Do you have a clever idea to improve healthcare in Wales?
The ARCH Innovation Forum is a regional collaboration between Hywel Dda University Health Board, Swansea Bay University Health Board, Swansea University, and the Accelerate Healthcare Technology Centre. It is a platform that connects innovators to medical, academic, and industry experts, and aims to accelerate innovation across the health and care sector in South West Wales.
We are inviting innovators to submit ideas for new healthcare products or that could improve current healthcare systems and/ or processes.
Successful applications will be selected to present to a panel of experts and will include discussion, Q&A and feedback. Think ‘Dragon’s Den’ but without the Dragons. The Forum is a safe place to foster innovative thinking and stretch boundaries, and all feedback is constructive and provided in the true spirit of regional collaboration.
Timeslots are 20 minutes in total. That's 10 minutes to pitch/ present, and 10 minutes of discussion.
All presenters receive written feedback that includes advice and guidance on how to improve or develop the innovation, highlighting any potential considerations of implementation, route to market, and signposting to funding or support mechanisms or potential collaborators.
Submissions are open to all and encouraged from NHS, industry, and academia, either as an individual or as a team.
Who is on the panel?
The panel sessions are chaired on a rota basis by:
- Professor Keith Lloyd - Executive Dean PVC, Faculty of Health & Life Science at Swansea University
- Dr Richard Evans - Executive Medical Director Swansea Bay University Health Board
- Dr Phil Kloer - Executive Medical Director, Hywel Dda University Health Board
- Dr Leighton Phillips - Deputy Director, Hywel Dda University Health Board
Additional senior colleagues from the health boards and the university will be invited to panel sessions within their respected areas of expertise and interests. Panel sessions are coordinated by the Healthcare Technology Centre with the view of supporting innovations via the Accelerate programme, where possible.
Criteria for applications
Your application must meet the essential criteria:
- Based in Wales
- Must meet a healthcare need
- Be from academia, industry, or NHS background.
In addition, these are desirable criteria for your application to have:
- Think different – be creative
- Be within the South West Wales region
- Tell us what you want to achieve from your session.
How to apply
The call is still open for 2022.
Please complete and submit the online entry form OR download, complete and return by email to htc.accelerate@swansea.ac.uk.
The pre-selection panel meets once a month and will consider all eligible submissions. Decisions will be announced thereafter, and all successful submissions will be notified of their invitation within one month of submission.
Successful applications will be contacted and offered support leading up to, during, and after their panel session. Unsuccessful applicants will be notified and offered the chance to meet with the Healthcare Technology Centre and Accelerate partners to discuss a project collaboration, if appropriate.
If you are invited to join a panel session it is up to you how you wish to present, pitch, or demonstrate your idea – but remember, you only have 20 minutes in total. If you overrun your presentation, you WILL have less time to gain important advice from the panel. We will help prepare you in advance if needed.
We aim to run bi-monthly panel sessions in 2022 with a schedule of:
- March
- May
- July
- September
- December
The submission process is quick and easy, and presenters may discuss as much or as little as they wish. However, non-disclosure agreements have been signed in advance on behalf of each institution to allow presenters to discuss their innovation in confidence.
If you have any questions contact Alex Evans A.j.Evans@swansea.ac.uk