The Centre for Health Technologies (CHT) is a distinctive technology-focused hub at the University of Southampton. Working closely with University Hospital Southampton, CHT is interdisciplinary, bringing together researchers from engineering, the physical sciences, computer science/artificial intelligence (AI), and maths, with those from medicine and health and life sciences, to promote the early-stage development of practical, clinically relevant technologies. Its integrated approach facilitates clinicians, academics and researchers to co-create solutions to real-world healthcare challenges.
Formed in 2018, CHT has run under the auspices of the School of Electronics and Computer Science (ECS), supporting early-stage innovation through student design projects, seed funding, and collaborative research. Its annual event, Clinicians Meet Engineers, has sparked partnerships that have led to novel diagnostic tools, digital health platforms and AI-based predictive models.
The Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences (FEPS) is central to this work, contributing expertise in machine learning and AI, sensors, prosthetics, human–computer interaction and health data systems. With a strong culture of applied research and direct links to clinical services, we are pleased to see CHT as a FEPS centre, in collaboration with the Faculty of Environmental and Life Sciences (FELS), the Faculty of Medicine and Maths, adopt an expanded CHT to drive innovation in health.
Objectives
Our priority areas are aligned with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) healthcare technologies strategy of ‘improving population health and prevention’, ‘transforming prediction and early diagnosis, and ‘discovering and accelerating the development of new interventions’. Our objectives are:
- to act as a catalyst for new collaborations and partnerships in the space of health technologies, by:
- supporting networking for focused early Technology Readiness Level (TRL) bids to funders, primarily EPSRC via connectivity grants, hub awards, standard mode and programme grants, as well as European Union (EU) and other funders
- broader networking events such as our annual Clinicians Meet Engineers (CME), and new more focused quarterly meetings, for example, related to specific funding calls
- to facilitate Research Excellence Framework (REF) impact cases and narratives by providing a framework to relate core research to larger, real-world problems