Funding Awarded to Projects Tackling Health Inequalities Through Innovation
We are delighted to announce the recipients of funding to three projects developing health technologies with the potential to address health inequalities across the Liverpool City Region.
The HealthTech Design Studio (HTDS) Academic and Clinician Health Tech Small Grants Programme supports researchers and clinicians to develop their ideas through funding and expert support in user-centred design, business development, market insight and regulatory readiness. The aim is to help innovators move beyond research and plan for the practical adoption and longer-term development of their technologies.
The selected projects address different health challenges, from improving access to dementia assessment to developing oral cancer diagnostics and digital support for adults affected by childhood adversity.
Supporting earlier and more equitable dementia assessment
Led by Aiqing Wang, the project Co-Designing an Accessible AI-Enabled Conversational Screening and Triage Tool to Reduce Inequalities in Dementia Assessment aims to improve access to dementia assessment pathways through an AI-enabled conversational screening and triage tool.
The team will work with people affected by dementia, carers, community organisations and healthcare professionals to explore how AI could support earlier identification of cognitive concerns and more timely referrals. Particular attention will be paid to barriers to access, trust and adoption among underserved communities.
Through workshops, interviews and co-design activities, the project will identify user requirements and develop recommendations for implementation. These insights will help shape the future development of the technology around the needs of people navigating dementia assessment and care services.
Shaping the future of oral cancer diagnostics
Professor Peter Weightman and Dr Gordon McKenzie, CEO of GBF Strategy Ltd, have received funding for Designing the Clinical Adoption Pathway for LDIRtech in Oral Cancer, which focuses on the clinical adoption and commercial development of LDIRtech, a diagnostic technology developed in Liverpool.
Oral cancer places a disproportionate burden on some communities across the Liverpool City Region, with deprivation associated with higher incidence and poorer outcomes. Previous research has shown the potential of infrared imaging technology to improve the assessment of oral lesions. The next challenge is understanding how it could be integrated into healthcare services and made accessible to the people who could benefit from it.
Working with patients, clinicians, laboratory teams, commissioners and industry partners, the project will map clinical pathways, identify barriers to adoption and establish the evidence needed for future implementation. The team will produce a roadmap for clinical validation and commercial development, helping to clarify the steps needed to bring the technology closer to use in practice.
Co-designing digital support for adults affected by childhood adversity
The fACEs App Project: Designing Future-Focused Digital Support for People Affected by Adverse Childhood Experiences originated with Alison Bryant, who drew on her own lived experience to develop the idea for a free, trauma-informed digital resource to support others. Alison began working with Dr Helen Page as co-leads of the project, bringing lived experience and research expertise together to explore how accessible digital support could help adults affected by childhood adversity.
Drawing on lived experience leadership and public involvement, the project will bring together community members and professionals to co-design a mobile app offering practical, evidence-informed support for wellbeing and resilience. Rather than replicating clinical services, the app is intended to provide accessible resources that people can use in everyday life, complementing formal interventions and supporting ongoing self-management.
The project will explore how digital support could help address barriers such as cost, stigma, service availability and location. Through co-design workshops, the team will develop and test a user-informed wireframe to guide future prototype development and inform applications for further funding.
The three projects span AI-enabled assessment, diagnostic technology and digital wellbeing support. Each highlights a different challenge in developing health technologies, from understanding people's needs and designing accessible solutions to planning for adoption within healthcare services.
HTDS will work with each awardee over the coming months, providing tailored expertise to help develop their ideas and strengthen their plans for future implementation. This support will help the teams identify the next steps towards technologies that respond to unmet needs and have the potential to benefit communities across the Liverpool City Region and beyond.