Knaresborough firm wins £76k contract

A Knaresborough electronics design company is developing a new product to improve the lives of people whose disabilities make everyday tasks a challenge.
By The Newsroom
Published 29th May 2015, 11:39 BST
Senior clinical scientist and acting service lead at Barnsley Hospital, Simon Judge; managing director of GSPK Design Ltd, Paul Marsh; and Oliver Wells, commercial director of D4D Ltd.Senior clinical scientist and acting service lead at Barnsley Hospital, Simon Judge; managing director of GSPK Design Ltd, Paul Marsh; and Oliver Wells, commercial director of D4D Ltd.
Senior clinical scientist and acting service lead at Barnsley Hospital, Simon Judge; managing director of GSPK Design Ltd, Paul Marsh; and Oliver Wells, commercial director of D4D Ltd.

GSPK Design beat 200 other firms to be awarded a £76,000 initial contract through the Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare.

Working with Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the NIHR Devices for Dignity (D4D) healthcare technology co-operative, GSPK Design is developing EMGage, a novel smart switch to help people with acute brain injury or severe disabilities to communicate using tiny electrical signals produced by muscles. EMGage will enable users to control devices such as their wheelchair, computers and communication aids.

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Paul Marsh, managing director of GSPK Design, said the funding demonstrated the NHS’s faith in GSPK Design’s ability to deliver. “Having the ability to design and manufacture under one roof set us aside from the competition and put us in a strong position to develop this potentially life changing product,” he said.

The current, proof-of-concept phase of the project is set to take six months, after which GSPK Design will be able to seek further funding to take the product to market.

Related topics:KnaresboroughNHS