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ResHub in the media!

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ResHub, a new SaaS app designed to keep nursing home residents socially engaged has been developed by researchers at Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University College Cork (UCC) and Health Innovation Hub Ireland.

ResHub is being trialled in Cork and Dublin nursing homes and aims to improve wellbeing for elderly people in residential care in Ireland.

Check out the latest media coverage for ResHub:

https://extra.ie/2021/07/27/tech/app-geriatric-care

https://www.echolive.ie/corknews/arid-40346294.html

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/saas-app-reshub-nursing-homes

 

 

 

ROSIA to launch Open Market Consultation on 12th July

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8th  July 2021

 ROSIA (Remote Rehabilitation Service for Isolated Areas) partners will launch an Open Market Consultation (OMC), on Monday 12th July. The OMC provides an opportunity for companies interested in contributing solutions to the project to present their ideas.

ROSIA is a European Commission Horizon 2020, Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP) project, consisting of 12 partners across 5 countries. ROSIA’s main objective is to address health care provision shortcomings and advance innovative digital solutions with development of devices and applications enhancing community care services for patients in their rehabilitation journey.

Four pre-OMC on-line events were held throughout June, with presentations given by ROSIA Partners from Ireland, Spain, Portugal and International. 114 companies attended these events which provided an opportunity for information sharing and engagement with a view to further participation in the project. The Irish OMC Event was particularly successful with engagement from national agencies Enterprise Ireland, the Health Innovation Hub and with 13 leading technology companies in Ireland presenting the state-of-the-art in eHealth particularly for patient services in rural and isolated areas, and rehabilitation services for people with Spinal Cord Injury and Acquired Brain Injury.

Pre-OMC attendees who have follow-up queries should direct requests back to the ROSIA Website (www.ROSIA-pcp.eu), or to Maria Bezunartea Alvarez (mbezunartea.iacs@aragon.es) or Sofia Moreno (sofia@valdeinnova.es)

How will the Project Progress?

As part of ROSIA’s ‘Open Tender’ process contracts will be awarded to industry partners to advance a comprehensive, integrated solution/s for European care providers; identifying innovative technologies validated in real life and patient engagement exercises.

A PCP, (pre-commercial procurement) will be used as an instrument to convoke intelligent solutions to problems citizens face; solutions that the market does not currently provide. It has been used in Europe for a number of years now. In a PCP, the public administration is involved in the co-creation process, together with private bidders. The process will inspire a good number of new solutions and prototypes and the two most interesting will be implemented and tested in European regions participating in ROSIA (Portugal, Ireland and Spain).

What kinds of companies are ROSIA looking for?

  • Companies developing technological solutions that could be useful in
  • Companies that provide an open platform able to support these kinds of
  • Companies that manage community services related to
  • Companies that facilitate engagement and

For further information, contact:

Alli McClean, NRH-ROSIA Project Coordinator  Tel: 01 235 5132  | alli.mcclean@nrh.ie

 Issued by: The National Rehabilitation Hospital, Rochestown Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96 E2 H2

https://rosia-pcp.eu/

 

Government Future Tech Challenge 2021

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Making Innovation Real, Ireland’s Public Service Innovation Strategy, requires that the Public Service seek to connect and collaborate across the entire ecosystem to encourage greater scaling of innovation. Additionally, as part of the GovTech agenda, Department of Public Expenditure (DPER) and Reform is keen to engage with industry to understand better how technology can solve problems faced by public service bodies.

The Future Tech Challenge (FTC) is a pilot competition based on a collaboration between Ireland’s Public Service and competition sponsors to drive innovation and technology adoption in order to solve pressing public service challenges. It is being coordinated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in partnership with IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

This first pilot challenge will involve focusing engagements with three multinational companies, which will be AWS, Cisco, and IBM.  A further iteration will be launched in Spring 2022 which will focus on collaborations with Small and Medium Enterprises.

The maximum level of prize (comprising of services, products or materials from the participating sponsors) awarded to an individual proposal is to the value of no more than €100,000.

