For Business
UHI works with some of the world’s leading healthcare and medtech companies to develop new areas of research, technology and innovation with the potential to transform 21st century healthcare.
Work with us
The Institute of Health Research and Innovation at the University of the Highlands and Islands is a thriving and dynamic centre of excellence. At the last REF2021 the team achieved 70% of internationally excellent and world-leading publications.
Over the years, the team has grown thanks for funding from several sources including UK Government, Scottish Funding Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the European Union.
Our mission is to deliver research with a material impact to both local and global healthcare outcomes, allowing us to grow a world-class life sciences sector within the Highlands and Islands. This depends on a well-connected healthcare ecosystem, and the university has therefore established a unique partnership between NHS Highland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to provide access to clinical samples and studies while supporting local industry and entrepreneurship.
Case studies
A novel natural antibody-based therapy for liver cancers
Validating decontamination systems to help reduce hospital-acquired infection
Establishing a canine cancer registry to improve disease prevention and care
User-led design of a digital health technology for improving dementia care
Evaluation of a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease self-management tool
Post-stroke atrial fibrilation monitoring to support anticoagulant therapy
Open innovation
Open innovation
Our open innovation approach aims to encourage partnerships that deliver healthcare improvements with global impact.
We intend to eliminate as many barriers to innovation as possible, providing businesses with access to relevant university expertise, capital facilities, and infrastructure while ensuring that our staff and students share in any success.
Our approach has received support from local and central government. This has allowed us to support creation of commercially owned IP through collaboration, without the need for aggressive IP revenue arrangements.
Contact innovation@uhi.ac.uk for more information.
Academic consulting
Academic consulting
We can help provide access to specialist knowledge drawn from academic and research staff at the University of the Highlands and Islands. We work with businesses, government and non-commercial organisations to tackle a wide range of projects. These can range from individuals providing expert advice for a few hours, to multi-disciplinary teams on multi-year partnerships.
Contact innovation@uhi.ac.uk for more information.
Research services and technologies
Research services and technologies
Many organisations need access to specialist equipment, facilities, and technologies that are based within the university. We can help negotiate access to these state-of-the-art facilities to enable a range of investigations from in-vitro studies to ex-vivo assays and clinical studies in healthy patients and volunteers.
Facilities include :
- Cell culture laboratory
- Free radical and redox laboratory
- Molecular biology and genetics laboratory
- Mass spectrometry suite
- Bioinformatics and data mining tools
- Photonics laboratory
- Microscopy laboratory
- Nanomaterials laboratory
- Active health suite including a Nutrition laboratory
Highland Clinical Research Facility
Highland Clinical Research Facility
The Highland Clinical Research Facility supports clinical research in the Highlands of Scotland. The facility is one of only five such facilities in Scotland and is operated by the University of the Highlands and Islands in partnership with NHS Highland. It is a purpose- built unit and provides a wide range of clinical research and health related services to support academic and commercial studies, including multi-centre and single site clinical trials. It also has an on-site pharmacy and facilities for overnight studies.
Services include :
- Clinical trials
- Epidemiological studies
- Investigative procedures
- Specialist consultancy
The facility is supported by a specialist and highly experienced multi-disciplinary team, including doctors, nurses, pharmacy and data management staff.
As well as delivering and conducting trials, they can offer advice on trial design, developing study feasibilities, pharmacy services, ethics approvals, writing protocols and patient recruitment strategies. Novel approaches support engagement with the target population, this includes a hub-and-spoke model to link with Primary Care partners and a mobile clinical research facility to capture remote and rural areas. The facility also provides a test bed for innovative technology, including virtual clinics, remote monitoring and health informatics.