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Femtech @ Health Innovation Hub Ireland is Ireland’s first eco-system dedicated to stimulating and supporting the development of high potential new products, services and start-ups in Femtech.

The HIHI Femtech Call 2023 is a competition to select the best products or services aimed at women’s healthcare. Innovative products or services can be market-ready or in development.

Do you want to pilot or evaluate your product or service in an Irish healthcare setting?

At HIHI, we have a unique offering to support companies and other innovators. We are your access route to end-users and healthcare staff in acute hospitals, community and primary care settings across Ireland.

HIHI offers two types of projects:
  1. Pilots of market ready products and services are conducted in a healthcare setting in Ireland.
  2. Clinical Evaluations provide feedback from clinicians or other end-users on a product or service that is market ready or in development.
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Who can apply?

The HIHI Femtech Call 2023 is open to Irish innovators (companies, start-ups, researchers) or innovators with an Irish base that have a product or service that:
  • meets a women’s healthcare need
  • has the potential to significantly impact women’s healthcare in Ireland and/or internationally
  • is market-ready or in development
  • for pilots, has (or will have) all the necessary regulatory approvals (e.g., CE mark) and insurances in place

How can I apply?

Step 1

Download and read the HIHI Femtech Call 2023 Briefing Document
Briefing Document

Step 2

Download and complete the HIHI Femtech Call 2023 Application Form
Application Form

Step 3

Fill out the online submission form and upload completed Application Form before 5pm on 17th November 2023.
Online Submission Form

What is the timeline?

What are the assessment criteria

The applications are assessed against the following criteria:
  • The validity of the healthcare need
  • The ability of the product or service to address the healthcare need
  • The management of the intellectual property (IP) for the product or service
  • The size and understanding of the potential market for this product or service
  • The quality of proposed project plan
  • The calibre of the innovator and its team
  • The ability of the innovator (company, start-ups, researcher) to provide necessary resources
  • The feasibility and viability of delivering the proposed project in an Irish context
Download the flyer

How are applications assessed?

There is a two-stage assessment process for applications:

1. Application Review

All submissions received on or before the 17th of November 2023 will be assessed by the HIHI review panel which will shortlist those applications that best meet the assessment criteria. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of this stage on 1st December 2022.

2. Online Pitch

The shortlisted applicants will be asked to prepare a video presentation in advance and attend an online pitch presentation to a panel of experts which will take place on the 13th of December 2023. This panel will select the winning products or services. The shortlisted applicants will be notified of the outcome of this stage on the 15th of December.
Further Information

Femtech refers to technology designed for women’s health and wellness. Femtech covers software, diagnostics, treatment, prevention and wellness. Femtech focuses on women’s health from birth to death and includes areas such as adolescent health, fertility, menstruation, menopause, gynaecological health, cancer, mental health, female wellness and health conditions that affect women disproportionally (e.g., osteoporosis, dementia etc.)

Femtech @Health Innovation Hub Ireland was launched in 2022 to stimulate and support the development of high potential new products, services and start-ups in Femtech. These solutions will impact the health and wellbeing of 50% of our population, create a Femtech focus in Ireland and build an ecosystem of experts and entrepreneurs supporting, driving and innovating in Femtech. Femtech @Health Innovation Hub Ireland also supports the drive for more female founders and attract more investors to Ireland. For more information see https://hih.ie/downloads/femtech-hihi-info-sheet.pdf

There are many national and international needs in women’s healthcare. Some of the current priority needs are adolescent health, fertility, menstruation, menopause, gynaecological health, cancer, mental health, female wellness and health conditions that affect women disproportionally (e.g., osteoporosis, dementia etc.). Further information and reference material is provided in the HIHI Open Call 2022 Briefing Document.

There is no quota for the number of applications selected for shortlisting or eventual winners. The number of applicants to progress through the review stages depends on the quality of the applications submitted. Previous calls selected as many as 15 winning innovations.

The winning innovations will be:

  • awarded the title of HIHI Femtech Innovation 2023
  • entitled to use HIHI winner's stamp
  • offered the opportunity to work with HIHI to conduct a pilot or clinical evaluation project in an Irish healthcare setting or with the target market
  • issued with a final HIHI Project Report and a published Case Study, which may be useful as evidence of efficacy, value and impacts for investors and potential customers

HIHI will work with a winning innovator to pilot their product or service in an Irish healthcare setting or with the target end-user. HIHI will seek out a suitable location to pilot this innovation from its network. A HIHI project manager will be assigned to work closely with the innovator and to manage this pilot. The scope of the pilot will be agreed with all parties (company, healthcare site, HIHI) in a HIHI project agreement document. HIHI will oversee the management of the pilot, gather and analyse the results of the pilot and prepare a final project report.

Innovators should note that a HIHI project:

  • is conducted at no cost to healthcare setting
  • is carried out and executed with all reasonable skill and care
  • is not part of a HSE procurement process
  • the innovator must provide the innovation and any necessary training free for duration of the pilot
  • requires the innovator to obtain all regulatory and ethical licences, consents and approvals necessary to allow it to carry out the project
  • requires the innovator to affect and maintain in force all necessary insurance coverage for the performance of its obligations
  • requires that each party complies with all applicable laws and with due regard for health and safety of all involved
  • ensures that each party shall retain all right and title to, and interest in its own project intellectual property
  • requires that all confidential information is maintained as secret and confidential

HIHI will work with a winning innovator to evaluate their product or service in an Irish healthcare setting. These products and service can be either in development or market ready. HIHI will seek out a suitable clinical experts and end-users to provide feedback on innovative product or service through demonstrations, focus groups or one-to-one interviews.

A HIHI project manager will be assigned to work closely with the company and to manage this pilot. The scope of the pilot will be agreed with all parties (innovators, healthcare experts, HIHI) in a HIHI project agreement document. HIHI will oversee the management of the pilot, gather and analyse the results of the pilot and prepare a final project report.

Innovators should note that a HIHI clinical evaluation project:

  • is conducted at no cost to healthcare setting (the innovator must provide the innovation and any necessary training free for duration of project)
  • is carried out and executed with all reasonable skill and care
  • is not part of a HSE procurement process
  • requires that each party complies with all applicable laws and with due regard for health and safety of all involved
  • ensures that each party shall retain all right and title to, and interest in its own project intellectual property
  • requires that all confidential information is maintained as secret and confidential

Case studies of some previous pilot and clinical evaluation projects can be found at: https://hih.ie/case-studies.

No, HIHI does not provide funding for projects from this call.

No, winners of this HIHI Call do not have to pay for the agreed project.

Companies or individuals who are not eligible to apply to the HIHI Femtech Call 2023 can request support from HIHI through the HIHI Innovation Portal. HIHI provides support to companies and individual whose innovation is focused on any healthcare needs and is at various stages of development (idea, prototype, pre-commercial and market ready). See https://hih.ie/engage/innovation-portal .