Blackford Analysis wins RCUK Business Plan Competition with MRI innovation
EPSRC (published 20/10/2008)
The winners of the RCUK Business Plan Competition were scientists from the Blackford Analysis - Real-Time MRI Team at the University of Edinburgh.
The team, which was led by Dr Ben Panter, has developed a complex algorithm that will stabilise MRI images; ensuring scans deliver their life-changing results.
Presently, one in ten scans are useless because of distortion – the disruption of the image often caused by movement – which involves further hardship for the patient and a real cost to the hospital; for an average machine around £120,000 per year. The development will save millions for hospitals and ensure patients get the most from these essential scans.
Clive Rowland, head of the competition Judging Panel and chief executive officer of UMIP – the University of Manchester Intellectual Property said: “The competition is an important initiative as it not only increases the awareness of intellectual property issues and opportunities amongst the research community but it also provides professional business planning and related training as a core component of the competition. Indeed it is a perfect complement to the funds made available for knowledge transfer by the research councils'.
“This is a well organised and coordinated approach by the joint Research Councils to facilitate the commercialisation of research outputs from their basic funding programmes. As with previous years, the panel has been impressed by the quality of the entries which reach a high standard.”
