Tag: innovation

NHS Lothian trials new technology to help manage COPD symptoms

A new tool to help patients with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) better manage their condition is being trialled by NHS Lothian’s Midlothian Community Respiratory Team (MCRT) in collaboration with Health Innovation South East Scotland.

COPD affects approximately 120,000 people in Scotland and is the second most common reason for emergency hospital admissions.

The Dynamic Scot project (remote physiological monitoring) allows patients to monitor their condition from the comfort of their own home through a digital service that can be accessed via a smartphone, tablet or computer.

Patients are prompted each day to log on and answer questions about their symptoms and how they are feeling. This encourages them to self-manage their symptoms with the option to seek advice when needed via the messaging service. In the longer term this can flag up early signs of deterioration in their condition and help predict if they are at risk of hospitalisation.

Claire Yerramasu, Advance Practitioner Physiotherapist and lead clinician for the MCRT pilot, NHS Lothian (above) said, “COPD is the third most common cause of mortality world-wide and is a major healthcare problem.

“The prevalence of this condition is rising in the UK along with other parts of the world and we therefore need to come up with innovative ways of ‎better monitoring and supporting these patients.

“So far, I have received nothing but positive feedback from the patients currently trialling this new technology.”

Carmel Thompson, one of the patients in the trial said: “Using the online tool makes me think about the variability of my daily symptoms and how I am managing them and because of this I am more confident to wait longer to see if my symptoms resolve before using my rescue medications.

“The service gives a good level of basic information for those who are willing to engage with it and the daily questions are very easy for me to do routinely in the morning.”

Another patient also trialling the new tool, Charlotte Sweeney explained that, “I have found the service useful for recognising my symptoms and knowing what to do and when. It is reassuring to have the messaging service to be able to contact someone with questions and queries.”

Many health services have changed how they work as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic and have experimented with digital platforms. Through this approach, a whole host of benefits have been experienced including  giving patients back more control of their care, allowing them to fit their healthcare needs around their lifestyle and reducing the amount of time that they need to spend travelling to attend hospital appointments.

Dr Gourab Choudhury, Consultant Physician, Respiratory Medicine in NHS Lothian said: “We are delighted to be trialling this technology here in Lothian. It is simple to use and patient friendly and the feedback that we have had so far has been really positive.

“We hope to further expand the role of virtual platforms to other areas in Lothian through this technology and similar others in the coming months.”

New capability network will help businesses in Edinburgh and the Lothians access support and unlock innovation

The National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) has announced the formation of a new network that brings together leading Scottish research and innovation, education, and training providers to help unlock manufacturing innovation and drive growth in the sector across the country.  

Spanning the length and breadth of Scotland, the network is led by NMIS and includes Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland (MTBCOS), Scotland’s national centre for mountain biking innovation and excellence, based just outside Edinburgh, as a lead partner. Other partners include Energy Skills Partnership (ESP), and Tay Cities Engineering Partnership (TCEP).

The network will offer an easy means for manufacturing companies that work with individual partner organisations, to tap into the vast expertise across the entire network. Companies will also be able to access the capability partners’ own networks including the renowned High Value Manufacturing Catapult through NMIS.

Providing an open channel to share knowledge, capability, and ideas, the network is accessible to all organisations across the country that can contribute to creating a sustainable and vibrant future for the Scottish manufacturing and engineering community.

Expanding upon the ability of NMIS to address national and global manufacturing challenges and support the goal of making Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing, the announcement comes at a critical time as manufacturers across Scotland are recovering from the impact of COVID-19. 

John Reid, National Manufacturing Institute Scotland CEO said: “The NMIS Capability Network makes it easier for companies in the Edinburgh and Lothians manufacturing and engineering community to tap into and benefit from world-class expertise and capability.

“This is a crucial moment in time as manufacturers seek to navigate complex situations such as the climate emergency and post pandemic recovery. Now is a time to refocus, embrace innovation and seize the opportunities that so often emerge from challenging times.

“Sitting at the cutting edge of manufacturing innovation, the network partners each have a fundamental part to play in developing tomorrow’s manufacturing workforce, improving productivity, and helping companies, and people, in our community prosper.”

Business Minister for Scottish Government, Ivan McKee said: “As we begin to make our way out of the Covid-19 pandemic and look to rebuild and grow Scotland’s economy, a vibrant and diverse manufacturing sector has never been more critical to long-term recovery and success.

