Liverpool Women's Health Innovation (WIN) Studio
Rethinking women’s health with transformative innovations
Women live longer than men – yet spend a quarter of their lives in poor health. Too often, conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately or differently go undiagnosed, untreated, or ignored.
The Liverpool Women’s Health Innovation (WIN) Studio exists to change that – by co-creating, testing, and accelerating technologies designed with women, not retrofitted to them.
We aim to close the women’s health innovation gap by turning lived experience into clinically validated, scalable solutions.
- For innovators: Have an idea in women’s health? Work with us.
- For partners: Interested in collaboration or evaluation?
- For funders: Explore our pipeline of clinically validated innovations.
Mission
The WIN Studio is a dedicated platform supporting the end-to-end development of clinically validated technologies tailored to women's health.
The Studio operates through three pillars:
- Women at the Centre
Our PPIE network ensures women’s lived experience sets the innovation agenda – structurally, not symbolically.
2. From Idea to Impact
The pre‑accelerator platform de‑risks innovation with regulatory, clinical, and commercial expertise – accelerating routes to market.
3. Building the Next Generation
Cross‑disciplinary think tanks and training grow a pipeline of future women’s health innovators.
Women’s health innovation has been systematically under‑designed and under‑resourced. The WIN Studio exists to change that – by backing ideas that are driven by women’s needs and capable of real‑world impact.
Professor Andrew Weeks, Professor of International Maternal Health
Current innovations led by the University
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The PPH Butterfly is a novel device, co-designed with consumers, aiming to “turn off the tap” of excessive bleeding following birth. It was developed through two previous NIHR i4i grants and found to be safe and acceptable. It acts as a complete first aid management tool: diagnosing the cause of the bleeding as well as abruptly halting it. A £1.8 million NIHR project is underway including a phase III multi-centre randomised clinical with health economic modelling analysis. If effective, the data will support commercialisation of the PPH Butterfly with scale-up nationally and internationally. The project is coordinated by University of Liverpool working alongside PPI leads, key collaborators and sub-contractors from Bangor University, Medtechtomarket, BakerBaird communications, Busitema University Uganda, AIIMS Nagpur India, Bayero University Kano Nigeria and Haydom Lutheran Hospital Tanzania. |
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ImPoWA |
The ImPoWA self-assessment tool is designed to be used by mothers, supported by their birth companions, to monitor their health the immediate postnatal period. Development of the tool was conducted in Uganda and is currently undergoing validation with support from the RCOG and EGA charity. |
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BabySaver Platform |
The BabySaver Platform supports cord-intact, bedside neonatal resuscitation outside of modern delivery suites with the aim of reducing neonatal complications and mortality following birth. Collaborating with the SAfRI research centre in Uganda, the BabySaver Platform has completed a phase II study with support from the MRC. |
Innovation partnership projects
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BirthGlide is a novel, simple-to-use device to reduce complications in the second stage of labour and the use of traumatic procedures. It works by reducing resistance between the baby’s head and the birth canal. A £1.5 M NIHR I4I grant has been secured to fund the first-in-human feasibility study of the device. |
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STUT Device
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The STUT device is a low-tech, innovation for management of refractory PPH by using vacuum-induced suction to cause the uterus to contract and collapse, stopping bleeding. The device is primarily aimed for use in low- and middle-income settings and is being clinically evaluated in collaboration with University of the Witwatersrand and Walter Sisulu University, South Africa. The evaluation of the device has been funded by New Venture Fund and WHO HRP |
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Maurten Bicarbonate
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The Maurten Bicarbonate system is an advanced sports fuel used by athletes during high-intensity exercise. Current work in collaboration with the WIN studio will clinically evaluate its use in labour to prevent adverse consequences of prolonged labour. |
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Fetal and Maternal continuous
lactate sensors
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The NIMBLE devices are microneedle platforms capable of continuous monitoring of lactate concentrations. This tool is valuable to support decision-making around evolving sepsis in labour or post-partum haemorrhage management, and monitoring of hypoxia in the fetus. Clinical validation and testing is underway |
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LifeStart Trolley
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The Life Start Trolley is a small mobile resuscitation trolley to allow beside care to be carried out following birth of baby with the umbilical cord intact to facilitate delayed cord clamping. |
Women’s Health Innovation (WIN) Studio Exhibition
Come to the exhibition on 4 June to experience cutting-edge women’s health innovations through live demonstrations, meet the WIN Studio team and connect with collaborators across healthcare, academia, innovation, philanthropy, and the wider community.
