Access to facilities

SMEs and large companies still often have difficulty accessing cost-effective manufacturing facilities that allow them to cross the chasm from one-off on-the-bench prototypes to batches of 10 or 100 mass-manufacturable products. Tay Health Tech will offer cost-effective access to the manufacturing facilities at the University of Dundee, which include precision machining for the manufacture of prosthetics and/or catheters for example. The MDMC will provide manufacturing facilities in smart systems electronic integration and wireless communications of medical devices so that industry and academia can get access to the full range of technologies necessary for today’s devices.

To increase the chances of successful clinical trials and accelerate adoption of medical devices into clinical settings, the University of Dundee will also provide greater access to their soft-embalmed cadaveric models (Thiel cadavers) and image-guidance facilities (MRI, ultrasound) and assist companies navigate ethical approval.

Access to data

The ability for companies and researchers to access data related to the health characteristics of the East of Scotland population is a formidable asset and will be facilitated via the Health Informatics Centre (HIC) at the University of Dundee.

HIC recognises the importance of protecting sensitive health data and all services provided by HIC are delivered within an ISO27001 certified secure environment which ensures that data is managed safely, used ethically and in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Through this environment, HIC provides a de-identification service to ensure privacy, and electronic data capture offering a web-based secure, user friendly and intuitive self-service. HIC also provides data hosting and management facilities that will be of significant use by approved academic and industrial partners. Importantly, it maintains a sole source of truth for clinical dataset definitions across an entire project. This will enable secure collaboration and data sharing across dispersed teams and multi- centre studies, thereby amplifying impact of results.

Access to networks

Tay Health Tech offers a unique route into numerous networks and resources through our collaboration, strengthening the triple helix of academia, industry and the NHS. Whether BioDundee, InnoScot Health, MDMC, or NHS Tayside, Tay Health Tech can bring you together with public, private, academic and third sector organisations.

Medical Device Regulations

To translate research into practice (innovation), data and device regulatory requirements must be considered at an early stage in product development cycles. Without the understanding of these requirements, opportunities to collect data and evidence during the creation of products and services will be lost, and avoidable mistakes in the use of sensitive data may be made.

Tay Health Tech will provide a programme of education in regulatory affairs, provided by experts from BSI, NIHR, NHS, InnoScot Health and MDMC, that will give a broad understanding of regulatory approval pathways and effective adoption & management of technology in the NHS. Information on these sessions will be on the Tay Health Tech website and LinkedIn.

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