The SHIL award for innovation for 2012 was awarded to Professor Alan Johnstone from NHS Grampian. His idea for a Novel device for Monitoring of Ischaemia, came out top after judges scrutinised a field of high quality candidates for the award.

This is a novel technique for identifying the earliest signs of tissue damage. The innovative product will alert the surgeon during an operation that there is a lack of oxygen getting to the tissue, thus preventing further tissue damage which can lead to amputation and even death.

An Innovation Fund which will invest £600,000 over the next three years to help support life sciences development, has been announced  by Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon.

The NHS Research Innovation Fund will be funded by the Chief Scientist Office, and will allow innovations arising from the NHS to be co-developed with support from local Small to Medium Enterprises.

As part of a speech at the Annual Scottish Life Sciences Dinner, Ms Sturgeon revealed the new fund, which will provide up to £200,000 each year over the next three financial years to help build collaborative partnerships with Scottish-based companies. This will enable joint working projects between health boards and local small to medium enterprises (SME) in order to drive forward innovative clinical research projects.

Announcing the development the health secretary said:

“We are keen to encourage a culture of innovation to drive forward improvements in the care offered by NHS Scotland and the new Innovation Fund will ensure good ideas are taken forward locally.

Elaine Gemmell, Senior Manager from SHIL added: "SHIL welcomes the creation of this new fund to support the adoption of NHS innovations through partnerships with industry. This lays the foundation for closer collaborative working with our SME sector for mutual benefit."