Valkyrie Industries Secures Esteemed Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst Grant to Enhance Neurorehabilitation Technology

London, UK – May 2025 - Valkyrie Industries has been awarded £500,000 through the Biomedical Catalyst 2024 competition by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The grant will support further development of v-health, Valkyrie’s immersive and gamified neuromuscular recovery platform. The platform combines functional electrical stimulation (FES) and extended reality (XR). The project is delivered in collaboration with King’s College London, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and Hobbs Rehabilitation.

1 in 4 people in the world will suffer from stroke during their lifetime, with 60% of them experiencing upper limb weakness [1]. Patients get as little as 8 minutes of upper limb rehabilitation per day, 10 times less than the recommended dose [2], often leading to chronic impairment. Designed with accessibility in mind, v-health integrates task-oriented virtual games with Valkyrie’s patented FES wearables. By combining immersive XR with real-time neuromuscular stimulation, the platform encourages movement repetition, supports motor relearning, and enhances patient motivation. With this grant, Valkyrie Industries will focus on the clinical validation of v-health, aiming to deliver accessible, measurable, and engaging upper limb training for stroke survivors, helping them regain independence and improve quality of life.

“This grant marks a pivotal step in validating and scaling our technology for clinical use,” said Ivan Isakov, CTO & Co-founder at Valkyrie Industries. “We’re co-designing v-health with leading researchers and clinicians to ensure it improves patients’ lives.’”

Academic & Clinical Partners

The project is driven by collaboration between technology, academia, and healthcare delivery. Researchers from King’s College London, including the Rehabilitation & Health Research Group and the Neural Control of Human Movement Group, bring expertise in movement neuroscience and digital rehabilitation. Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), a leading centre for clinical excellence, leads implementation alongside Hobbs Rehabilitation, a pioneer in intensive neurorehabilitation.

Key investigators include:

• Dr Ulrike Hammerbeck, Lecturer in Neural Control of Movement, brings deep expertise in clinical neuroscience and digital health approaches to motor recovery.

• Dr Marco Davare, Reader in Physiotherapy, whose research integrates movement neurophysiology and cognitive neuroscience for tech-enabled rehabilitation strategies.
  
  Clinical implementation will be supported by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, led by:

• Dr Gareth D. Jones, Consultant Physiotherapist and Rehabilitation Clinical Lead, with over 15 years of experience in advancing stroke care and rehabilitation research.
  
  The study will enrol 70 stroke survivors across the GSTT and Hobbs Rehabilitation sites. Focusing on individuals across a wide range of stroke recovery with wrist weakness, the research will assess the impact of the v-health platform during motor learning tasks. This cross-sector collaboration merges cutting-edge research with clinical insight to ensure the platform is not only effective but also usable in real-world care settings.