Marguerite Bourke, Enterprise Ireland; Nicola McDonnell, Jinga Life; and Sarah O’Brien, HSE

Enterprise Ireland and HSE award funding to companies tackling diabetes

Bluedrop Medical, Cadscan, Innerstrength, Infocare and Jinga Life all receive funding
Trade
Marguerite Bourke, Enterprise Ireland; Nicola McDonnell, Jinga Life; and Sarah O’Brien, HSE

3 December 2019

Enterprise Ireland and the Health Service Executive (HSE) have awarded €100,000 to five SMEs tackling health complications resulting from diabetes. The fund was granted through Enterprise Ireland’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme.

Now in its second year, the SBIR aims to improve patient care through intelligent use of technology. It hopes to both reduce the risk of women developing type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes; and to screen for diabetic foot disease in all patients with diabetes.

The winners

  • Galway-based Bluedrop Medical proposed a home-based, remote monitoring screening device for early identification and prevention of diabetic foot ulcers.
  • UK company Cadscan’s low-cost foot screening tool quickly determines the patient’s risk of ulceration.
  • Innerstrength addresses the challenge of type 2 diabetes in women after pregnancy.
  • Infocare’s technology connects to medical devices, allowing point-of-care and at-home testing to be uploaded to a patient’s medical record.
  • Jinga Life’s mobile digital health platform enables better management of a family’s health information, medical appointments and clinical images.

“We see huge potential for the Irish healthcare system to leverage SBIR to deliver more efficient, and more ‘fit for purpose’ technologies,” said Julie Sinnamon, chief executive, Enterprise Ireland. “Congratulations to the phase one winners and we look forward to the progression of their emerging technologies. These companies now have a valuable opportunity to co-design innovative solutions with Irish clinicians to tackle diabetes, which they can then commercialise and ultimately sell globally.”

Fran Thompson, acting chief information officer, HSE said, “Huge congratulations to the five shortlisted firms. We were very impressed with the submissions received and are very happy to partner with Enterprise Ireland on this initiative. The burden of chronic disease is a huge one across aging western populations, including the Irish population, with diabetes a key area of concern. We see this innovative deployment of technology as a key tool in delivering care closer to home, putting the individual at the centre of the design process, and delivering real benefits for the health service, the firms involved, and most importantly the diabetes patient.”

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