If you follow our content, you might have heard us mention the importance of a having a defined product development process once or twice…OK, maybe a little more often than that. We think it is single handedly the most important part of product development. But why, I hear you ask? Surely, if you have a pretty good idea of where you are going, you can get there without too much disruption…I mean, Robin Sharma said “sometimes you have to get off track to discover a better track”. There must be something in that, right? Well, Robin Sharma may be a respected humanitarian author, but he isn ..read more

What is the most important aspect when it comes to choosing a development partner? Is it someone who can take your innovation completely off your hands and hand it back ready for market? Is it someone who will fully integrate into your existing team? Are you looking for end-to-end delivery, quick turnaround and low cost, or detailed development and phased programming? There is no right or wrong answer and everyone’s requirements are completely different. eg are based in Cambridge, the world’s most intensive science and technology cluster, so we are amongst good company within the pro ..read more

We previously reviewed the funding landscape for 2023 in our blog, Product Development Funding: Key Trends for 2024. We found that, while macroeconomic conditions have made for a cautious fundraising environment, there is promise of an upturn across all sectors from government-led initiatives and UK-wide accelerator programmes. Continuing to focus on the three markets identified by the UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Corporate Plan, this blog looks at the top technology trends predicted for 2024 across MedTech, FemTech and AgriTech. It is worth noting that trends in innovation ca ..read more

Last year, funding enabled the continuation of insightful medical research findings, novel solutions and R&D growth. However, despite a successful 2021 and muted 2022, there was a belt-tightening effect on funding across all sectors in 2023. In this blog, we explore some of the key funding trends that we are expecting to see in 2024. We look at the latest research from leading organisations, such as McKinsey & Company, Deloitte and EY, backed up by findings from publications by industry experts, news outlets and funding bodies, including Forbes, FemTech World and UKRI. We’ve bro ..read more

The value of a well-managed connected device can be significant, to both individuals and businesses. So, it is no surprise that the connected device ecosystem is not only thriving but growing exponentially. In fact, McKinsey global institute is estimating that connected (IoT) products and services will generate between $5.5 trillion and $12.6 trillion in value by 2030. There is therefore no escaping the obvious ‘draw’ of having connectivity enabled within new product developments, but what are the key considerations when developing connected devices? 1. Understand how connectivit ..read more

Intellectual Property (IP) comes in many guises, from copyright to trade secrets and know-how to patents. Much of it is intangible, and can’t be formally ‘owned’ or protected, but protectable IP, such as patents and design rights, can be of huge commercial value in preventing competition. However, that value is only present if the patent(s) is applicable to the marketable product, and ideally as many competitive alternatives as possible. From our experience innovators can gain the most value from their IP when bearing in mind these top 5 considerations: 1. Avoiding premature s ..read more

It makes an idea real A tangible ‘something’ born out of a solution to an identified need, envisioned by the inventor. Every prototype is a great milestone, and we are often asked ‘do you make prototypes?’, as well as other product development-process related questions such as, ‘how do you test prototypes?’ and ‘do you transfer protypes to manufacture?’. They’re all great questions, and each one is integral to the product development process. But what is that process, and where do prototypes fit? The point of product development is to monetise the innovation by selling a product (or ..read more

AI Developments in the medical devices industry The latest generation of AI is making a lot of noise in the press at the moment, but away from the hype, it promises to bring real-world benefits to users, medical professionals and the healthcare industry as a whole.  The application of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) in the healthcare industry has the potential to bring great advances in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, accelerating the drug discovery process, whilst bringing expert-level knowledge and analysis to the wearable device and medical equipment ..read more

International Women in Engineering Day Today, the 23rd of June, marks nearly the halfway point on our calendars. It’s exciting to look back and see six months of collaboration, exciting conversations with clients – old and new – and a growing, diverse team of staff and engineers. Today also marks International Women in Engineering Day, a global day celebrating the strengths and achievements of female engineers who contribute to making the world a better and safer place. This year’s theme, Make Safety Seen, highlights several avenues to explore. Safety is paramount to introducing user ..read more

Where to start? Knowing where to start when trying to turn a cutting-edge, lab-based test into a market-disrupting, clinical, certified, diagnostic product is not easy. Our advice is to start with the user; your target customer. Who are they? Where do they work? What is their work environment like? What tasks do they typically do? What don’t they do? Your list should be extensive. Without sharing any specific details, we are going to use a project on which we previously worked as a framework to demonstrate the importance of user workflows in your product development pathway. All proj ..read more