The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded over £3 million to support 35 cutting-edge medical technology projects that work on preventing, diagnosing and treating brain injuries.

The projects are funded by the Invention for Innovation FAST 4 Awards, and will run for six to 12 months, entering around advancing healthcare technology that address ABI caused by traumatic brain injury, stroke, tumours, and infections. The initiative is part of a wider effort to improve recovery outcomes, reduce long-term disability, and ease the economic burden of brain injury.

One of the funded projects is ‘FIT4Labour’ which is a tool designed to help midwives and doctors identify babies at risk of brain damage or death during labour. This investment will support real-world testing of the tool in maternity wards to improve decision-making and outcomes during childbirth.

‘Virtue’, another project, will evaluate a virtual reality (VR) system to support cognitive rehabilitation in stroke survivors in a 12-month trial involving 80 patients, with the aim to demonstrate how immersive technology can aid recovery.

Scientific director for innovation at NHIR, professor Mike Lewis, commented: “The NHS needs to be there for people when they need it. Tackling acquired brain injury requires innovative thinking, and we’re delighted to be supporting so many exciting projects via NHIR’s FAST funding scheme. We look forward to supporting these projects to unlock more effective treatments and improve patients’ outcomes at critical times in their lives.”