TWO new life science ventures are being established at the Alexander Graham Bell Centre in Elgin, Moray, after securing financial support from Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE).
Both ventures will be applying digital innovation to improve healthcare provision.
Healthfit Digital Ltd will be developing a platform providing patients with information via tablets, mobile phones or the internet; allowing them to better manage their condition.
Within the next two years, the venture is expected to create seven new full time jobs and a projected turnover of £1.4 million. It has secured £130,000 investment from HIE towards the costs of establishing and developing the business.
AllsWell, meanwhile, plans to develop whole health management systems, using a combination of wellness clinic and digitally enabled support.
The joint venture between the Moray-based Shen Foundation and the global, HanWang Forum, has secured a £15,000 investment from HIE to develop a prototype app for community health monitoring.
The company has embarked on a three-month £50,000 development phase. This will include a pilot wellness centre to trial its health management system approach; a concept developed and tested in HIE’s Pathfinder Accelerator programme.
David Oxley, HIE area manager in Moray, said: “Life Sciences is a growth sector for the Scottish economy and a priority for HIE.
“The sector has seen rapid growth in the Highlands and Islands over the past ten years, with significant future potential. I am delighted we are able to support Allswell and Healthfit Digital with their new innovative ventures. The Alexander Graham Bell Centre is an ideal location for research based life science ventures.”
Jamie Hogg, of Healthfit Digital Ltd, said: “Healthfit Digital is a new company which is creating information for patients through a digital channel format. We are very pleased to be able to operate from the excellent facilities at the Alexander Graham Bell Centre and look forward to linking in to the expertise in Moray College and business in Moray.”
June McGuire, of AllsWell, added: “AllsWell are delighted to be running the research and pilot phases of our community-based healthcare model from Alexander Graham Bell building.
“It is a perfect context for our programme, which is investigating the combination of self-health care practices with digital health trackers and BIG data analysis. We are currently in phase two of our pilot.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Alexander Graham Bell Centre is a £6.5 million purpose-built centre for life sciences. It was funded jointly by Moray College UHI, NHS Grampian, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the European Regional Development Fund. It provides facilities for life science research and education, and is specifically designed to encourage innovation and knowledge transfer amongst the academic, health care and business worlds.
HIE’s Pathfinder Accelerator programme provides access to fast-track ‘pressure tester’ facilities, to help establish quickly whether or not a business idea will succeed. It is facilitated on HIE’s behalf by BioCity, the UK’s largest bioscience incubation centre. Pathfinder is free and open to existing and start-up companies in the life science, technology and digital health sectors.
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