Welcome to the April issue of our newsletter.
This month, our blog is by Dr Jade Thai, Senior Research Lead at the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC), reflecting on the recent Forum for Mental Health Technology Innovators event in Liverpool.
For this issue's company spotlight, we caught up with Nick Bax from Human Studio about their LifePathwayXR programme.
As always, if you have any comments or suggestions for future newsletters you can get in touch with the team at hin.mindset@nhs.net.
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This month we shine our company spotlight on Human Studio, based in Sheffield, and in particular their LifePathXR programme which is an XR therapeutic tool for people with common mental health problems.
LifePathXR creates an immersive version of a patient's journey through life representing key milestones, turning points and events by importing digital photos or 3D objects.
Nick Bax, Founder and Creative Director of Human Studio, shares insights about the company and its innovative approach to enhancing patients' well-being.
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In our latest blog, we hear from Dr Jade Thai, Senior Research Lead at the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC), as she reflects on the Forum for Mental Health Technology Innovators event recently held in Liverpool.
Jade explores the key themes that emerged on the day and concludes that the event highlighted the exciting potential for technology to transform mental health care, but that it will take collaboration, human-centred design, and a deep understanding of real-world challenges faced by both healthcare providers and those with lived experience.
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Introduction to Health Economics
Wednesday 30 April, 3pm - 4pm. Online.
This webinar will be delivered by Anna Buylova, an experienced health economist from the Health Innovation Network South London Insights and Evaluation team.
The session will introduce key concepts of health economics and the economic evaluation of health innovations. Its aim is to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed to address evidence gaps and demonstrate the value of their technology.
Find out more about this free event and sign up here.
All our previous webinars which were recorded are available on our Mindset-XR Innovation Support webpage under the Webinars tab.
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We're delighted to offer a set of free learning resources designed to help mental health innovators working in the extended reality space navigate some of the challenges associated with transitioning their concepts and ideas into products and interventions.
We have published three sets of on-demand learning resources which cover Medical Regulation (with Hardian Health), Lived experience involvement (with MQ), and Research and clinical evidence (with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London).
There will be further modules coming soon and we will share details of those in forthcoming issues of this newsletter.
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You can find out more about the Mindset-XR Innovator Support Programme by checking our dedicated webpages.
This month we have refreshed our company pages by theming innovators on the Mindset-XR Innovator Support Programme into areas of clinical focus.
Elsewhere on the webpages you'll find every blog we have published since the start of the programme, alongside information on all our partners, the latest news and a range of other useful resources.
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DCMS Create Growth Programme Competition 4
The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced an £8 million funding competition for UK registered micro, small and medium enterprises in the creative sector which will provide a package of targeted support to high growth creative businesses, to scale, build investor networks and reach their potential.
You can watch a recording of an online briefing event about the competition and find out more about applying here.
The competition closes at 11am on Thursday 29 May.
UKRI Creating opportunities: rethinking economic (in)activity
Funding is available to deliver an interdisciplinary project that will identify ways of supporting economic activity in places experiencing high rates of ill-health, disability, and informal care in the UK.
To apply, you must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding.
The closing date is 6 May and you can find out more here.
The UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme
This government-backed initiative has been set up to help UK tech firms grow in the Asia Pacific region, de-risking and accelerating the sector's growth. The Programme provides support for UK firms to expand in 11 APAC markets: Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea.
If you are a technology startup or scaleup, are headquartered in the UK, and are keen to explore opportunities in APAC, look no further.
Find out more here.
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What are the opportunities for UK healthtech following recent news from the US?
The recent news surrounding new tariffs on UK health tech and medical device imports has created potential challenges for healthcare companies. Dr Rishi Das-Gupta, CEO of the Health Innovation Network South London, outlines several strategies for companies on how they can navigate these evolving conditions in this recently published blog.
Elsewhere, techUK are also examining the potential impact of the US tarriffs with updates and insights on this dedicated page.
techUK Scale-Up Action Plan
Ahead of the Government's Industrial Strategy release, techUK has published an Action Plan containing a range of initiatives designed to support the UK Government's ambition for growth.
NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) fellowship programme
The NHS Innovation Accelerator was set up to support the spread of innovations in the NHS in England, and is delivered in partnership with the 15 Health Innovation Networks (HINs).
Their Fellowship programme offers access to a wealth of useful resources, mentorship in the form of expert guidance from top leaders in health innovation, and access to an engaged and collaborative community. You can find out more about becoming a Fellow and what the selection process involves here.
Applications to join the Fellowship programme for 2026 will open in the summer.
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Mental Health Network Annual Conference and Exhibition
Leeds, 23 April, 9.30am - 4.30pm
The 10-Year Health Plan and long-awaited Mental Health Act reforms herald a decade long opportunity to drive improvements in mental health and learning disability services.
This conference will bring together senior leaders from the mental health, learning disability and autism sector for lively discussions on the future of services, with a focus on some of the key themes that can help enable the government’s three shifts to prevention, community and digital.
Find out more and book your place.
Unleashing rapid, user-centric delivery in healthcare and medtech
Leeds, 29 April, 8.30am - 10.30am
Join industry-leading experts for actionable insights over breakfast, connect with peers, and gain the edge to lead digital transformation in healthcare.
This free strategic forum, part of the Leeds Digital Festival 2025, is designed to help you break bottlenecks, enhance user-centric design, drive collaboration, and deploy digital solutions faster and more securely.
Find out more and register your place here.
Tech for Good: How the tech sector is providing the technology, skills and expertise to deliver social impact
Leeds, 30 April, 12pm - 2pm
This free event hosted by techUK and others, brings together tech leaders, public and third sector partners and key stakeholders who are focused on how technology can be used to work with different sectors to help tackle some of the most pressing social and sustainability challenges in our communities.
Find out more and register to attend.
Design in Mental Health
Manchester, 3-4 June
Design in Mental Health is the annual Conference, Exhibition and Awards dedicated to advancing the cause of good design in mental health settings, and is organised with Design in Mental Health Network, a UK charity dedicated to improving mental health outcomes by promoting co-produced, evidence-based design of care environments.
Find out more and book your pass to attend.
Meet the Investors
Glasgow, 17 June, 2pm - 5pm
This is one of a series of free events organised by techUK, and will look to address one of the key challenges identified in their Autumn report on UK Tech SMEs – namely, access to scale-up finance.
Featuring a mix of keynotes addresses and a panel discussion, investors who work in and around Glasgow will share their experience.
Find out more and get tickets here.
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We hope you have enjoyed this Newsletter. Please feel free to forward on to any contacts you have who you think will find it useful.
If you have received this Newsletter from a colleague and would like to be added to our direct mailing list, please contact us and we will make sure you receive the next issue in May.
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