Local businesses and researchers in the battle against Covid-19

Their work forms part of a £550 million Covid-19 rapid investment programme by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) - the largest public funder of research and development in the UK.

The diversity of UKRI is vast from the world’s first Covid-19 treatments and vaccines to projects that help understand and mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our economy, environment, education, arts sector and mental health. This funding builds on decades of public investment and research expertise which have provided the backbone to our national Covid-19 response.

Belfast company Axial Medical Printing Limited (axial3D) was funded to develop 3D-printed anatomy models from patient scans, giving surgeons unique insight into a patient’s condition, before they reach the operating table. It’s hoped this work will transform the quantity and quality of surgeries that NHS Trusts can complete as they start to recover from the Covid-19 crisis and help to reduce surgery backlogs.

Using UKRI funding, Liopa Ltd is developing an app that can lip read and translate to written or spoken word on a handheld device, helping COVID-19 patients who have been removed from ventilators communicate more effectively with their carers and relatives.

NI’s biggest universities have also received significant UKRI funding. Researchers at the University of Ulster are studying Covid-19’s impact on the museum sector, exposing the vulnerability of museums, their staff, projects and collections. This project is looking at how museums must adapt to new audience needs, explore opportunities for community-digital innovation and support community resilience during and after the pandemic.

Clinical trials have shown that at least 20% of Covid-19 patients have other infections as well: these bacterial co-infections are associated with as many as 50% of severe cases. A research team from Queen’s University Belfast has been investigating this phenomenon and conducting trials of existing drugs to see if they can be repurposed for the treatment of the disease when there is a co-infection.

Roger Johnston, chief executive of axial3D said: “Our funding from UKRI was integral to the development of our project. Home grown in NI, this project offers potential for a fundamental change to the way surgeries are planned across the UK, addressing the increasing backlog of critical surgeries that many patients are waiting for. We hope our work will transform the quantity and quality of surgeries that NHS Trusts can complete as they start to recover from the pandemic.”

Professor Charlotte Deane, Covid-19-Response Director at UKRI added: “Looking back over the past year, it’s clear that the pandemic has had a devastating impact on so many aspects of our lives, but I take more than a glimmer of hope from the extraordinary work being undertaken by researchers and businesses across the UK. These projects are just the tip of the iceberg. They show the tenacity and creativity of our research and innovation communities in NI and beyond, who have stepped up in the most challenging of times to come together and fight back against this devastating disease.”

These projects are among 3,600 new Covid-19 projects, totalling over £554 million, being funded by UKRI across the country in response to Covid-19.