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An 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ programme is offering healthcare innovators UK-wide free support to turn research into tech ventures that improve musculoskeletal health.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, which involve the bones, muscles and joints, are the biggest cause of physical disability in the UK and account for the largest waiting lists. In total the conditions, such as arthritis and chronic back pain, affect 20 million patients across the country.

The , co-funded by , is now recruiting for its next six-month cohort, starting mid-November 2025.

It is the UK’s only accelerator dedicated to helping researchers build and commercialise technologies that improve musculoskeletal health, for example surgical techniques, devices and digital solutions.

Hiten Thakrar, who heads 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ SuperConnector, the 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ unit that runs the programme, said: “Musculoskeletal health affects everything from mobility to mental wellbeing, yet it remains one of the most under-innovated areas in healthcare. We’re looking for bold thinkers with early-stage ideas that could change lives, from AI rehab tools to next-gen wearables.”

Accessing support and investment

The MSK Innovation Accelerator will provide participants from universities, clinical institutes and small- to medium-sized enterprises with entrepreneurship education on topics such as startup methodologies, and sector-specific insights such as how innovations are adopted by the NHS and private sector.

Musculoskeletal health affects everything from mobility to mental wellbeing. We’re looking for bold thinkers with early-stage ideas that could change lives. Hiten Thakrar Head of 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ SuperConnector

It will also provide participants with support to build their networks, drawing on remote support and in-person events, and a chance to pitch to the investment committee of Orthopaedic Research UK, which is partnered on the programme and has offered to invest up to £100,000 in selected ventures. 

Participants in previous two cohorts reported that the accelerator helped them to develop and register new intellectual property, raise funding, and hire staff.

These include Dr Dylan Ashton, a postdoctoral researcher at 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ and leader of Bone Cap, a venture that is developing a 3D-printed implant to reduce pain and improve mobility for people with lower limb amputations. 

Dr Ashton said that the accelerator gave him the impetus he needed to pursue the venture: “Coming out of the accelerator, it just gave me more confidence to pursue my spin-out idea. It proved to my academic team that this is worth going for, and it kickstarted the next phase for me. The program was a personal ‘go/no-go’ point – it showed me I had the right stuff to be a CEO and lead a company forward.”

Dr Arash Angadji, CEO of Orthopaedic Research UK, said: “The MSK Innovation Accelerator occupies a unique and important place within the MSK innovation ecosystem. It has proven its value in developing the entrepreneurial skills of a new generation of MSK innovators and helped create a pipeline of potentially groundbreaking solutions for those suffering from poor MSK health.”

Applications open until 28 September 2025

Applications are now open to the MSK Innovation Accelerator.

The programme was a personal ‘go/no-go’ point – it showed me I had the right stuff to be a CEO and lead a company forward. Dr Dylan Ashton Bone Cap

To be eligible, participants need a promising solution at Technology Readiness Level 3, meaning they need a proof of concept but need not yet have a working prototype. Participants can use the programme to develop intellectual property (IP) that they own personally or, with permission, that belonging to their employer

Taking part is free and unlike some accelerators, the MSK Innovation Accelerator does not require a stake in participating companies’ equity or IP. The initiative is run by the 911½ñÈÕºÚÁÏ SuperConnector, which has been working for eight years to help researchers build world-improving commercial ventures in medical technology and AI.