“Our £75m investment in NMIS continues to deliver strong outcomes even during the challenging times we are facing now – from supporting the initial response to the pandemic to playing a key role in developing and delivering our Manufacturing Recovery Plan. 

“We must utilise the experience, expertise and ingenuity of all of Scotland’s manufacturing industry to create the best conditions for the sector to thrive.

“The network is an essential part of our support across industry, academia and the public sector working to deliver greater, greener and fairer prosperity for manufacturers across all of Scotland.”

Professor Geraint Florida-James, lead academic at MTBCOS, added: “I am delighted that MTBCOS will be part of the NMIS Collaboration Network. 

“MTBCOS has been supporting companies in the cycling industry since 2014. MTBCOS is a centre for open innovation and has an extensive partnerships network which allows companies access to national and international markets.

“The relationship with NMIS will allow MTBCOS access to an expanded repertoire of expertise and resources, which will be of huge benefit to the businesses we work with. We look forward to being an active member of this exciting network.” 

Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde, said: “The University of Strathclyde is committed to applying its research, expertise and sector-leading approach to partnership working with business, industry and government to help Scotland recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Manufacturing will play a central role in that recovery and through our participation in this new capability network we look forward to helping companies across Scotland to innovate, develop their workforces and to drive economic growth.”

The NMIS Capability Network includes CENSIS, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, Energy Skills Partnership, Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland, the Scottish Institute for Remanufacturing, Scottish Research Partnership in Engineering, SeedPod, and Tay Cities Engineering Partnership.

To find out more about the NMIS capability network or to enquire about joining visit NMIS Capability Network | National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

Winning SMEs to take the stage at national innovation summit

  • Three of Scotland’s most innovative SMEs secure a global audience at the CAN DO Innovation Summit with #SMEstage competition win
  • Further details of the Summit are released

Scotland’s CAN DO Innovation Summit takes place tomorrow and there’s still time to book your seat at the virtual event. The national event for innovation in business will be live from 8am on Wednesday 3 February.

The three winners of the competition, open to all small and medium sized Scottish businesses, were chosen from high-quality entrants who were asked to submit a short video demonstrating how they are building innovation into their daily practices.

The winners are rising stars from across Scotland – Edinburgh-based Scene Connect, Aberdeen-based Recycl8 and Edinburgh-based Space Intelligence. Getting a spot on the Summit’s SME stage gives the businesses exposure to a global online audience of over 800 investors, academics, entrepreneurs and innovators. 

The winners will also benefit from two days of support from an Innovation Specialist at Scottish Enterprise.

This year’s CAN DO Innovation Summit, a headline event of the VentureFest Scotland festival of innovation, has been carefully crafted to support Scottish SMEs to build innovation-led recovery, resilience and sustainable growth after recent national and global challenges. It will feature a speaker line-up of over 40 multi-sector SMEs and a range of innovation support agencies across 12 industry-led panel sessions. 

Panel discussions and live Q&A sessions will run throughout the day covering the following themes: Journey to a Sustainable Future; Recovery & Resilience; Workplace Culture; Advance manufacturing & Digitisation; MedTech/Health Innovation.

Speaker highlights on the day will include world class keynotes: Lolita Jackson, Special Advisor for Climate Policy and Programs, in New York City’s Mayor’s Office; Ivan McKee, the Scottish Minister for Trade, Investment and Innovation; Craig Foster, Art Director at Pixar Animation Studios; Chloe Demrovsky, the youngest and first female chief executive to oversee and expand the Disaster Recovery Institute’s international network; Dyan Finkhousen, founder and CEO of Shoshin Works in the US and John Reid, CEO of the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS).

It has never been more important for business to be agile and creative – and over 800 delegates have already signed up to this year’s event, from Scotland, the UK and beyond. They have given a range of reasons for getting involved, including aiming to make new connections; wanting to learn about progressive workplace practices and hoping to learn how new technologies can help them tackle business challenges. 

Enabling connections is a key objective of the Summit, at a time when networking can be difficult in a virtual world. With multiple opportunities to connect with new people, share knowledge and ideas and explore opportunities for partnership, the Summit makes it easier than ever to spark new connections online.

Delegates can meet innovation leaders, support agencies, investors, entrepreneurs and academics through live Q&As, speed networking, 1:1s in the Delegate Hub, drop-in sessions and the Summit’s virtual Support Village.

