Welcome to the September issue of our newsletter.
This month, we offer our congratulations to the latest cohort of organisations who have been awarded funding for Round 3 of Innovate UK’s Mindset Programme.
Lord Patrick Vallance, in his role as Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, said of the latest Mindset cohort, "These projects are shining examples of how innovation can transform people’s quality of life, by helping those with severe mental health conditions to take on everyday tasks that can otherwise feel impossible.
From smart glasses helping those with debilitating depression to navigate through the day to games helping children to build their social skills, we are supporting teams across the UK to build cutting-edge tech that unlocks opportunity, supports the NHS and grows our economy."
Minister for Mental Health, Baroness Merron added, "By embracing new tech, we’re improving lives and reducing pressure on the NHS to make healthcare fit for the future, as part of our Plan for Change."
Dr Cynthia Bullock Director, Healthy Lives at Innovate UK said, "Through this latest Mindset investment, we’re fostering powerful collaborations between the UK’s immersive technology sector and mental health providers, moving beyond general wellbeing tools toward innovative treatments for people with mental health conditions."
Amanda Begley, Director of Digital and Transformation at the Health Innovation Network South London, welcomes the Round 3 winners in our latest blog, and also reflects on the impact of the programme so far.
For this issue's company spotlight, we introduce Sketchbook Games, who are aiming to make mental health support more accessible, relatable and engaging. They believe that XR delivers therapeutic content in a flexible, scalable format that reaches beyond clinical settings, including remote or underserved communities with limited access to in-person services.
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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We've kicked off the first of our 2025 UK-wide Mindset roadshow events in Leeds, and we're excited to be travelling the length and breadth of the country.
You can still catch us in Exeter, Belfast, Dundee, Cardiff and London, and full details of the events and how you can get free tickets are below.
The roadshows provide a space where innovators, mental health professionals, people with lived experience and others can share how they are using immersive technology to transform mental health services, support people to improve their wellbeing and develop evidence-based solutions that work.
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We're so looking forward to meeting people across the country who want to find out more about extended reality for mental health, and why we believe that emerging extended reality technologies offer real hope for the millions of people impacted by mental illness in the UK.
2025 Mindset-XR Innovation in Mental Health Roadshow - South West England
Thursday 25 September
Exeter
Confirmed speaker:
- Nick Peres, Director of Digital Innovation and Transformation at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, and Honorary Associate Professor, University of Plymouth
Find out more and book your free ticket.
2025 Mindset-XR Innovation in Mental Health Roadshow - Northern Ireland
Tuesday 30 September
Central Belfast
- This event will feature speakers from the Northern Ireland Department of Health, leading university researchers in digital mental health and community organisations delivering frontline support
Find out more and book your free ticket.
2025 Mindset-XR Innovation in Mental Health Roadshow - Scotland
Thursday 2 October
Dundee
Confirmed speakers:
- Chris Wright, National Advisor for Digital Mental Health at the Scottish Government and Head of Digital Mental Health Programme
- Matthew Hoad Robson, Founder and CEO, TendVR
- Brian Baglow, Founder, Scottish Games Network
- Steph Wright, Head of Scottish AI Alliance
Find out more and book your free ticket.
2025 Mindset-XR Innovation in Mental Health Roadshow - Wales
Thursday 16 October
Cardiff
Find out more and book your free ticket.
2025 Mindset-XR Innovation in Mental Health Roadshow - London and South East
Thursday 23 October
London - SOLD OUT
Confirmed speakers:
- Mary Doherty, National Clinical Director for Adult Mental Health for NHS England
- Professor Andrew George, Chair of the Health Innovation Network South London and Chair of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust
Click here to be added to the waiting list.
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In our September blog, Amanda Begley, Director of Digital and Transformation at the Health Innovation Network South London, welcomes the latest Mindset cohort who have been awarded funding from Innovate UK and discusses why mental health innovation matters.
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This month, our company spotlight is on Sketchbook Games.
Mark Backler, Sketchbook Games founder, shares insights about the company and tells us how their games make mental health support more accessible, relatable, and engaging.
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You can find out more about the Mindset-XR Innovator Support Programme by checking our dedicated webpages.
We have recently refreshed our project pages by theming innovators on the Mindset-XR Innovator Support Programme into areas of clinical focus.
Elsewhere on the webpage, you'll find every blog we have published since the start of the programme, alongside recordings of our webinars, information on all our partners, the latest news and a range of other useful resources.
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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, headquartered in the UK, and keen to explore opportunities in APAC, look no further.
Find out more here.
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NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellowship
The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) Fellowship Programme is for innovators, clinicians, and healthcare professionals who have developed a validated solution that can improve patient care and transform the NHS.
Applications are now open for the 2026 intake and you can find out more details including eligibility criteria, advice on completing the application form and a full set of FAQs in the Resource Library on this webpage.
There are also two 'Meet the NIA' sessions in early October which you can join to find out more.
The closing date for applications is Sunday 12 October.
Applications are now open to Accelerating Femtech: Evaluate
Applications are open for Accelerating FemTech: Evaluate, an Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Accelerator delivered by the Health Innovation Network South London, with key partners from across the UK.
The 10-week hybrid programme supports women’s health innovations with a technological readiness level (TRL) of 4 or above that are looking to prove their impact.
Participants will access expert-led workshops and webinars, in-person residential learning days, one-to-one business support, tailored mentoring, and opportunities to connect with key stakeholders across healthcare.
The programme will aim to support up to 10 innovations for women's health. These innovations should have the potential to address current challenges in women's health and other conditions that affect women differently or disproportionately.
Applications close 11:59pm on Sunday 28 September.
You can find out more about the programme, including the full eligibility criteria, and apply here.
DigitalHealth.London Global is now live
DigitalHealth.London is building global partnerships to help Londoners gain faster access to promising digital health innovations from around the world.
Alongside the launch, there is a new regional webinar series for innovators which will provide an introduction to a series of different regional markets potentially well-suited to existing UK-based digital health companies.
Each webinar will feature local industry experts and advice on conducting international business in the region. The first of these is taking place next Wednesday and the focus will be on Canada.
Find out more about DigitalHealth.London Global here.
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Navigating regulations for digital mental health technologies
Monday 13 October, 12.45pm - 6pm, London
Join this free in-person event in London which aims to address the regulatory challenges innovators in digital health are currently facing.
Representatives from NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the British Standards Institute will be holding panel discussions throughout the day, and there will be opportunities to network afterwards.
Find out more and get your free ticket here.
BMJ Future Health
Thursday 6 November - Friday 7 November, London
The Health Innovation Network South London is a proud partner of this year’s BMJ Future Health conference. Get ready for two days filled with keynotes, workshops and interactive sessions. This year’s content pillars are:
- Practical adoption of AI in healthcare
- Redesigning clinical pathways through virtual and preventative care
- Workforce & Digital skills in healthcare
- Driving frontline adoption and use of digital health
- Addressing health inequalities through Digital Innovation
- Leadership and culture
Find out more and book your ticket here and if you use the code HINSLFH20 you'll get 20% off the standard rate.
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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 October.
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