<?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="2026-06-03T15:52:43Z" ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/projects/D72CB830-6D79-416F-BC45-0BA960FE54C6" ns1:id="D72CB830-6D79-416F-BC45-0BA960FE54C6"><ns1:links><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/persons/FCC842D7-6128-4A7A-BD5B-67B2758838DD" ns1:rel="PM_PER"/><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/organisations/C9C85546-190E-475A-BDC1-4F64C9D8CA1D" ns1:rel="LEAD_ORG"/><ns1:link ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/organisations/C9C85546-190E-475A-BDC1-4F64C9D8CA1D" ns1:rel="PARTICIPANT_ORG"/><ns1:link ns1:end="2021-03-30T23:00:00Z" ns1:href="http://gtr.ukri.org/gtr/api/funds/11332E14-795B-4773-832D-5F06074AEA8D" ns1:rel="FUND" ns1:start="2020-05-31T23:00:00Z"/></ns1:links><ns2:identifiers><ns2:identifier ns2:type="RCUK">58321</ns2:identifier></ns2:identifiers><ns2:title>Safe &amp;amp; Comfy Medical Jacket</ns2:title><ns2:status>Closed</ns2:status><ns2:grantCategory>Feasibility Studies</ns2:grantCategory><ns2:leadFunder>Innovate UK</ns2:leadFunder><ns2:abstractText>Although Covid-19 pandemic has posed many challenges for the country, a more specific challenge is the need to address the dangers of infection, unnecessary distress, fatigue, and mental anxiety that result from the demanding working environment of the frontline hospital and health care staff. Although basic personal protective equipment such as visors/goggles, masks and gowns are available, albeit in limited quantities, recent news in the media has clearly depicted visible signs of distress and extreme fatigue on the faces of these scarce specialist staff. Thus, the objective of the project is to bring together proven knowledge of medical fabrics and the science of controlled circulation of fresh air within enclosed fabric suits to provide a more comfortable environment for front-line staff and health care workers. Ensuring comfort while maintaining the highest level of safety will enable them to undertake their duties without avoidable fatigue and stress.

The proposers acknowledge that several small to large companies have or are adapting their manufacturing capabilities to produce PPE for health service but believe that the novelty of introducing user comfort into the design together with the highest level of protection against infection has an offering worthy of support. The project is based on a very modest level of support to build a prototype that can be submitted for critical assessment by front-line medical staff. Cost of any necessary modifications to prototype or further development will be the subject of a follow-up project while a move to commercial manufacturing and exploitation of the developed PPE will be justified by the appropriate business case.</ns2:abstractText></ns2:project>