Dr Laura Bell of the CAN DO Innovation Summit, said: “Recent events have created huge challenges for SMEs, who will now be critical to tackling the economic and societal challenges we are facing. This year’s Summit has been carefully crafted to help SMEs explore opportunities to develop new and better business models and to drive sustainable competitive advantage. 

“Our virtual focal point for business will help SMEs adopt new technologies, build progressive working cultures and access the right support for innovation-led recovery and growth. We have a wide selection of world-leading experts and local talent lined up to speak at the event, as well as interactive sessions which can benefit SMEs across all sectors.

“I’d also like to thank our panel of judges for selecting three excellent winners to take their well-earned place in the spotlight at the Summit on the #SMEstage. We look forward to welcoming many more SMEs on 3 February.”

The #SMEstage competition winners were selected by an independent panel of judges made up of senior representatives from Scottish EDGE, Innovate UK and Scottish Enterprise.

The winners will have their moment in the spotlight at the Summit at 3.45pm when they will showcase how they are building innovation into their daily practices.

Evelyn McDonald said: “Judging the #SMEstage competition was a great way to start the year as it reminded us all that despite the challenges we are currently facing there are a wealth of entrepreneurs and businesses in Scotland creating new technologies to enable innovation led recovery and growth. 

“Winning the competition will give the businesses access to a wide audience which will hopefully bring useful connections and support as well as linking them into invaluable support from Scottish Enterprise.”

This is the second Summit, following a successful inaugural event in Glasgow, and is the first time it has been held virtually.

For more information on the event please visit: www.candoinnovation.scot

Delegates can register for free here: 

https://www.registerforevent.co.uk/candoinnovationsummit/

Edinburgh writers are Nesta storytelling prize finalists

Nesta, the innovation foundation, is supporting creators to revolutionise the age-old art of storytelling to fit a modern world, from InstaNovels to watching Romeo and Juliet’s relationship blossom over WhatsApp – and two of the shortlisted writers are from Edinburgh.  

  • Nesta has shortlisted and supported 9 writers with £1.5k of development funding, mentor sessions with experienced digital writers and a creative technologist, and 3 months of R&D time
  • In the autumn, one of these 9 writers will be awarded £15,000 based on innovation in form, interface and interactivity, as well as in overall quality of content
  • The works can be tested and experienced on the BBC Taster website from 7 August until 14 September, with Nesta asking young people to give feedback to help select the final winner

The Alternarratives Prize encouraged storytellers to imagine how short stories told in creative ways could help re-engage young people with the act of reading, focusing on those aged 13-16.

In one of their recent reports the National Literacy Trust found that reading enjoyment levels in children and young people had continued to decline and are at their lowest since 2013, only 53% said they enjoyed reading in 2019 vs 58.63% in 2016.

Daily reading levels are also at their lowest, with just 25.8% of children in 2019 saying they read daily in their free time. Nesta is seeking ways to encourage young people to read more via accessible and familiar mediums, technology and language. 

The finalists include:

  • Viccy Adams, Edinburgh – Explore an abandoned theme park in Berlin while you listen to this audio short story of teenage self-discovery. Spree is designed to be experienced on a computer: get your laptop out, turn up the volume and enjoy getting lost.
  • Gavin Inglis, Edinburgh – The Reader Remix invites active participation in an audiobook by adding layers of music beneath the narration, which the reader can manipulate. The R&D period of this project will produce new spoken and musical content, and experiment with existing tools for their delivery.
  • John Dinneen, London – Introducing the Insta Short, for a new generation of storytellers. This first-of-a-kind, contemporary Instagram short story tells the fictional account of Nel, an aspiring artist who finds support for her artwork online. Nel’s account is inseparable from social media and so naturally told through it. At the end of it all, Nel’s story will leave you ever more conflicted about the possibilities and the dangers of life lived online.
  • Emma Hill, Manchester – “I have ten minutes to tell you everything.” After Words is a story to a young person, from the adult who cares for them, designed to last a lifetime of them being apart from each other. Read the story once straight through, and then read it again slowly, many times, exploring all the links on the page. Each read through tells a different piece of the story, exploring connection, distance and the stories we leave behind. 
  • Rachael Hodge and Felicity Brown, Oxford – WillPlay: Romeo & Juliet will take the form of a WhatsApp-style group chat, allowing young people to engage with Shakespeare’s story and interact with his characters via a familiar, accessible medium. The reader/player will be cast as a character in three key scenes, invited to take part in the conversation, in order to move through the narrative, sending it in new and exciting directions.
  • Thomas McMullan, London – The Unsettled Ground. A file lands on your desktop: the last documents of the journalist Angus Bead. A small town has been wiped off the map, and you must unravel what happened by searching through Bead’s articles, diaries, notes, strange stories and troubling testimony. Draw your own connections. Read like a detective.
  • Jasmine Richards, Oxford – Earworm is an immersive short story experience on your phone that tells the tale of Ayesha and a creature called Earworm. The Earworm reveals people’s true intentions through sound and music. Using small sections of text, chat stories, and immersive soundscapes with embedded audio cues the reader will learn the truth of Earworm and the secrets of those around Ayesha. The reader will also get to produce their own piece of music.
  • Ben Samuels at Limbik Theatre, London – The Garden combines the written word with ambisonic, spatial audio, bringing a new layer of immersion to the act of reading. The dark, magic realism of The Garden of Earthly Delights is designed to be accompanied by an ambisonic audio soundtrack, played through headphones linked to a phone or tablet. The soundscape supports the narrative, locating, placing, and immersing them within the world of the story.
  • Shane Strachan, Aberdeen – Do we control technology or does it control us? Jenna took part in IMBED-X’s tech experiment in January 2020 and has since vanished. Adam needs Instagram, Google and you to help find her in this thrilling online mystery. Told across multiple Instagram stories and accounts, this narrative encourages readers to use online tools such as Google Translate and Google Books to help find Jenna by harnessing the power of language, literature and digital connection. Along the way, the story also encourages young readers to reflect on how embedded technology is in their lives and to question whether or not they have an over-reliance on it. 

