Mindset

The programme is helping to catalyse the growth of immersive digital mental health solutions in the UK. By funding projects that develop therapeutic interventions, Mindset is establishing a supportive ecosystem to facilitate the market entry of these innovations.

Through fostering collaboration between the immersive technology sector and mental health providers, Mindset aims to accelerate treatment by leveraging immersive digital therapies to offer faster and more accessible support for individuals with mental health concerns.

Two NI companies have been announced as winners from the latest round of Innovate UK Mindset funding.

In the category for low-cost VR for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within routine mental health care settings, Propeer Solutions Ltd were awarded funding for their VR platform which enhances PTSD treatment by immersing patients in realistic environments which has the potential to reduce therapy times and improve outcomes.

Find out more at: https://lnkd.in/eP7BpzFR

And in the category VR: pioneering advances in addiction recovery, NI company Life Process Program Ltd were awarded funding for their groundbreaking suite of VR experiences, designed to enhance the effectiveness of an established online addiction recovery programme.

These awards were part of round two funding in which HIRANI were delighted to partner with UK Research and Innovation and Health Innovation Network South London to promote and bring the opportunity to Northern Ireland.

“During round one of the Mindset funding there were no NI applications and the HIRANI team developed a close strategic relationship with the Innovate UK Mindset team and we proactively promoted and ran events to matchmake proposals and showcased the competition as it was launched.

“This resulted in a number of applications and we are very happy that these two excellent projects have been successfully funded.

“Not only is this reaching back into academia and connecting researchers to new tech companies to pivot into mental health, it also raises the profile of this need in NI and creates new discussion forums,” said HIRANI CEO, Joann Rhodes MBA.

The funding from Innovate UK’s £20 million Mindset programme is driving the growth of immersive digital mental health solutions in the UK. By supporting projects that develop therapeutic interventions, Mindset is building a robust ecosystem to bring these innovations to market.

Round three of funding will open in October 2024 and make sure you are signed up to the HIRANI newsletter (www.hira-ni.com) for more details.

Through fostering collaboration between the immersive technology sector and mental health providers, Mindset aims to improve treatment options, offering faster, more cost effective and accessible support for individuals with mental health concerns.

Find out more about the Mindset programme and sign up to the Mindset newsletter at https://healthinnovationnetwork.com/resources/mindset-xr-innovation-support-programme/

Find out more about all the successfully funded companies at https://www.ukri.org/news/innovate-uk-invests-3-2m-to-improve-mental-health-services/