Innovation Funding Call

In September 2024, SWAG Cancer Alliance, in partnership with Health Innovation West of England, launched a funding call to support the adoption and spread of innovations that improve earlier diagnosis in cancer care.

This initiative is part of our commitment to building a culture of innovation, a vital step toward achieving earlier cancer diagnosis and better outcomes for patients. We encouraged applications from across the system, including:

  • Primary and Secondary Care organisations
  • Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) groups
  • Social Care organisations
  • Other system stakeholders

We welcomed collaborative proposals that addressed local priorities and supported the NHS Long Term Plan goal of diagnosing 75% of cancers at stages 1 and 2 by 2028.

Applications were reviewed by a multi-disciplinary panel, including patients, clinicians, managers, ICB reps, and Health Innovation Network colleagues with commercial understanding, and assessed against the criteria. As a result of this, we have funded seven projects:

GALEAS Bladder Cancer Urine Test - Nonacus

Organisation(s):SWAG-wide

Aim: To improve the pathway for patients referred with non-visible haematuria by providing a less invasive test which is completed in the patient's home, freeing up capacity for clinicians and reducing the reliance on cystoscopies.

What it means for patients: This test could reduce the need for uncomfortable procedures like cystoscopy, save time, and make the process less stressful, while helping doctors spot potential signs of cancer earlier. 

Timeline: Mobilising Summer 2025 and evaluation expected Autumn 2026.

Prostate MRI AI Tool

Organisation(s): Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Aim: Deploy an MRI AI tool to accelerate and standardise the prostate cancer diagnostic pathway, increasing accuracy and reducing variability in detection.

What it means for patients: Men being tested for prostate cancer could get quicker, more reliable results, reducing anxiety and helping ensure the right treatment is started sooner. 

Timeline: Procurement process to be completed in Autumn 2025, Software to be live by March 2026 and evaluation expected in Summer 2027.

GI Genius Intelligent Endoscopy Module

Organisation(s): Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Aim: Assess the potential role and impact of introducing AI with GI Genius to support Trainee Endoscopists and Newly Trained Endoscopists maximise accuracy and early disease detection during colonoscopy, including colorectal cancers.

What it means for patients: This tool helps to detect pre-cancerous disease and colorectal cancer earlier, and it enables newer or less experienced endoscopists undertake the procedure with greater accuracy, leading to faster diagnosis and better outcomes.

Timeline: Due to be live Sept 2025 and evaluation expected in Autumn 2026.

Pi - Lucida Medical Prostate AI MRI Tool

Organisation(s): Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (already deployed in Somerset NHS Foundation Trust)

Aim: Deploy Pi to accelerate and standardise the prostate cancer diagnostic pathway, increasing accuracy and reducing variability in detection on MRI. The software analyses MRI scans automatically and gives each scan a risk score from one to five to indicate the likelihood of cancer, supporting clinicians prioritisation and decision making.

What it means for patients: The tool helps ensure that all patients receive the same high-quality scan interpretation, no matter where they are seen, reducing delays and uncertainty. 

Timeline: Mobilising summer 2025, go live in Autumn 2025 and evaluation due Autumn 2026.

CHiP Lite Boxes SurgEase

Organisation(s): SWAG-wide

Aim: To reduce inappropriate removal of polyps and streamline the pathway by providing expertise and training through real-time clinical video support during upper and lower GI screening and diagnostic cancer endoscopy. The platform allows endoscopy teams across SWAG to connect while completing procedures to obtain expert opinions and facilitate training and supervision.

What it means for patients: Remote expert support means better care during complex procedures, fewer unnecessary treatments, and more accurate diagnosis, especially in smaller or rural hospitals.

Timeline: Mobilising Summer 2025, go live in Autumn 2025 and evaluation due Autumn 2026.

ColoMax with Certus Technology

Organisation(s): SWAG-wide (including Swindon)

Aim: Conduct an analysis to optimise the 28-day referral pathway for colorectal cancer diagnosis by understanding the potential impact of COLOFIT, colon capsule endoscopy (CCE), creating demand and capacity modelling based on the analysis. The analysis will support directing patients into non-colonoscopy first-line tests where appropriate, freeing up capacity to support the roll out of FIT@80 within the screening programme.

What it means for patients: This work will help ensure people are directed to the right test more quickly, reducing waiting times and making the system more efficient for everyone. 

Timeline: Project live in Winter 2025 with final demand and capacity analysis due to be available Summer 2026.

Cyted Health - EndoSign Capsule Sponge

Organisation(s): Two GP practices: Gloucestershire ICB and Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (BSW) ICB.

Aim: Case-finding using capsule sponge in primary care for early diagnosis of Barrett's Oesophagus, which is a pre-cursor to oesophageal cancer. GP practices will run searches based on symptoms which could be indicative of Barrett's Oesophagus - these patients will then be invited in for capsule sponge test.

What it means for patients: This test is quick, simple, and can be done in a local surgery, making it easier to diagnose Barrett’s Oesophagus in primary care, without needing a hospital referral. 

Timeline: Both practices have been live since 2024/25 and are on track to have seen the 300 patients (total) target by October 2025 with the final evaluation report due March 2026.

What is a funding call?

A funding call is an open invitation for organisations to apply for financial support to develop or expand projects that align with specific goals, in this case, innovations that improve early cancer diagnosis.

Applicants submit proposals outlining their ideas, expected impact, and how the funding will be used. Successful bids receive funding to implement their projects within a defined timeframe.

Funding details

  • Maximum funding per project: £75,000
  • Funding type: Non-recurrent, revenue
  • Project duration: 12 - 18 months
  • Evaluation: Projects will undergo independent evaluation where appropriate, to be completed within 2 years of the funding being awarded.

Funding priorities

We focused on later-stage innovations ready for adoption or spread, particularly those that:

  • Had been implemented outside the SWAG area with proven benefits and were now ready to be adopted
  • Had been successfully implemented within SWAG and were ready to scale across the region

We prioritised projects that:

  • Targeted high-volume late-stage cancer types
    • Oesophagael
    • Lung
    • Pancreatic
    • Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
  • Addressed health inequalities, especially in CORE20PLUS and inclusion health groups

Key Assessment Criteria

Innovation Readiness

  • CE mark for medical devices
  • Compliance with NICE standards and DTAC for digital health technologies

Collaboration & Engagement

  • Cross-sector collaboration (e.g. Primary Care, VCSE, patient groups)
  • Evidence of patient/service user engagement

Benefits to Pathways & Patients

  • Clear impact on earlier diagnosis
  • Evidence of benefits and outcomes

Health Inequalities

  • Tackles inequalities without widening gaps
  • Health inequalities impact assessment encouraged

Evaluation & Impact

  • Defined KPIs and evaluation plan
  • Data collection on age, gender, deprivation
  • Qualitative data and patient experience insights

Sustainability & Transferability

  • Potential to scale or apply to other pathways
  • Plans for long-term sustainability or transition to business as usual