A STATE of the art facility which will help companies turn light-based technologies into commercially-viable products for use in healthcare has opened.

The National Healthcare Photonics Centre, at NETPark, in Sedgefield, will give companies and academics access to offices, laboratories and expertise to develop and test their ideas so they can take them onto the healthcare market.

The Centre for Process Innovation created the 2,000 sq m facility as the field of healthcare photonics is seen to have huge potential– both societal and economically.

Acting as a hub, it will focus on innovative methods of diagnosing disease, imaging systems and light-based therapy.

It will give access to specialist support across device design and development, pilot-production and pre-clinical validation and testing.

The CPI and Durham University have also launched a joint Spotlight programme, which runs until September 2020 and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, to support small and medium-sized enterprises with the technical and commercial support they need to get their ideas ready for marketing.

CPI’s chief executive Nigel Perry said: “We are very, very keen to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation.”

He said the CPI has worked with more than 2,000 companies and helped turn the ideas that flow out of universities and companies from concepts into market-ready products and services.

“Over the last five years there has been increased focus on healthcare,” he added.

Tom Harvey, healthcare photonics lead for the CPI, said the UK medtech sector– which creates medical devices for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of patients– has a £16.8bn turnover and employs 86,000 people.

The new centre aims to pull down barriers that small companies could face when trying to enter the healthcare market, such as lengthy and expenses development and approval processes.

He said: “This site will help companies get ideas off the lab bench into commercially viable products.”

Built by Newcastle-based Surgo Construction, with support from Durham City architect Howarth Litchfield, the project to construct the centre received a £7.9m grant from the Government’s Local Growth Deal through the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

He said photonics can provide non-invasive, non-contact, rapid, accurate and cost effective diagnosis and treatments.

And the new centre can turn the region into a global hub for healthcare photonics, which will help patients, and attract and retain specialist jobs which will boost local economy and education.