Guidance

Medical technology

Updated 1 December 2021

Introduction to medical technology

The UK medical technology sector is a thriving ecosystem of researchers, scientists, engineers, designers and National Health Service (NHS) clinicians. Together these specialist groups develop novel technologies from the innovation stage, through the process of design and manufacture, to the bedside in the UK and internationally.

Numerous UK organisations give support, advice or useful information for each development stage of medical technology.

Discovery and deep research development stage: UK support organisations

Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)

CPRD is a governmental, not-for-profit research service. It’s jointly funded by the NHS National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), part of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). CPRD has been providing anonymised primary care records for public health research for 30 years.

This data enables:

• observational studies
• clinical trial feasibility and protocol optimisation
• post-market surveillance

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The EPSRC is the main funding body for engineering and physical sciences research in the UK, investing in research and postgraduate training. Its portfolio covers a vast range of fields from healthcare technologies to structural engineering, manufacturing to mathematics, advanced materials to chemistry.

EPSRC is part of UK Research and Innovation, a new body which works in partnership with universities, research organisations, businesses, charities, and government to create the best possible environment for research and innovation to flourish.

EPSRC Centres for Innovative Manufacturing has 16 centres for innovative manufacturing including:

• continuous manufacturing and crystallisation (CMAC)
• emergent macromolecular therapies
• medical devices
• regenerative medicine

Each centre can be used as a platform for organisations to invest in. They all:

• develop collaborations
• carry out feasibility studies
• supports research projects

The EPSRC Centre for innovative manufacturing in medical devices is developing advanced methods for functionally stratified design and near patient manufacturing, to enable cost effective matching of device function to the patient needs and surgical environment.

Wellcome / EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering

The centre is based at Kings College London and jointly funded with the EPSRC and King’s College London.

It’s developing markers to allow early detection of disease so that its onset or progression can be prevented. It will focus on cardiovascular, oncological and neurological applications of medical imaging (primarily MRI and PET).

Development and translation development stage: UK support organisations

Catapults

The catapult centres are a network of world-leading centres designed to transform the UK’s capability for innovation in specific areas and help drive future economic growth. The catapults include:

• cell and gene therapy
• digital
• high value manufacturing
• medicines discovery
• precision medicine

The High Value Manufacturing Catapult has 7 technology and innovation centres. They work with companies of all sizes to bridge the gap in – and accelerate the activity between – technology concept and commercialisation. Their centres offer access to leading edge equipment, expertise and an environment of company collaboration.

Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)

CPRD provides anonymised primary care records for public health research.

Health and Care Research Wales

Health and Care Research Wales:

• provides an infrastructure to support and increase capacity in R&D
• runs a range of responsive funding schemes
• manages resources to promote, support and deliver research in health and social care
• facilitates the successful delivery of commercial research in the NHS
• promotes Wales as an effective place to do research

HSC R&D Division (Northern Ireland)

HSC R&D works to support research that:

• provides high quality evidence to improve care for patients, clients and the general population
• adds to our understanding of health, disease, treatment and care

This involves supporting researchers based in Northern Ireland as well as those in health and social care trusts or other bodies who use the outputs from research findings.

Innovate UK

Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency. It works with people, companies and partner organisations to find and drive science and technology innovations. Innovate UK fund the strongest opportunities and connect innovators with the right partners they need to succeed.

Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership is Europe’s leading programme helping businesses to improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology and skills that reside within the UK knowledge base.

Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN)

KTN is the UK’s innovation network. It connects people to speed up innovation, solve problems and find markets for new ideas.

The KTN Health Community connects organisations to catalyse innovation. It’s dedicated to accelerating innovation and technology exploitation in the health industries sector in the important areas of medical, biotechnology, medical technology, diagnostics and pharmaceutical industries.

National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

The NIHR is funded through DHSC. It builds capacity and leadership in the research workforce, and attracts investment into the UK by supporting partnerships with life science companies, including small and medium enterprises, and charities.

NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (NIHR BRC) were formed through partnerships between England’s leading NHS organisations and universities. Twenty NIHR BRCs conduct translational research to transform scientific breakthroughs into life-saving treatments for patients. Staffed by expert investigators and clinicians, the centres are leaders in translating lab-based discoveries into new cutting edge treatments, technologies, diagnostics and other interventions in clinical settings.

