Sectors
Digital Health
The Digital Health sector is a major focus for R&D Grant Funding across both the UK and Europe.
We have been actively supporting Digital Health innovators for 20+ years. In 2025 alone, we successfully raised over £1.5m for our clients in healthcare delivery and patient outcomes who are developing cutting edge solutions to critical challenges.
Research Teams, founders and innovators can leverage non-dilutive funding to scale or test new ideas in health technologies. Opportunities include, but are not limited to, optimising healthcare resource allocation, reducing patient backlogs and enhancing mental health support, and training Artificial Intelligence to improve clinical decision-making and communication.
Non-dilutive Funding for Digital Health
Public Funding for research teams and innovation-led businesses operating in the Digital Health sector offers multiple benefits:
- Non-dilutive Funding for Digital Health: R&D Grant Funding allows Digital Health innovators to retain their equity while securing necessary funding for technology development work
- Risk Reduction for Digital Health: R&D Grant Funding supports early-stage and high-risk prototyping, testing and development work
- Bridging the Gap for Digital Health: R&D Grant Funding helps overcome the “valley of death” between prototype development and real-world adoption (a key concept from Crossing the Chasm)
- Essential Testing Support for Digital Health: R&D Grants can fund costly patient and clinician testing vital for usability and acceptance (PPIE)
- Appealing to Investors for Digital Health: R&D Grants can fund activities that are costly and risky, making startups more attractive to private investors later
- Market Access & Cost Reduction for Digital Health: R&D Grant Funding covers costs related to international partnerships, collaborative R&D, staff wages, and subcontractors
- Funding for Clinical Trials and Certification for Digital Health: Late-stage Innovation Loans (for example) can be used to cover costs of clinical trials and regulatory compliance
The EU Commission views Digital Health as a strategic priority. The EU focuses funding on real-world adoption of Digital Health solutions, emphasising interoperability, ethical AI, and regulatory alignment via Horizon Europe: Cluster 1, EU4Health, and the European Health Data Space (EHDS), backed by over €810 million in direct Commission funding to support these initiatives.
The UK government views Digital Health as a strategic priority and invests heavily into this sector through Innovate UK and UKRI Health and Life Sciences Strategy. This commitment is underscored by a planned £2.3 billion real-terms increase in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) capital budget by 2029-30. This is backed by key policies like the 2023 MedTech Strategy, AI and Data Strategy, Data Saves Lives initiative and the MHRA Health Technology Regulatory Reform Roadmap to drive innovation and NHS transformation.
Success Stories
SBRI – £1.2m SBRI Funding Won for 3 Digital Health SMEs
Venturenomix is proud to announce securing £1.2million in funding through the SBRI Healthcare competitions in Q1 2025. Our clients CardMedic, Brain In Hand and Doc Abode successfully secured the funding through separate applications in two rounds of SBRI – advancing NHS-aligned digital health innovations.
Digital Health themes for grant funding
Digital Health innovators tackling the following priority areas and challenges, can expect to benefit from R&D grant funding, innovation loans, contracts for innovation and other non-dilutive funding:
- Health Data Infrastructure & Interoperability
- Artificial Intelligence & Advanced Analytics
- Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Drug Discovery, Digital Platforms for Cancer Prevention & Accelerated Clinical Development
- Personalised & Precision Medicine, including Cancer Innovations
- Patient Empowerment, Telehealth & Digital Inclusion
- Cybersecurity & Trustworthy Health Systems
- Digital Health Workforce Development & Literacy
- Data-Driven Public Health, Prevention & Chronic Disease Management (including Cancer and aging-related diseases)
- Health Innovation Ecosystems, Ethics & Regulatory Frameworks
This is not a definitive list, and other innovative digital health solutions may also qualify for R&D grant funding.
Digital Health funding programmes and funders
Digital Health companies are eligible for R&D Grant Funding, Innovation Loans, Contracts for Innovation Procurement and other forms of non-dilutive funding.
Available funding for Digital Health innovators includes:
- Innovate UK – Through Open Calls (between £100k and £2m in funding per call), Thematic Calls such as the Digital Health Technology Catalyst (DHTC) (£300k to £1m funding), Innovation Loans up to £2m in funding, and Investor Partnerships with up to £2m in grant + equity funding
- Public Health Research Programme (PHR) – Through Open Calls and Commissioned Calls (between £300k and £2m funding)
- EUREKA: Through Eurostars (€360k funding per partner)
- EIC: Pathfinder early-stage grants of €1m+ and EIC Accelerator offering €500k to €2.5m in grant (and up to €15m in equity funding). EIC also offers Step-Up funding
- Other funding options include: Horizons Europe Pillar II Cluster 1: Health Collaborative Calls (between €1m and €20m+), and others besides.
Winning Grant Funding for Digital Health
“I am proud to have helped Brain in Hand secure over £2 million to fund their innovative digital platform for people with autism and over £1 million for CardMedic supporting translation in clinical settings. Advising on Digital Health grants is both rewarding and intellectually engaging – it means translating complex ideas across medicine, engineering, and tech into clear, persuasive proposals. This process enables innovators to secure crucial funding to develop impactful solutions that improve healthcare outcomes.”
Here at Venturenomix we see grant funding playing a vital role at every stage, from startups developing prototypes, to scaling companies refining smart, automated solutions.
Ready to explore funding options? Book a no obligations meeting now.
Sophie Glaser-Deruelle
Digital Health Sector Expert
