Overview
Two innovative applications designed to enhance mental health support for women during pregnancy and motherhood have been awarded a prestigious global innovation accolade in women’s health.
About the Challenge
The Ripple Women’s Digital Health Challenge is facilitated by:
- Cogniss – a no-code digital health platform
- Health Innovation Network
- Amazon Web Services
Winning Applications
The winning apps include:
- NVP Minds: This app is designed to assist women experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a severe condition characterized by extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
- HearHer: This app supports mothers of children facing mental health or developmental challenges.
Both applications aim to bridge the gap in women’s health by providing essential mental health support.
Development and Support
Both solutions will be built on the Cogniss platform and will receive backing from the Health Innovation Network, which includes:
- Identifying pilot sites
- Study design
- Evidence generation
- Economic evaluation
The goal is to facilitate their integration into NHS pathways.
Ministerial Insights
Baroness Gillian Merron, the women’s health minister, emphasized the importance of addressing gaps in women’s health care:
“It is unacceptable that so many women are waiting too long for the care they need, and we are changing this through renewing the Women’s Health Strategy.”
Details on the Winning Apps
The NVP Minds app, led by Associate Professor Fiona Challacombe from the University of Oxford, aims to support women affected by HG, which impacts approximately 30,000 pregnancies in the UK each year. Professor Challacombe stated:
“Several of the health experts building this app with me have lived through HG themselves. We bring the clinical reality and the first-hand understanding of the condition.”
The HearHer app, developed by Dr. Faith Martin from the University of Bath, focuses on the mental wellbeing of over two million mothers in the UK who support children with mental health or developmental issues. Dr. Martin noted:
“HearHer is designed to provide evidence-based, personalized psychological support during those critical gaps, helping mothers to sustain their own wellbeing while they care for their children.”
Future Opportunities
In addition, Innovate UK has announced its Women in Innovation Awards for 2025-26, offering grants of up to £75,000 to 60 awardees.