Scottish government funds 500,000 GBP competition for type 1 diabetes technology

The Scottish Government has launched a new £500,000 competition to fund innovative new technology for people with type 1 diabetes.
One in 20 people in Scotland have diabetes, with 268,154 people (five per cent of the population) recorded on local diabetes registers in 2013. People with type 1 diabetes account for roughly 11 per cent of the diabetic population.
The competitio, called the “Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI)”, is open to companies of all sizes. Companies are encouraged to develop an innovative process, device, product, material or service that will benefit those with type 1 diabetes.
50 per cent of funding for SBRI will come from the Scottish Government, while the other 50 per cent will be provided by Scottish Enterprise.
The news has been welcomed by JRDF, the type 1 diabetes charity. Peter Jones, Chair of JDRF’s Development Group in Scotland believes this competition is “a welcome step forward”.
“Scotland faces a huge challenge in terms of type 1, with incidence amongst the highest in the world,” said Jones. “This is a welcome step forward and it is particularly pleasing to see Government engaging with Scotland’s renowned research and development community in an effort to improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes.
“JDRF have been calling for funds like this to be established for many years and I have personally written to the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Scottish Enterprise to thank them for their support.”