Applicants should select one of the following prize areas that they wish their project to be considered for:

  1. AWS – Cloud Technology, encompassing the full range of AWS cloud services such as compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence, internet of things, mobile, security, hybrid, virtual and augmented reality, media, and application development, deployment and management) link to offerings
  2. CISCO – Remote Connectivity, Wireless, Sensor Technology, Internet of Things, Cybersecurity, Hardware and Collaboration Solutionslink to offerings
  3. IBM – Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Machine Learning, Data Governance and Integration –  link to offerings

All applications will go through a first stage evaluation, from which three projects will be selected for each of the three categories listed above. These nine projects will go through a number of weeks mentorship provided by technologists. This will culminate in a pitch event towards the end of Q3/beginning of Q4 of 2021, where the nine projects will pitch to an expert panel and a winner of each category will be selected to receive the prize on offer.

We intend to hold a webinar in early July to explain the process fully in conjunction with the competition sponsors who will elaborate further on the prizes their companies offer.

For more information and to make your application, please visit our website here.

Winners of HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Innovation Competition 2021!

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Winning health Innovations from HSE-HIHI’s Spark Ignite Innovation competition announced

Funding is awarded to healthcare innovations from HSE staff

17th June 2021. Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) and the HSE’s Spark Innovation Programme today concluded their HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite innovation competition with a national final. The HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Programme 2021, is open to all 115,000+ HSE staff across all disciplines and departments. The overarching goal is to help staff from within the health service with a solution to a problem, challenge, or unmet need in healthcare, to validate the need, and determine if a market exists for their proposed solution, product, or service. It is a unique opportunity for HSE staff, supported by the commercial and industrial experience of the HIHI team to develop and to promote their ideas.

Over 180 applications with innovative ideas in healthcare were received from HSE staff nationwide.  Following a rigorous review, 36 finalists were chosen to go forward to a bespoke HIHI innovation workshop delivered by Donncha Hughes (Start-up Hughes) and supported by the Local Enterprise Office Galway. All winners will receive continued mentorship and guidance from HIHI to develop their idea further and avail of the bespoke HIHI Innovation pathway (www.hih.ie).

The 36 finalists received mentorship from the HIHI mentor panel to bring their innovative ideas and solutions towards reality, and to prepare them for the regional pitching competitions. Regional pitching finals were associated with each of the three HIHI offices, Cork, Dublin and Galway, and concluded last week. The 12 finalists in each region pitched to a panel of experienced judges to win funding for the development or implementation of their idea. The judging panel comprised experts from industry, venture investment, Local Enterprise Offices, Enterprise Ireland, public and private healthcare, and academia.

Each regional final awarded five prizes: Best Individual Applicant Overall, Best Team Applicant Overall, both winning €3,000, and then three €1,000 runner-up prizes. The best individual applicant overall and best team applicant overall from each region qualified for the National Final on Wednesday the 16th of June.

The winner of the national final for the individual and team category received a further €2,000 toward their innovation.

The Spark Ignite initiative is funded by the HSE’s Spark Innovation Programme, a collaboration between the Office of the Nursing and Midwifery Services Director (ONMSD), National Doctor Training and Planning (NDTP), the Health and Social Care Professionals Office (HSCP) and the Quality Improvement Team (QIT) to support frontline innovation and quality improvement across the HSE.  The annual HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite competition is one of the key initiatives of the HSE’s Spark Innovation Programme (www.hse.ie/spark).

The innovative projects submitted to the HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite competition included a variety of new products and services with commercial appeal, and healthcare service or process improvements applicable to any hospital or team, home and abroad. All of which have the patient and the care teams at the heart and seek to improve healthcare for everyone.

And the winners are:

Best Individual overall winner HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Innovation competition 2021

Aoife Collins, a Senior Physiotherapist and Coordinator of Active Back Care Program in the Physiotherapy Department, Cork South Lee PCC, HSE with “The Rapid-Access Online Active Back Care (ABC) Program”. Aoife plans to adapt and deliver her existing award-winning, evidence-based, group-rehabilitation program online via a customisable platform, provided by Salaso Health Solutions.

