<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><ns2:project xmlns:ns1="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api" xmlns:ns2="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/project" xmlns:ns3="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/fund" xmlns:ns4="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/person" xmlns:ns5="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/project/outcome" xmlns:ns6="http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/gtr/api/organisation" ns1:created="2026-07-08T08:44:08Z" ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/projects/9794AE4B-0BAC-44B0-B5EA-F42652529BBF" ns1:id="9794AE4B-0BAC-44B0-B5EA-F42652529BBF"><ns1:links><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/persons/6710B351-0A57-488D-9FB3-B126A2D89E37" ns1:rel="PM_PER"/><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/organisations/C7435D5C-0CCC-4D81-84BB-8680EA5DAEED" ns1:rel="LEAD_ORG"/><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/organisations/C7435D5C-0CCC-4D81-84BB-8680EA5DAEED" ns1:rel="PARTICIPANT_ORG"/><ns1:link ns1:end="2024-05-30T23:00:00Z" ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/funds/7109BAFF-59D1-4C17-95FB-D2B7F402F094" ns1:rel="FUND" ns1:start="2023-05-31T23:00:00Z"/></ns1:links><ns2:identifiers><ns2:identifier ns2:type="RCUK">10065054</ns2:identifier></ns2:identifiers><ns2:title>Developing the world's first at-home, clinical-grade fertility treatment</ns2:title><ns2:status>Closed</ns2:status><ns2:grantCategory>Collaborative R&amp;D</ns2:grantCategory><ns2:leadFunder>Innovate UK</ns2:leadFunder><ns2:abstractText>Infertility is a global public health issue, experienced by 10-25% of women worldwide and affecting 3.5M people in the UK, with rates rising. Despite this, UK public funding for fertility treatment is declining. 4% of Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) no longer offer publicly funded fertility treatment. Those that do implement rigid requirements including cut-off ages (starting at 34 years), offer limited numbers of cycles (two thirds only provide one cycle of IVF), and have long waiting times (from several months to 3 years, highly clinically significant in the context of rising infertility with age).

Consequently, approximately 70% of fertility treatments in the UK are paid for privately. Couples with infertility spend an average of &amp;pound;13,730 on fertility treatment. 78% of couples go into debt to fund their IVF treatment, and 70% experience financial trauma.

StepOne Fertility (trading as B&amp;eacute;a Fertility) is working to solve the problem of inaccessible and unaffordable fertility care. We are on a mission to reimagine fertility care, making sure everyone can access the support they deserve to create their family. Our ambition is to bring clinical-grade fertility care into homes around the world with a safe, clinically validated, and effective treatment, which is also affordable and inclusive.

Our approach is based on a technique called intracervical insemination (ICI), once widely available in fertility clinics. ICI concentrates semen onto the cervix using a cap, left in situ for 4+ hours. ICI fell out of favour during the 1980s when intrauterine insemination (IUI) became available. IUI is a quicker, more profitable in-clinic treatment option for clinics, yet ICI shows similar efficacy. Crucially, ICI is less invasive than IUI and suitable for adaptation to a home environment. We are developing an innovative fertility treatment that combines a novel ICI device and digital health experience, revolutionising at-home fertility treatment.</ns2:abstractText></ns2:project>