SageTech Medical Secures £3.6m Innovate UK Funding
We are delighted to congratulate SageTech Medical, one of our portfolio companies, on securing £3.6 million in funding through Innovate UK's prestigious Grand Challenge programme.
SageTech Medical is a UK pioneer in sustainable healthcare technology, leading a consortium that includes the Manufacturing Technology Centre, the Centre for Process Innovation, the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Sustainable Innovation, and the University of Plymouth. This award follows SageTech's earlier success in the Sustainable Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Programme (SMMIP), which supports collaborations that drive greener, more resilient life sciences manufacturing across the UK.
Anaesthetic gases are a quiet but substantial contributor to healthcare's carbon footprint. Agents such as sevoflurane, isoflurane, and desflurane are minimally metabolised by patients and are exhaled directly into the atmosphere, acting as potent greenhouse gases. Globally, these emissions account for around four million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent every year, with manufacturing and waste processes adding several million tonnes more.
SageTech Medical has developed an innovative circular solution that captures, recovers, and recycles these volatile anaesthetics. Its patented SID-Can™ technology safely traps waste agents during procedures; the canisters are then returned to SageTech for processing, allowing the gases to be purified and transformed back into usable anaesthetic. This creates a closed-loop system that dramatically reduces environmental impact while supporting hospitals in meeting sustainability goals.
The new £3.6 million grant will support SageTech to scale manufacturing, enhance energy-efficient production, and develop advanced data-driven technologies for sustainable gas recovery and reuse.
We are proud to support SageTech Medical as they continue to lead the transition towards cleaner, smarter, and more sustainable healthcare across both human and veterinary medicine.