The two-year project is entitled “Bridging the gap: Creation of sustainable development models for translation of Diagnostics, Devices and MedTech innovations”. The EiR will assess and identify the support required for opportunities in MedTech and related areas, deliver development and funding roadmaps and identify suitable mentors to help drive opportunities up the technology readiness level while aligning with industry requirements.

Dr Mattu will work closely with the University’s Translational Research Hub and Enterprise and Innovation Directors in the Faculty of Health Sciences. The project aims to place sustainability at the heart of the opportunity evaluation and moulding process, ensuring MedTech products of the future reduce the carbon footprint of health systems. One of the key outcomes will be industry and health sector stakeholders partnering translational activities and the concomitant upskilling of researchers in understanding industry requirements in those areas.

Dr Mattu brings two decades of expertise in licensing, intellectual property and academic research translation, ranging from renewable energy to vaccines to diagnostic reagents and active ingredient formulations both in therapeutics and agrochemicals. Having started out as an academic himself in biomarker discovery, Dr Mattu then moved into IP licensing at the University of Oxford followed by The Ministry of Defence. After nearly a decade with Foresight Science & Technology Inc (one of the world’s leading providers of commercialisation, technology transfer and due diligence services), Dr Mattu now provides independent consultant services to UK SMEs, universities and NHS Trusts. A 2019 licensing transaction led to the licensor receiving royalties of nearly £2 milion to date and is projected to deliver over high eight-figure royalty income over the life of the patent.

Dr Mattu is also a founder of Nidor Diagnostics, an academic spinout involving the Universities of Bristol, Liverpool, UWE and the Wellcome Trust.