Fran Sanderson, Nesta’s Director of Arts and Culture Programmes and Investments said: “With Alternarratives, our aim is to encourage writers to experiment in their practice. In this pilot year, we had the more specific target of changing the way young people think about and engage with reading.

“The way we consume narrative content has changed rapidly, and this has accelerated in the pandemic. The shift towards an experience economy, perhaps in addition to a more general sense of a lack of control, has led audiences to expect more agency and interaction, and we believe this can be an opportunity for literary storytelling. 

“We wanted to explore how we can support writers to be more innovative and think outside the linear format. We have been amazed by the creative ideas these writers had, and humbled by their tenacity and ingenuity in the R&D phase – it’s been a real privilege to see these projects turn into a reality, and we’re incredibly excited to share them with the public, especially the young people we’re hoping to reach.”

Artificial intelligence aimed at improving diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus

With limited knowledge of COVID-19 worldwide, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is using its artificial intelligence resources to improve understanding of the virus. This information will be used as it becomes available to frontline clinicians to help diagnose and treat COVID-19.   

The team at the Industrial Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research in Digital Diagnostics (iCAIRD) develops artificial intelligence solutions in the NHS.

They are now developing algorithms that will analyse all available datasets on COVID-19 within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, working with iCAIRD industrial partners Bering Research Limited and Canon Medical Research Europe.

This includes clinical information that is already collected like virology tests, diagnostic tests and chest x-rays and patient data such as health records, GP referral letters, discharge notes when available.

The data will then be made available to NHS staff treating people with COVID-19 on the frontline to assist their decision making.

Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, welcomed the move and said: “We are mobilising all of our resources in order to respond as best we can to COVID-19. This initiative shows real teamwork across our organisation as we link together real-time research to the frontline. 

“I want to thank all of our staff for their efforts in an incredibly challenging time.”

Julie Brittenden, Director of Research and Development, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said:  “We are using artificial intelligence at scale to look at all of our available data on COVID-19. The power in our approach is that the data will become more and more accurate as time goes on as we identify patterns and trends about COVID-19.

“Our research, development and innovation teams continue to work tirelessly on clinical trials related to diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.”

Dr. Ignat Drozdov, Managing Director of Bering Limited said: “Since the beginning of March, we’ve been working with doctors on the frontline to develop new defences against the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our experience in interpreting medical images has allowed us to rapidly adapt our tools to help spot the signs of this disease.”

Alongside collecting data on diagnosis and care, the research also aims to predict hospital admissions, days spent in hospital and resources required for each patient.

Work at iCAIRD and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is underway to analyse available data with the aim of information getting to frontline staff in the coming months.

iCAIRD is primarily funded by Innovate UK.

Revolutionary technology keeps vulnerable adults safe overnight

AN innovative project that uses transformative new technology is being hailed as a landmark moment in the care of disabled people who want to continue to live independent lives. Continue reading Revolutionary technology keeps vulnerable adults safe overnight