UCL awarded millions to improve accessibility of assistive technology for disabled people
To make assistive equipment more accessible to people with disabilities, the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub at University College London (UCL) has been awarded £10 million from the Department for International Development.
The funding will support the GDI Hub’s AT:2030 programme, a scheme which aims to reach over 3 million people with assistive technology, testing new approaches and discovering what innovations works for those who need it.
Intending to achieve at least 30 new start-ups, the overall goals of the AT:2030 programme also look to create 10 pioneering and potentially life-changing technologies, come up with new methodologies for market shaping, double the initial £10 million investment and deliver six innovative service delivery models.
Victoria Austin, AT:2030 Director and GDI Director of Strategy & Partnerships, said: “This is exactly the type of programme we envisaged when we established GDI as a lasting legacy to London 2012.
“Working with a team of experts from across the world, AT:2030 will build on the approach to disability innovation developed during the 2012 Games.”
AT:2030 is being delivered by a global partnership involving: WHO, the Clinton Health Access Initiative, UNICEF, universities and disability NGOs and DPOs.
Dr Catherine Holloway, Academic Director of the GDI Hub and Senior Lecturer at UCL Computer Science, commented: “GDI Hub embodies all that is great about UCL – ensuring all people have access to opportunity.
“We are delighted and proud to be working with over 20 partners on this ambitious grant, which is only possible through collaboration, the pushing of interdisciplinary boundaries and the creation of new dialogues.
“We see AT:2030 as a significant milestone in establishing the new discipline of ‘Disability Innovation’ and will enjoy the challenge of exceeding the ambitious targets we have set ourselves.”
Initiated in 2016, the GDI Hubs aims to be a leading voice on disability innovation, developing solutions which could have an impact worldwide.