NIHR Biomedical Research Units (BRU) are based within England’s leading NHS organisations and universities. They undertake translational research in priority areas of high disease burden and clinical need and focus on specific therapeutic areas of disease including:

• musculoskeletal
• gastrointestinal
• respiratory
• cardiovascular
• dementia
• nutrition
• diet and lifestyle
• deafness and hearing

NIHR Clinical Research Facilities for Experimental Medicine (NIHR CRFs) are dedicated and purpose-built facilities, where specialist clinical research and support staff from universities and NHS Trusts work together on patient-orientated commercial and non-commercial experimental medicine studies.

Life science companies can access assistance for their studies throughout the research process from study design to data collection and management.

NIHR Clinical Research: Network Study Support Service is the research delivery arm of the NHS in England. One of their priorities is to proactively support the life-sciences industry to deliver high quality commercial contract clinical research across all therapeutic areas. Their free-of-charge study support Service helps life-science organisations effectively find investigators and sites, set-up and deliver their studies to time and target.

NIHR Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRCs) bring together a collaboration of the local providers of NHS services and NHS commissioners, universities, other relevant local organisations and the relevant Academic Health Science Network (AHSN).

NIHR CLAHRCs conduct applied health research across the NHS, and translate research findings into improved outcomes for patients. The 13 NIHR CLAHRCs primarily focus on research targeted at chronic disease and public health interventions.

NIHR Medtech and In Vitro Diagnostics Co-operatives (NIHR MICs) build expertise and capacity in the NHS to develop new medical technologies and provide evidence on commercially-supplied in vitro diagnostic (IVD) tests. Leading NHS organisations act as centres of expertise, bringing together patients, clinicians, researchers, commissioners and industry.

NIHR Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure (NIHR NOCRI) provides potential partners, including the life sciences industry and charities, with a direct and simplified route to a wide range of experimental medicine facilities and expert NIHR investigators.

NOCRI works with organisations to help them navigate this infrastructure and, where required, form partnerships and collaborations to bring new treatments to patients faster.

NIHR Patient Safety Translational Research Centres (PSTRCs) work to pull advances in basic research with potential relevance to patient safety into an applied research setting.

The 3 centres (Imperial, Greater Manchester and Yorkshire) bring together a range of research disciplines from the NHS and universities. They undertake research to drive forward improvements in patient safety and safety of NHS services in hospitals and GP surgeries.

This research has the potential to translate into real benefits for patients, such as reducing prescription errors, improving diagnosis of cancer and rare diseases and reducing accidents during surgery.

NHS Digital

NHS Digital helps patients, clinicians, commissioners, analysts and researchers to improve health and social care in England by making better use of technology, data and information.

NHS Research Scotland (NRS)

NRS promotes and supports excellence in clinical and translational research in Scotland for patients to benefit from new and better treatments.

It connects NHS, industry and academia to accelerate the development of new treatments, devices and diagnostics to tackle complex healthcare needs.

NICE Office for Market Access (NICE OMA)

NICE OMA provides expert advice to the life sciences industry on pharmaceuticals, health technologies, diagnostics, and devices.

They advise on:

• NICE processes
• how to work with NICE to achieve your aims
• how NICE links with different parts of the system
• the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) and how NICE supports it

NICE Scientific Advice (NICE SA)

NICE SA offers a fee-based consultancy service to developers of:

• medicines (including orphan drugs)
• devices
• diagnostics
• a range of services for different product types

Regulatory and health technology assessment development stage: UK support organisations

British Standards Institute (BSI Group)

BSI is the UK national standards body. Using standards BSI help companies comply with regulations and standards, avoid product failures and recalls to help enter new markets.

Integrated Research Application System (IRAS)

IRAS is a UK-wide system that streamlines the process for applying for permissions and approvals to conduct health and social care research. It allows users to enter the information for the relevant permissions and approvals once, instead of having to complete several separate application forms for each review body.

MHRA Innovation Office

MHRA Innovation Office is a single point of access to expert regulatory information, advice and guidance that helps organisations of all backgrounds and sizes develop innovative medicines, medical devices or novel manufacturing processes. They provide expert knowledge, guidance and experience to help develop products and save time and money.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

NICE’s Medical Technologies Evaluation Programme identifies medical technologies that:

• have the potential to offer substantial benefit to patients and/or to the NHS
• are likely to be adopted more consistently and more rapidly if NICE develops guidance on them

NICE Medtech Innovation Briefings (MIBs) are designed to support NHS and social care commissioners and staff who are considering using new medical devices and other medical or diagnostic technologies.

