The SymPhysis Medical team has been working with the National Innovation Centre for Ageing (NICA) at their hub of innovation, The Catalyst, in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. In December, the NICA team hosted product testing of our prototype catheter device on participants in their state-of-the-art Insights Suite, where we were able to observe them interacting with the device and sharing their insights about its design and usability. The candid feedback captured on camera will help us improve the design in the next stage of development.

NICA’s testing facility boasts a two-way mirror, in-built microphones, 360-degree panoramic cameras for 4K video recording, a customisable room layout, and access to communal breakout spaces. The facility, combined with the professionalism of the NICA team, is an invaluable resource for the SymPhysis Medical team.

SymPhysis Medical were delighted to be one of 28 companies selected to participate in the NHS Market Access Accelerator 2021. TheHill is an innovation catalyst embedded within Oxford University Hospital’s NHS Foundation Trust. It brings digital technology and new innovations into the NHS with a focus on break-through innovation.

SymPhysis Medical was selected by TheHill as a growth stage digital health company because of our smart drainage device designed to disrupt the palliative care space. The Accelerator sessions ran from June to December. The SymPhysis Medical Co-Founders Tim Jones and Dr. Michelle Tierney graduated in December.

SymPhysis Medical were thrilled to win Silver in the MedTech category at the 2021 National Startup Awards. The competition highlights the best and brightest early-stage companies in Ireland, providing an opportunity for startups to gain national and international recognition.

The SymPhysis Medical team were delighted with the Award, seeing it as an endorsement of the company’s vision: to provide independence and improved quality of life for patients with chronic conditions and those requiring palliative care.

Winning the Silver Award was the perfect way to end a busy year for the team, a year during which great progress was made on developing releaze, the company’s innovative drainage technology designed to treat a common complication of late-stage cancers, malignant pleural effusion (MPE).

In March 2020, SymPhysis Medical were named as finalists in the annual Futurescope One2Watch competition.

FutureScope is Ireland’s leading business innovation event, and the One2Watch competition seeks to find Ireland’s most scalable business idea and award the winning company with a prize worth €10k, including a platform to support its growth

The Futurescope event takes place at the Convention Centre Dublin later in 2020 and explores the implications of emerging technologies, featuring keynotes and multiple panel discussions exploring the challenges and opportunities arising from IoT, MedTech, robotics, 5G, VR/AR, artificial intelligence and more.

With over 120 applications for FutureScope’s One2Watch, a number of factors came into play when deciding the final five spots including, market size, innovation and potential to scale. Not an easy task says judge Heidi Corr, “With the five finalists, we are seeing the application of emerging technologies across multiple business sectors, all of which could achieve global scale. With strong value propositions and a high level of innovation and disruption demonstrated by the finalists, I am very excited to see who will be crowned FutureScope’s One2Watch 2020.”