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Innovation in Health Delivery

What’s happening in this area?

September 2009

• The HRC have released the investment signal for their new Research for New Zealand Health Delivery funding pool, which provides $25 m over 3 years.
• MoRST has produced a series of short videos to support implementation of this investment stream.
• Hive, a new on-line 'Health Innovation Exchange' forum is now live and open for your contributions at www.hive.org.nz. An initiative of the National Institute for Health Innovation and commissioned by the Ministry of Health, the hive aims to connect people working in the health and technology sectors and help turn ideas into practice. It will be launched formally at the Health Information NZ meeting on September 30.
• The Minister of RS&T, Hon Dr Wayne Mapp, spoke at the University of Otago's Christchurch Medical School on 14 August outlining his priorities for the science system and the role of health research in this. His speech is available here.
• Entries have now closed for NZTE Focus on Health business development challenge. Selected semi-finalists will be invited to ‘pitch’ to a panel of judges in late September.

May 2009

• Budget 2009 provided an additional $32 million (over four years) for health research to be invested by the HRC. $10 million of this will go toward the HRC's new 2009/10 investment stream: Research for New Zealand Health Delivery.  Further information about this can be found here.
• In late April the HRC Board agreed on a new model for its annual funding round investment process. This includes a two stage application process and the use of targeted investment streams.  The model will be implemented in stages, with the first new investment stream 'Research for New Zealand Health Delivery' to be available for the 2009/10 funding round.  Further information is available on the HRC web site.
• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has launched a commercialisation and business development initiative - Focus on Health - A New Zealand Innovation Challenge.  This aims to help New Zealand based firms, researchers and entrepreneurs to maximise opportunities in the growing United States health market.  Workshops are scheduled in the main centres for mid June.
• The New Zealand Health Innovation Awards, supported by the Ministry of Health and ACC, are now a biennial event, with the next one scheduled for 2010.

March 2009 

Research and innovation investment

• A new MoRST report provides a landscape of New Zealand’s Health delivery research pointing to public investment of around $38 million for 2007/08, around 27% of total health-related R&D funded by government. This research is mainly applied, focused on improving people's health by applying knowledge, or improving efficiency in health and disability services.  It is funded mainly by the HRC and central government departments including the Ministry of Health.
• The HRC is reviewing its investment processes.  One objective for the proposed changes is to strengthen the impact of research for New Zealand's health sector.  Consultation on the new investment model closed on March 2nd, 2009.
• The Primary Care Innovations Fund administered through District Health Boards (DHB) New Zealand has completed the second and final round of funding.  This funding pool of $6 million was made available in 2007 to support the sustainability and uptake of innovation within the New Zealand primary health care sector.  Applications for the 2009/2010 Rural Innovations Fund opened in February with applications accepted by 27 March.
• The District health Board Research Fund recently announced funding for eight projects aimed at meeting the health needs of the DHBs.  All eight projects rely on translational research approaches.
• The Strategy to Advance Research (STAR) project is one of three research development initiatives funded by the Tertiary Education Commission’s Building Research Capability in Strategically Relevant Areas fund.  The STAR project began in 2007 and is now midterm. It aims to improve research capability and collaborative research capacity in the nursing and allied health disciplines.  With a theme of ‘reducing the burden of chronic conditions’, its second funding round closed recently at the end of February.

Building skills and collaboration networks

• The Innov’08 Weaving Innovation into Health summit was held in November 2008.  Attracting 350 local and international practitioners, innovators, academics and policymakers, the forum was an opportunity to explore all aspects of health innovation.  New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and the Ministry of Health organised the summit.   
• The HRC is holding its annual hui from 26 – 27 March, at the Waipuna in Auckland.  The hui are aimed at those with an interest in Māori health and Māori health research.  The theme of the hui is kanohi ki te kanohi with a central focus on knowledge connections.  The hui will hakawhitiwhiti korero – the presentation of unique and innovative ideas in health research and different ways of working.

Medical Technology and Commercialisation

• Developments toward ‘health innovation' hubs or centres are in progress in three DHBs -  Counties-Manukau, Capital and Coast, and Canterbury. Each is in partnership with local economic development and tertiary education organisations.  While still in planning stages, these are expected to provide support for partnerships between DHBs, firms and research organisations for applied research, clinical testing and health technology commercialisation.
• NZBio released an overview of New Zealand’s Medical Technologies sector in February.  It identifies around 89 medical technology companies in New Zealand employing around 2840 people.  The sector contributes an estimated $1.1 billion to the economy and the report projects this to grow to $2.9 billion in 3 to 5 years.  The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology and NZTE jointly supported the report.
• Approaches to supporting the growth of the health innovation industry will be suggested in work to be commissioned in March by NZTE.  Further information is available from George Arnold on 09 354 9161.