and clinical partners.
The GRIP team, whose project partners include regional cutting-edge businesses, leading research institutions, sector business groups, health providers and key local partners, want to build on this success further.
This latest wave of financial support brings the project one step closer to securing full funding and realising its goals to create new jobs, high quality skills and driving economic growth across the East Midlands.
Speaking about the GRIP’s latest funding success Professor Mark Lewis, Dean of º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, said: “º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is the focal point for a number of initiatives that together will form a world leading cluster in rehabilitation innovation, practice, science and technology.
“The assets include the newly established Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre and the prospective National Rehabilitation Centre on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate, the world-leading associated universities, the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine and, vitally, the highest density of medical technology companies in the UK. The GRIP project is the first phase in an ambitious plan to lever these assets.”
Announced in the modern Industrial Strategy in November 2017, the Strength in Places Fund will benefit all nations and regions of the UK by enabling them to tap into the world-class research and innovation capability that is spread right across the country. The fund brings together research organisations, businesses, and local leadership on projects that will lead to significant economic impact, high-value job creation and regional growth.
Chief Executive of UKRI, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said: “Our clear vision is to ensure we benefit everyone through knowledge, talent and ideas. Significant support through the Strength in Places Fund will further catalyse economic potential across the country by bringing researchers, industry and regional leadership together to drive sustained growth through world-class research and innovation.”