The Menstrual Cycle Support course has been boosted by European Regional Development Funding, through the eHealth Productivity and Innovation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (EPIC) project.

Menstrual Cycle Support Founder, Kate Shepherd Cohen, says:

“Thanks to the EPIC grant we have been able to deliver a higher quality, clinically-backed and peer reviewed multimedia e-Learning course, available on referral through the GP surgery on social prescription.

The grant, alongside corporate sponsorship, enables the course to be free to participants, which furthers our vision of universal menstrual literacy to ease menstrual suffering, for the benefit of all, at work, in education, with friends and at home”.

Professor Ray Jones, Director of EPIC and the Centre for Health Technology at the University of Plymouth

“EPIC works with a range of innovators with ideas across the whole health landscape, whether they are just at the start of their journey and need funding to explore their ideas, or if they are a bit further along and they would like to test their technologies. Our role is to offer opportunities for the business to grow and scale through aspects such as funding or business development training and events.”

The EPIC team is particularly interested in ideas that:

• Address difficulties of providing care in remote locations
• Make steps towards making technology more accessible
• Focus on loneliness and isolation
• Strengthen support networks and sense of community
• Improve user experience of existing systems
• Offer cost savings solutions to the NHS

The EPIC challenge fund awards grants to support innovators to develop solutions and test feasibility of ideas that help people to live happier and healthier lives - in our case through our free online multimedia menstrual literacy course that is designed to ease menstrual suffering through supporting participants to understand, chart and embrace their menstrual cycle; improve GP appointments and speed up diagnosis times through empowering patients with menstrual literacy.

As with all EPIC funding, the grant is intended to support the development and feasibility of eHealth innovations and ideas, rather than direct intervention or endorsement.

Notes to editors

The EPIC project has received funding from the European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund provides funds to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects that will support innovation, skills and employment and create jobs. For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.