 On receiving the award Aoife Collins said “I am delighted to win the prestigious Spark Ignite National Award on behalf of The Physiotherapy Department in Cork South Lee Primary Care. To be short-listed in such a competitive contest has given me the confidence to believe in my innovation and drive it forward. Winning this competition has shown me that innovative healthcare is essential to continuously improve HSE service provision, and that Spark Ignite offers the support needed to all front line staff to develop their ideas from a spark to their fruition”.

Best overall Team Winner HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Innovation competition 2021:

Dr Kevin Deasy (Respiratory Special Registrar) and Dr Marcus Kennedy (Consultant Respiratory Physician and Interventional Pulmonologist) with ”Remote Learning in Bronchoscopy using a Low-Fidelity Airway Simulator “HSE – Cork University Hospital. Dr Kevin and Dr Marcus plan to develop a low cost flat-pack bronchoscopy and pleural ultrasound kit for home assembly and remote learning. Their ultimate goal is to develop a formal, well-researched simulation program encompassing real world and distance learning through remote video platforms using this flat pack simulator.

Dr Deasy and Dr Kennedy accepted the award saying “We are delighted to be selected as a winner in this national final event and thank the expert panel. All presentations were outstanding and it is an honour to present in the same program. We would like to thank the HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Project Group, Health Innovation Hub Ireland and Dr Andrew Cameron NUI Galway/Feeltect for his expertise and mentorship. Finally we would like to thank our collaborators, Prof. Helen Whelton and Barry O’Reilly, UCC, Prof. Peter Dieckmann, CAMES Copenhagen, Prof. Roberto Casal, Boston Scientific and Boston Scientific Ireland.”

Mr Paul Reid, CEO, HSE congratulated the winners
“Our health service has encountered great challenges in recent times but throughout it all, HSE workers have demonstrated tremendous determination and navigated great obstacles via creativity and innovation. It is more important now than ever before that this approach is encouraged and championed, and I believe that the HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Innovation Competition is the perfect opportunity to discover new and better ways of service delivery.

“It is heartening to see the increase in applications this year, which aptly demonstrates the commitment HSE workers have to growth and improvement in the face of adversity. I would firstly like to pay tribute to all involved in the 180 applications, which were submitted from a diverse range of areas within our health service, and particularly, to the 36 qualifying finalists. A hearty congratulations to Aoife Collins of the Physiotherapy Department in Cork South Lee Primary Care, HSE, and Dr Kevin Deasy and Dr Marcus Kennedy, CUH, who were the deserving winners of the National Spark Ignite Final 2021. I wish them well in the development of their projects and look forward to seeing them come to fruition.”

Dr Colm Henry, CCO, HSE: “The past year has shown that without innovative thinking in times of crisis, we will perish. Healthcare professionals throughout the country responded by necessity to the great challenges we face: it is indeed true to say: ‘múineann gá seift’. This culture of innovation has been captured by programmes such the HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Innovation Competition. We have found that not only can we devise solutions with innovative thinking, but we can also implement them quickly in times of necessity. I would like to extend my congratulations to all involved, particularly winners Aoife Collins of the Physiotherapy Department in Cork South Lee Primary Care, HSE, and Dr Kevin Deasy and Dr Marcus Kennedy, CUH. It is with great pride we celebrate such a high calibre workforce.”

Dr Tanya Mulcahy, Interim Director, Health Innovation Hub Ireland, said “It is always a pleasure to deliver this programme to support innovation from our healthcare staff – the quality of ideas and calibre of presentations was outstanding. What was really clear this year was that through the HIHI workshops and support from the HIHI mentors, good ideas of high value and impact were developed”

Dr Alan Hopkins, National Fellow for Innovation and Change, HSE Spark Innovation said “Spark Ignite is a unique interdisciplinary initiative where innovative HSE staff can develop their ideas through a series of workshops with mentorship. The funding awarded to the top projects pitched at regional and national level will help to transform these ideas into tangible solutions that will enhance healthcare delivery within the HSE and beyond.”

