Expressions of interest to explore the disability, healthcare and rehabilitation technology markets for transformational assistive technology products to improve the lives of people supported by the icare Lifetime Care and Workers Care Schemes.
Key information
- Status: Closed
- Grant amount: Up to $1,500,000
- Application opened: 17 May 2023
- Application closed: 14 July 2023, 12:00 pm
Program objective
We are interested in funding an evidence-based approach that can assist the embedment and uptake of new and emerging technologies into the NSW population to ensure that our participants and their support network have access to these technologies, when available.
- Identify, understand, and foster new and emerging disability, healthcare and rehabilitation technologies that improve rehabilitation, recovery, participation or quality of life for people we serve under the Lifetime and Workers Care Schemes. These could include technologies that support the delivery of care programs or increase the safety and efficiency of care provision.
- Identify and understand the potential impact assistive technologies can have on NSW’s growing ageing population and how assistive technologies can also assist with ageing carers, as well as ageing participants.
- Develop partnerships with organisations to support the embedment and uptake of new, emerging and mainstream assistive technologies into the NSW population, especially targeting people with severe injuries, such as traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injuries.
This program is funded and administered by icare.
Eligibility
Through this open, contestable EOI process, we hope to maximise market engagement and attract quality submissions for partnering with icare in health technology and rehabilitation advances that can provide long-term (3+ years), sustainable and scalable outcomes for participants in the Lifetime Care and Workers Care Schemes.
Who can apply
We are seeking EOI responses from organisations that have:
- demonstrated capability in the technology and rehabilitation space
- influence and credibility within these industries.
We encourage the formation of partnerships and consortia that bring together diverse skill sets and capabilities. We would like to see the inclusion of diverse organisations that can effectively support implementation and scaling of the initiative.
We are looking for the following types of organisations:
- Not-for-profit organisations that demonstrate new and innovative approaches in support of the relevant target outcomes.
- Peak bodies or existing consortia that could support reach into industry or broader based adoption of innovative approaches and practices.
Note: icare may engage support services to ensure that the overall initiative delivers on the desired outcomes, including specialist capabilities in human-centred design, evaluation and/or program management.
- Please highlight in your response what internal capabilities your organisation has in these areas, or
- Individual organisations (particularly those that may be influential in encouraging broader market adoption of innovations) who are looking to accept or embed new types of work practices or innovative approaches to assistive and rehabilitation technologies.
Who can’t apply
- individuals or groups of individuals
- unincorporated organisations
- for-profit commercial organisations.
Types of projects funded under this grant
The focus for this EOI is to explore the disability, healthcare and rehabilitation technology markets for potential transformational, assistive technology products – both emerging and advanced – to improve rehabilitation, recovery, participation and quality of life for people we serve under the icare Lifetime Care and Workers Care Schemes, their carers, families and communities.
We are looking for innovative ideas and proposals that demonstrate a unique response to the need. This includes exploring ways to increase awareness and access to new and emerging assistive technologies as they emerge.
Example projects
Technologies that could be considered include: smart sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, data analytics and automation, wearables, virtual reality, and augmented reality to improve the quality, productivity and end-user experience of care delivery across the sector.
For organisations and services for outcome 3, this could be:
- in the form of new partnerships, services, technologies or even a radical improvement to an existing way of working
- proposal to adapt existing programs to address previously excluded cohorts or something new.
For research, it could address a knowledge gap of significance to the industry – but it needs to translate to direct and applied action.
What your application needs to include
For full details, download the complete EOI guidelines (PDF 285.9KB) and response template (PDF 296.6KB).
Prepare your application with this checklist
We are seeking proposals that:
- Have a clear focus on severe injury sustained in workplace and motor accidents, especially those relating to traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.
- Have the potential to provide transferable benefits across other injuries and disabilities.
- Do not duplicate a product or service that is already operating in NSW.
Your responses should be 3 pages or less, not including the conflict of interest declaration.
Address the eligibility criteria
Responses must be submitted by a legal entity with the capacity to enter into a funding agreement. icare will only enter into a funding agreement with a legal entity.
Address the assessment criteria
We are seeking expressions of interest that cover:
- Your understanding and proposed approach to addressing the specific challenges faced by those with a spinal cord injury and/or a traumatic brain injury.
- Any anticipated institutional barriers identified to improving access to such technologies, and what your approach would be to addressing these barriers.
- Your organisations capability, experience, and expertise in assistive technologies and rehabilitation technologies, and other areas relevant to
- How you would approach (or have previously approached) co-design activities and industry engagement.
- Any other information relevant to the specified evaluation criteria.
In this EOI, we are looking for ideas that generate tangible outcomes for those who we serve under the Lifetime Care and Workers Care Schemes.
Start the application
Applications for this grant are available through the NSW Government eTendering site.
After the application is submitted
Successful applications will be decided by: Innovation and Partnerships Evaluation Panel
This EOI is part of a multi-stage procurement process where the next phase is an invited tender.
After evaluating all responses, the icare Innovation and Partnerships team will prepare a shortlist. Shortlisted applicant(s) will be able to participate in the invited tender with a view to establish a funding agreement with the successful respondent(s).
Support and contact
Program evaluation
An invitee’s response will be evaluated against:
- The evaluation criteria identified below, and
- The overall proposition presented in the invitee’s response.
Mandatory requirements
- alignment to icare values
- demonstrated understanding of the complex needs of people with traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury
- demonstrated understanding of the target cohort/ industry and/or proposed approach to building an understanding
- relevant expertise and capability
- a history of delivery of assistive or rehabilitation service innovations, including commercialisation and market delivery
- influence and credibility in the relevant sector/ discipline and/or history of successful industry engagement
- operational capacity to manage the project (including capacity to be the lead partner in a consortia if applicable)
- ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships.