Kidney Research UK: Transforming Dialysis Competition

Kidney Research UK’s Dialysis Competition aims to accelerate the development and availability of transformational innovations which will improve the lives of kidney patients receiving haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Kidney Research UK are seeking to fund research projects that will:

• Advance the equipment, monitoring and access for dialysis patients 
• Address the symptoms and the harmful side effects of dialysis 
• Support dialysis patients to self-monitor and self-manage their physical or mental health in a safe and reliable way 
• Provide new interventions to improve shared decision-making for patients, carers and health professionals
• Demonstrate potential cost benefits or cost reduction associated with dialysis 
• Reduce the environmental impact of dialysis 
• Support dialysis patients who have multiple health conditions who may experience fragmented care pathways: in particular, poorly served and under-represented groups
• Improve the quality of life for dialysis patients 

This competition will identify the innovations and people who can help realise this ambition, by providing support for the next stage of development, through the training offered by the academy programme and by continued engagement with Kidney Research UK to explore future investment and collaboration towards use in the clinic or in the community.

Projects which are out of scope: Drug discovery research and qualitative research 

The Awards:

The Dialysis Competition offers six awards, worth £30,000 each, to transform dialysis for kidney patients. Each successful applicant will receive £25,000 to progress their innovation, and attendance for two representatives at an academy programme worth £5,000. The academy programme has been designed to introduce the process of commercialisation to research scientists, developers and engineers in an accessible way within an enjoyable and supportive team-based environment. Feedback from previous participants includes: 

• “A fantastic programme to get scientists thinking in the commercial headspace. Gives you confidence that you could undertake the spin-out process” 
• “Excellent - I appreciate the first hand experience with start ups.”

The academy programme will commence in Spring 2023 and comprises online and face-to-face training sessions.

How to Apply: Applications are welcome from research scientists, developers and engineers who are funded by organisations, institutes and SMEs. The lead applicant must be UK based. Full details on eligibility are included in the Essential Information document. Please download this Submission Form to apply. To submit your proposal, please visit our website, discover.in-part.com, register, and submit as a Research Project under the appropriate Discover campaign.