The programme is aimed at health care professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who want to create consumer and patient-facing apps that make a difference for people’s health.
Organised by Health Innovation East and powered by Cogniss, the Digital Health Hub programme began supporting its first two cohorts in 2024, with up to 20 innovators receiving a six-month package of funded app development, testing and validation. The team running this programme was highly commended at the HTN Now Awards 2025 in the category of Health Tech Team of the Year.
Cogniss is a platform that makes it faster and easier for healthcare innovators and organisations to build, manage and scale their digital health solutions through its no-code approach. The platform contains 100+ pre-built features as building blocks to enable the creation and iteration of sophisticated patient-facing digital health apps, eliminating the need for developers or technical experts. Beyond development, Cogniss simplifies the compliance, interoperability and distribution of health apps. For health systems, this means a much more efficient procurement pathway for compliant patient-centric solutions.
Of the Digital Health Hub programme Joanna Dempsey, Commercial Enterprise Lead at Health Innovation East says:
“This is a great opportunity for innovators to bring their app ideas to life quickly and with expert support. Using the tools from Cogniss, they can rapidly develop and test solutions, while also ensuring digital compliance. We are looking forward to the results of this first cohort and how quickly their apps can be made available to benefit patients and the NHS.”
Health Innovation East will also be on hand to offer support for further implementation or commercialisation as appropriate.
Lloyd Humphreys, Managing Director at Cogniss said:
“Our cohort 1 participants have already proven the power of our no-code platform in rapidly building a range of solutions that are ready to be piloted across NHS organisations. With cohort 2 we are excited to take this further and add to the extensive Cogniss app marketplace.”
Following the programme, apps can be published as standalone solutions, available on the web or relevant app stores, or they can remain secure within the Digital Hub while further funding is sought by the entrepreneur, Trust or Integrated Care Board.
There are eight innovators taking part in the programme’s second cohort. The cohort participants represent three NHS trusts and a Primary Care Network, with three of them being NHS CEP fellows.
Our second cohort participants are:
Expect Choice
Expect Choice
Innovator: Georgina Clark – Obstetrics and Gynaecology Registrar, West Suffolk Hospital and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur
Target: Pregnant women and their partners
An app that empowers expecting parents with stage-specific, evidence-based, personalised information to make informed decisions throughout pregnancy, reducing reliance on inconsistent online sources.
ArthriLink
ArthriLink
Innovator: Susan Olofin – Physiotherapist and web development student, University of Roehampton
Target: Individuals in Africa and the UK living with arthritis
A culturally tailored arthritis management app designed for African communities, integrating symptom tracking, localised self-care strategies and a peer support network to enhance day-to-day well-being.
FamCan
FamCan
Innovator: Matthew Crowson – GP, Comberton GP Surgery
Target: Primary car patients
An app that allows patients and clinicians to enter family history to determine whether they are high risk for cancer in primary care and to determine whether a referral to clinical genetics is required.
MigraAid
MigraAid
Innovator: Baribefe Vite – Doctor, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), Ipswich Hospital and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur
Target: Individual with chronic migraine
A migraine self-management app combining a comprehensive headache diary, with Eye Movement Desensitization and Processing (EMDR) therapy, designed to reduce the severity and frequency of migraines.
UNICORN (Understanding Neonatal Infant Care Outcomes: Relational approaches to Neurodevelopment)
UNICORN (Understanding Neonatal Infant Care Outcomes: Relational approaches to Neurodevelopment)
Innovator: Hilary Wong – Consultant Neonatologist, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Affiliated Assistant Professor, University of Cambridge
Target: Partners or caregivers of children who were born premature
A neonatal support app for parents of premature babies, offering guided developmental tracking, age-specific assessments and evidence-based resources to promote optimal neurodevelopment after discharge from neonatal intensive care units.
PulseON companion app
PulseON companion app
Innovator: Markku Lankinen & team – Head of Finance and Operations, PulseOn
Target: Cardiologists and patients with suspected atrial fibrillation using PulseOn Arrhythmia Monitor System
A digital extension for PulseOn’s ECG wearable device that enables users to log symptoms, sync measurement data and receive personalised guidance, improving real-time monitoring and early detection of arrhythmias.
Speek
Speek
Innovator: Kanupriya Batra – Co-founder & CEO, Speek Health Ltd
Target: Families of adolescents (13-18 years old) struggling with severe mental illness and self-harm.
A digital mental health hub connecting families affected by severe mental illness with critical resources they need such as evidence-based interventions, peer support and on-demand access to relevant skills and treatment strategies.
The Eli App
The Eli App
Innovator: Funmi Vanessa Ullam – CEO & Founder, Eli Health and NHS Clinical Entrepreneur
Target: Children with sickle cell disease and their parents
A chronic condition management app for children with sickle cell, using behavioural science and gamification to improve medication adherence, hydration and symptom tracking, thereby reducing emergency hospital visits.
Hear from Dr. Aiesha Alexander, founder of AwêKind, as she shares her experience and motivations for joining the first cohort of the Digital Hub programme.
Get in touch
If you would like to find out more about the programme, please email enquiries@healthinnovationeast.co.uk
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