UKRI Proof of concept funding supports early to mid-stage commercialisation activities that support and enable the commercial application of existing research.
The two project teams have been awarded the competitive Proof of Concept funding to provide a commercial pathway for highly promising novel research.
Addressing the unmet healthcare need of incontinence associated dermatitis
Professor Toby Jenkins and Dr Naing Tun Thet, Commercialisation Fellow, both from the Department of Chemistry will be developing technology related to the market areas of adult incontinence, infant care, and wound care.
They will initially focus on adult incontinence to address a significant healthcare need: Incontinence Associated Dermatitis (IAD). This is the market sector with highest growth and where their new technology can have the greatest impact. They have developed a product technology called ‘Probiosooth’ – a low-cost, probiotic-coated, non-woven textile that is compatible with existing care. The probiotic-modified fabric rectangles are placed on the skin of incontinent people who use pads to prevent IAD.
IAD is skin damage caused by bacteria, yeasts and enzymes in contact with skin. In incontinent adults it can be very serious as IAD can lead to large scale skin and tissue breakdown in the peri-anal area, exacerbating other conditions such as pressure ulcers, and reduced mobility. Professor Jenkins says:
Over 300 million people worldwide and 14 million in the UK live with incontinence, with up to 40% of them experiencing IAD. This often leads to further skin infections and tissue breakdown. Probiosooth is a natural product technology that prevents IAD and subsequent skin infections through probiotic bacteria attaching to the skin-contacting non-woven fabric.
Identifying pressure hotspots to safely reposition Intensive Care patients
A further project addressing an unmet clinical need is being led by Dr Alexander Lunt, Department of Mechanical Engineering. The UKRI Proof of Concept funding builds on his validated BathMat prototype; an inflatable cushion that helps staff safely reposition proned patients and which is currently being clinically trialled at 4 NHS trusts across the UK.
By embedding pressure sensing into this existing capability, the system is transformed into an intelligent, closed-loop tool that can accurately identify and eliminate pressure hotspots, allowing automated repositioning and real-time monitoring.
Proned ventilation [the manual positioning of patients on their stomach] is a widely used Intensive Care intervention that improves oxygenation and survival in patients with respiratory failure. However, it carries major risks due to the extended periods that patients are positioned on their front. Dr Lunt says:
Pressure ulcers remain a costly and harmful complication, causing significant patient harm and extended hospital stays that substantially increase NHS costs. Current solutions rely on manual repositioning of patients, which is labour-intensive and can lead to complications for both patients and staff. There is a clear market gap for a system to detect and relieve pressure points in real time at an effective cost. We look forward to the commercialisation of our BathMat prototype to help support these vulnerable patients and improve their outcomes after a stay in intensive care.
Developing a toolkit to demonstrate audience engagement for content creators
The University of Bath and the University of Bristol were successful in receiving a joint UKRI PoC award to develop a commercial interface to their Audience Insights toolkit developed during the MyWorld project; a government funded initiative to catalyse growth in the West of England’s vibrant creative technology industry.
Professor Danaë Stanton Fraser, Principal Investigator for the University of Bath, is applying her expertise in cognitive psychology in analysing audience responses to creative content including film, television and gaming. She is collaborating with Professor Iain Gilchrist and Katie Martin from the University of Bristol.
This cognitive neuroscience-based approach, alongside sophisticated machine learning techniques and advanced sensor technologies, involves heart rate monitoring, brain activity (mobile EEG), skin conductance (GSR), movement sensors, and remote camera monitoring. The result is moment-by-moment measures of audience engagement in an accessible form. Professor Stanton Fraser says:
The project is based on the results of over 15 years of research and has the capability to deliver a step-change in the quality and reliability of audience measurement. We have developed continuous measures using wearable and remote sensor technologies into a toolkit which we have successfully tested within live venues. This new funding enables the development of an accessible interface and pilot projects of use with film companies.
The audience work package provides clear insights to content creators of when audiences are no longer engaged or interested and when they are. This gives confidence in editing decisions to improve audience impact and engagement, reducing financial risk.
The team has gone through the Innovate UK ICURe programme and plans to create a spinout from the Proof of Concept funding in order to adapt to the market, commercialising and scaling their software platform which will be accompanied with light-touch service provision.
Technology Transfer team
The Technology Transfer team at the University of Bath provides dedicated research commercialisation support.
See the UKRI announcement on the newly awarded projects.