NICE SA offers a fee-based consultancy service.

Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)

The SMC accepts for use those newly licensed medicines that clearly represent good value for money to NHS Scotland. SMC analyses information supplied by the medicine manufacturer on the health benefits of the medicine and justification of its price. The consortium is made up of lead clinicians, pharmacists and health economists together with representatives of health boards, the pharmaceutical industry and the public.

Delivery, supply and NHS / patient development stage: UK support organisations

Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs)

The AHSNs facilitates access into the NHS and aligns education, clinical research, informatics, innovation, training and healthcare delivery providing a network aimed at supporting the adoption and dissemination of innovative technologies.

There are 15 AHSNs across England, and each AHSN works across a distinct geography serving a different population in each region.

Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

CCGs are clinically-led statutory NHS bodies responsible for the planning and commissioning of health care services for their local area. CCGs commission most of the hospital and community NHS services in the local areas for which they are responsible.

Health Innovation Assessment Portal (HIAP-Scotland)

The portal provides information, guidance and support to help prospective providers of new/and or innovative products and solutions to put them forward for assessment.

National Health Service (NHS)

The NHS, launched in 1948, is the largest unified healthcare system in the world. It was born out of a long-held ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth, and remains free at the point of use for anyone who is a UK resident. That is currently more than 64.1 million people in the UK.

NHS England sets the priorities and direction for the NHS in England. It shares out more than £100 billion in funds on commissioning of health care services and holds organisations to account for spending this money effectively.

NHS Scotland is the publicly funded healthcare system in Scotland. Health and social care policy and funding are the responsibility of the Health and Social Care Directorates of the Scottish Government. NHS Scotland currently employs about 140,000 staff who work across 14 territorial NHS Boards, 7 special NHS Boards and 1 public health body.

NHS Northern Ireland provides the gateway to health and social care services in Northern Ireland. It links to the hospital and community services provided by the 6 Health Trusts, General Practices, Health and Social Care Board and other health and social care agencies. The Northern Ireland Executive, through the Health Department is responsible for the funding of the service.

NHS Wales is the official corporate name of the Welsh National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system which is the responsibility of the devolved Welsh Government. There are 7 Local Health Boards (LHBs) in Wales and 3 national NHS Trusts. Each is responsible for delivering all NHS healthcare services within a geographical area. Three NHS Trusts, called ‘all-Wales trusts’, operate nationwide agencies and services.

NHS procurement

There are several routes to market for companies interested in supplying goods and services to the NHS.

Read more on Partnering with the NHS to sell goods and services.

NIHR Clinical Research Network (NIHR CRN)

NIHR CRN is the research delivery arm of the NHS in England. One of its priorities is to proactively support the life-sciences industry to deliver high quality commercial contract clinical research across all therapeutic areas within the NHS. Their free-of-charge study support service helps life-science organisations effectively find investigators and sites, set-up and deliver studies to time and target.

NICE OMA

NICE OMA provides expert advice to the life sciences industry.

Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC)

The SMC accepts for use those newly licensed medicines that clearly represent good value for money to NHS Scotland. SMC analyses information supplied by the medicine manufacturer on the health benefits of the medicine and justification of its price. The consortium is made up of lead clinicians, pharmacists and health economists together with representatives of health boards, the pharmaceutical industry and the public.

Launch global access development stage: UK support organisations

Department for International Trade (DIT)

DIT is the government department that helps UK-based companies succeed globally and assists overseas companies to bring investment to the UK.

DIT’s combined network of government and private-sector specialists in the UK and in British Embassies and Consulates throughout the world offer practical advice and free and confidential support.

Life Sciences Organisation (LSO)

LSO helps UK life science companies do business overseas and encourages foreign life science companies to invest in the UK. It provides support from the earliest stages of research and development through to clinical trials, commercial operations and business partnerships.

Healthcare UK

Healthcare UK is a joint initiative of DHSC, DIT and NHS England.

Healthcare UK helps UK healthcare providers do more business overseas by:

• promoting the UK healthcare sector to overseas markets
• supporting healthcare partnerships between the UK and overseas healthcare providers

NICE OMA

NICE OMA provides expert advice to the life sciences industry.

UK life science membership associations and networking organisations

Find UK life science membership associations and networking organisations who can aid business growth, competitiveness and innovation in the life sciences sector.