In addition to this year’s prizes, special recognition was given by Bank of Ireland to two projects in the form of the Best Innovation in Healthcare Award (Individual) and the Best Innovation in Healthcare Award (Team). The recipients of the special recognition went to Claire Ahern, a Senior Radiographer at BreastCheck West, Galway with “AniMammo”. AniMammo, and Edel Siney (Occupational Therapist), Andy Byrne (Physiotherapist) and Brian O’Ceallaigh (Senior Physiotherapist) with “Upper Limb Rehab App”, HSE – University Hospital Galway, respectively.

 

 

See the winners of HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Dublin Region!

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Individual Winner: Mr Ramy Khojaly A Novel Ankle Range of Motion (ROM) measuring device 

Team Winner: Sarah Louise Killeen and Prof. Fionnuala McAuliffe The FIGO Nutrition Checklist – the first step in pregnancy nutrition 

Runners up:  

Dr Edmond Power, Dr Sarah Taaffe and Prof. Farhana Sharif “Box of Happiness” Resource Tool Kit for Children 

Patrick Healy and Dermot McDonnell Sleepycubs…babies second skin, but your first response 

Clodagh Rooney and Loretta Ratcliffe Targeted Health Care Solutions – IUse App 

 

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Check out the HSE-HIHI Spark Ignite Winners from the Galway Region!

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Individual Winner: Claire Ahern AniMammo 

Team Winner: Edel Siney, Andy Byrne and Brian O’Ceallaigh Upper Limb Rehab App 

Runners up:  

Ally Russel, Dr Muhammad Tariq and Maura Rice Helping children learn through play at an early age to manage and control their asthma and allergies 

Jacopo Villani, Ita madden, Mary Kennedy, Ciara Ridge, Mary Byrne, Peter O’Reilly, Petra Daly and Doreen Carpenter Travelling Towards Mental Health Equity 

Dr Muhammad Raheel Garvin’s Colonoscopy Belt 

 

Video

Calling all leaders in healthcare innovation – Applications for HIHI/TCD one year postgraduate diploma in healthcare innovation close this month

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Applications close 30th June 2021. Applications for limited number of HSE scholarship close 16th June 2021.

Over the 12-month programme, students complete eight modules, have access to workshops, resources and events to share challenges and experience, learn from expert guest lecturers.  Focusing on new health solutions, students gain a practical understanding of applying new technologies in healthcare.  Examining the role of health economics, quality improvement and the principles of governance in leading effective, innovative health services is a key learning. The postgraduate course culminates with modules seven and eight focusing on a practical project comprising two phases. Students are supported to identify and implement an innovative solution suitable for their workplace that will have a positive impact in Irish healthcare. Graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma in Healthcare Innovation form part of a  year-on-year a growing network of national Innovation Champions.#

Apply here

If you missed the info and Q&A webinar series, links to watch all four are below. Each session delivered insight from a graduate of a different background , course lecturers and the course tutor.

Yellow Schedule makes it possible for expectant mums AND their partners to attend 20-week scans

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New Tech Solution to Aid Expectant Parents

Yellow Schedule has developed a solution to ensure expectant mothers can attend a 20-week anatomy scan with their partners at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH).

Working with Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI) and CUMH, Yellow Schedule created a customised version of its scheduling software to address issues such as bottlenecks related to the flow of patients and consistent and timely contact tracing of patients.

The system works by sending a text message to the expectant mother ahead of her 20-week scan inviting her to bring her partner.  Both then get a Covid-19 screening questionnaire, which allows the hospital to identify any patients with potential risk factors.

A QR code is then sent to both the expectant mother and her partner allowing them to scan into the hospital for the appointment.  This reduces the potential for queues and ensures staff have a record of who has attended.

Article by The Business Post