Panda Surgical awarded NIHR i4i FAST funding
London, UK — May 03, 2023 — Panda Surgical has been successful with their application for an NIHR Invention for Innovation (i4i) Fast award for a total sum of £45,211 towards product development and pre-clinical evaluation.
This project will run from June to November of this year, and will fund the development of a novel coupling mechanism that will allow for our handheld robotic instruments to share the same handle. By amending our device architecture to deploy a single handheld controller with interchangeable tools, we can reduce cost, as well as operative time.
‘We are delighted and very grateful for this opportunity. Such funding programs can accelerate innovation and shorten the path for improved patient outcomes.’ said Manios Dimitrakakis, the company CEO.
i4i FAST (Funding At the Speed of Translation) is aimed at innovators in need of a small amount of funding to answer a specific question to support the development of innovative healthcare technologies applying genomics, pharmacogenomics, phenomics or artificial intelligence for primary care settings. FAST awards are designed to address an evidence gap across different development stages, from innovations with initial proof-of-concept (starting from TRL 3) to innovations with demonstrated safety and efficacy.