Mayor’s funding to harness video game technology for healthcare

World-leading gaming and immersive technology companies based in the West Midlands are being backed by Mayor Richard Parker to help modernise health services and get more people back into work.

The first-of-its-kind XR (Extended Reality) Health and Wellbeing Hub is one of eight regional projects being supported in the latest round of Mayor’s funding from the West Midlands Innovation Pogramme (WMIP).

The hub will bring together health chiefs and the creative sector to unleash the untapped potential of gaming and entertainment tech to create virtual worlds that deliver therapies for mental health, neurological conditions and rehabilitation.

The innovative new partnership aims to cut waiting times for these life-enhancing treatments, boost clinical capacity and prevent thousands of lost working and learning hours.

West Midlands Health Tech Cluster (WMHTC), delivered by Medilink Midlands, and Create Central will run the hub, with Birmingham City University as a key academic partner, alongside additional funding and support from the NHS, top gaming studios, and other innovative health and tech industry experts.

Health and med-tech is one of five high-growth sectors identified in the Mayor’s Growth Plan as having the most potential to turbocharge the regional economy and create thousands of new highly skilled, well-paid jobs for local people.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “This region has been at the cutting-edge of medical breakthroughs for decades, from the first X-ray to the invention of the pacemaker. Innovation is in our DNA.

“Today we’re looking to a new generation of tech trailblazers from Digbeth’s creative quarter to Warwickshire’s ‘Silicon Spa’ to take that legacy to the next level.

“The same world-leading gaming and entertainment technologies that captivate millions of people around the world are now being used to break down barriers to the health and prosperity of our people and economy. The potential is huge and that’s why I’m backing their talent and tech all the way.”

Mayor Richard Parker with the team from the Antser Group / Cornerstone VR Mohammed Hussain, chief revenue officer; Serena Hadi, head of operations and practice, Amy Callaghan, chief operations officer, chief executive Richard Dooner; Emma Yeap, WM Health Tech Cluster manager at Medilink Midlands.

Emma Yeap, Health Tech Cluster manager for Medilink Midlands: “It’s fantastic to see the Mayor shining a spotlight on the incredible XR innovation happening across our region. As the Health Tech Cluster powered by Medilink Midlands, we’re excited to be collaborating with Create Central to pull together NHS trusts, universities, creative XR studios, games companies and social enterprises so we can bring the new XR Health and Wellbeing Hub to life.

“Immersive technology has huge potential to cut waiting times, boost clinical capacity and help people get back to work or education sooner. There’s so much potential to scale this impact across the West Midlands, and we’re thrilled to be part of driving that ambition forward.”

There are around 45 XR and immersive tech businesses in the West Midlands, employing more than 3,000 people and worth almost £200m a year to the regional economy.

They make up a much bigger digital health sector that has already identified immersive tech and gamification as a key growth area.

The Mayor visited one of those companies – Birmingham-based The Antser Group, to see how its immersive technology is already helping to transform training for social workers, occupational therapists and other care professionals. The technology is even being used to help young people understand the dangers of knife crime and the influence of social media.

The company, which employs 75 people, is now developing new Virtual Reality (VR) content for therapeutic and educational purposes, in particular supporting young people who have ADHD and autism.

Richard Dooner, chief executive of The Antser Group, said: “Through Cornerstone VR, we’ve spent the last 10 years creating immersive experiences that help young people, and the adults who work with them, tackle tough issues like exploitation, social media pressures and knife crime, so they can learn how to navigate real-world challenges in a safe and meaningful way.

“Being part of the West Midlands Innovation Programme pilot for the new XR Health and Wellbeing Hub has been a fantastic opportunity, and having the Mayor’s support for the hub adds real momentum to what we’re trying to achieve.

“Our Autism and ADHD Assessment Hub provides private assessments and we would like to develop new VR content to support therapy and education, giving neurodiverse young people practical, engaging tools that truly make a difference.”

Other projects being supported with WMIP funding are:

• CreaTech Frontiers European Exchange to unlock international growth opportunities for creative and digital businesses delivered, Coventry University
• AI-Assisted Innovation pilot to support regional SMEs in embracing emerging AI technologies to attracting external funding, Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies
• Cyber Clinic project designed to boost SMEs’ cyber resilience, Aston Centre for Cyber Security Innovation
• Robotics Adoption in the Midlands Programme to promote the growth potential of robotic automation, University of Birmingham
• Traction: Innovation Commercialisation Sprint to help creative tech and digital businesses commercialise their products and services, Form Leadership
• Service Business Innovation Accelerator to support innovation in services sector, PitchHub
• ChoreoLab LIVE – a project to help young dancers to become digital entrepreneurs, Eloquent Dance

WMIP is managed for the Mayor by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and is funded through the region's successful Innovation Accelerator with money secured by the Mayor and local partners from Innovate UK and the government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The region's HealthTech cluster is projected to grow by up to £430m by 2030, creating up to 5,900 new jobs.
Find out more about how the Mayor and the WMCA is working with national and regional partners to support innovators and entrepreneurs on the WMCA website.