great ideas into digital health and social care solutions
Who we are
The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) was established in 2013 and is a key enabler and catalyst for change, occupying a unique and visible position at the heart of the innovation ecosystem for digital health and social care in Scotland.
A world-leading collaboration between the University of Strathclyde and Glasgow School of Art, publicly funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and the Scottish Government. We are a not-for-profit organisation.
Our expertise and influence allow us to play a pivotal role in building a fairer, inclusive, accessible, and equitable health and social care system by harnessing the power of Scotland’s public, private, and third/ charity sectors.
Industry
DHI helps companies get their digital health & care innovations to market.
We have 10 years’ experience working with stakeholders in the NHS, academia, the Scottish Government, third sector, funders and industry to support cross-sectoral collaboration and digital health and care innovation.
We understand the complexity of health and social care customer needs and procurement systems.
Health & care providers
DHI is a catalyst for change and a conduit for NHS reform. We harness Research & Innovation (R&I) to support the essential recovery and digitally enabled transformation of health and social care services.
We work with the NHS, local authorities, independent health & care providers, housing associations, 3rd Sector and charities.
Academia and education
DHI works with Academia to gather insight, undertake research, co-design and develop collaborative innovations to implement change, generate real impact and attract increased investment and funding into R&I and institutional capabilities.
We engage with schools, colleges, universities to raise awareness of careers in the digital health and social care sector.
Wider public sector
DHI works with wider public sector services to deploy key digital assets to re-imagine care and support a strong pipeline of digital and data pathfinder initiatives.
We operate as an anchor institution to showcase Scotland’s capability and appetite for digital health and care innovation by working with cross-sectoral partners to transform great ideas into real digital health and social care solutions.
Working with
Digital health and social care innovation
In the complex landscape of health and care, numerous terms such as Telehealth, Telemedicine, and Telecare are frequently employed to describe the integration of technology in healthcare services.
The DHI prefers a more inclusive and simplified approach to terminology.
What we do
Research and Innovation (R&I) in digital health and social care creates sustainable services and develops future skills, helping Scotland’s people live longer and healthier lives and enabling the economy to flourish to meet global needs.
DHI plays a pivotal role in creating and supporting collaborations that co-design person-centred digital health and social care solutions across service, technical, and business innovation.
Design innovation
Design innovation is central to the DHI’s initiatives. As a co-founding partner, The Glasgow School of Art has shaped our unique design-led and participatory approach, recognised for its effectiveness in delivering impactful services.
Our methodology fosters meaningful engagement with citizens, healthcare professionals, and communities, aligning with the Scottish Approach to Service Design. We tailor each project to the specific context, ensuring solutions meet the needs of all involved.
Our track record of success
41
health & care
org. engaged
500+
demonstrations
52
Co-design projects
delivered
3500+
Citizens engaged
£41.2M
additional funding secured
29.5K
report
downloads
50
projects
managed
1000+
active network members
Our broader impact
Our decade-long commitment to transforming Scotland's digital health and social care landscape has seen DHI secure vital funding, facilitate key projects, and build a robust network from across the sector.
We're driving meaningful change that shapes the future of health and social care innovation in Scotland and beyond.
Spotlighting impactful innovation
DHI Industry Engagement Plan 2024 – 2027
This plan describes the evolution, substance and intended implementation of DHI’s refreshed approach to commercial industry engagement. It aims to help more Scottish SMEs, start-ups and spin outs take their innovations to health and social care markets through focusing on Top Tier suppliers to the NHS and social care providers as their key customers.
Digital Mental Health Innovation Cluster : Annual Report 2023-2024
In 2022, the Scottish Government commissioned DHI to establish the DMHIC, launched in March 2022 to support Action 15.7 of the Mental Health – Scotland’s Transition and Recovery Plan through digital innovation. This report, by the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), outlines DMHIC's progress from August 2023 to July 2024.
Digital and Data Across Scotland - new report
DHI is excited to contribute to this special report on Scotland's digital healthcare landscape. HTN explores the current and future state of digital healthcare, featuring insights from the Scottish Government, NHS National Services Scotland, and the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre.
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