NIH, CDC, FDA, and ACF have just issued their SBIR/STTR solicitation seeking research ideas. Many of the topics include a wide variety of ideas for new types of technology such as sensors, software, point-of-care devices, drug delivery systems, electronic records, web-based tools, medical devices, and other new ideas.
Several agencies specifically mentioned technologies for telemedicine and telehealth:
- NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is interested in small research companies developing software and hardware for telehealth. Research studies should have broad applications as well as early stage development of telehealth technologies
- NIBIB is interested in research that would address usability and implementation issues in remote settings plus methods to develop technology for standardizing and incorporating state-of-the-art security protocols for verifying user identities and preserving patient confidentiality across remote access
- The National Institute of Aging within NIH is looking to see innovative technologies involving hand-held devices, new ways to use the internet, telemedicine, social networking, and other communications technologies to help older adults live independently and safely in their homes
- The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) would like research companies to develop telemedicine approaches that could be incorporated as components and/or develop an artificial pancreas for better diabetes self-management
- The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) is seeking innovations in mobile health, telehealth/telemedicine technologies for communication, diagnosis, monitoring, evaluation, medical management, training to be used in underserved community settings and in rural and remote locations
- The National Institute of Nursing Research wants to use telehealth technologies to improve patient outcomes by increasing quality, type, and speed of health information sharing. Telehealth is needed to help to assess traumatic injury severity at remote sites and transmit this information to acute care settings.
