Blog

Forging strong working partnerships with different types of organisations is fundamental to the IKC’s success. It supports our core aim of translating new medtech innovation and allows us to learn and share good practice.

Our partnership with Arthritis Research UK on their medical technologies proof of concept programme is a great example. The IKC helps to assess funding applications and advises researchers on how to develop and ‘de-risk’ projects. Arthritis Research UK has particular strengths in ensuring projects are designed in consultation with patients, which is key to this process.

The medtech programme, now running since 2014, enables the charity to deliver more commercially-focused research alongside its fundamental research programmes, attracting
researchers who might not otherwise have approached the charity. Orlando Arnold is Arthritis Research UK’s Income Transformational Lead. He says: “We support millions of people who are suffering from arthritis – and while our core focus remains on scientific research and direct services, we recognise that the benefits from that work might not be realised for some time. It’s therefore important that we also pursue innovative and novel projects where we can deliver impact more quickly, and that’s where our partnership with the IKC has been really beneficial.”