University of the West of Scotland and Frog Systems partner for next gen version of mental health and wellbeing tech

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek – @UniWestScotland and Frog Systems (@frogdotnet) to develop #AI version of mental health and wellbeing tech

Tech start-up Frog Systems has been given the go ahead for a quarter of a million pound project with the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) to use Artificial Intelligence and advanced data science techniques to accelerate development of its pioneering mental health and wellbeing platform.

Announced during Mental Health Awareness Week, the 30-month project is part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) funded by UKRI through Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency. The KTP will link Frog Systems with a recently qualified computing graduate who will be based at the company and ongoing academic support from a team of academics at UWS, led by Professors Naeem Ramzan and Zeeshan Pervez from the School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences. UWS is #1 in Scotland and one of the leading universities in the UK for the size of its Knowledge Transfer Partnerships portfolio.

Phil Worms, CEO of Frog Systems, said, “Demand for the mental health and wellbeing support our platform offers is increasing and this partnership will bring new knowledge and skills to our business to position us for rapid scale-up. The ability to embed AI and Machine Learning will make the platform more responsive for users and give our clients even greater insight into how they can allocate resources to provide support.”

Frog Systems’ unique online platform showcases videos of people sharing their life experiences to direct users to support services. Over the next two and a half years, UWS will help Frog Systems develop its content streaming capabilities through an intelligent recommendations engine and dynamic video content delivery process. Currently users are matched to resources by key words they physically type in.

Dr Stuart McKay, Senior KTP Manager at UWS, said, “As an employer committed to the health and wellbeing of our staff and students, Frog Systems’ message is one that resonates with us. Our award-winning AI and Machine Learning knowledge is being applied to develop the next generation of Frog Systems’ wellness software platform; streamlining both content production and service delivery, providing greater insight for platform adopters and, critically, an enhanced end user experience.”   

Frog Systems is based at Bellahouston Business Centre in Glasgow. The KTP project with UWS has been welcomed by the local MP.

Commenting, Alison Thewliss MP said: “It’s great to see local business Frog Systems teaming with up with the University of the West of Scotland to further enhance its mental health and wellbeing services.

“For many of us, the pandemic has changed the way that we work, with more time spent away from family, friends, colleagues and stakeholders. Platforms such as that being developed by Frog Systems seek to ensure that people can communicate more easily and effectively, and that tailored support packages can be offered to the individual.

“These emerging technologies are very welcome, and it’s especially encouraging to see this announcement coming during mental health awareness week.

“I wish the company all the very best in their future endeavours and look forward to visiting them at some point in the future.”

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships aim to help businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of knowledge, technology, and skills within the UK knowledge base.

Dr Gerry Black, Senior Knowledge Transfer Adviser at KTN, said: “I am delighted to have supported Frog Systems to win KTP funding and am excited to see them working with their partners at UWS to embed artificial intelligence into their video-led wellness platform.”

Earlier this year Frog Systems helped UWE Bristol launch a dedicated wellbeing platform for its staff. The university became the first higher education institution in the UK to establish a dedicated hub in which users can share their lived experiences of a range of issues on video as well as viewing stories told by others. The KTP project will allow Frog Systems to develop the platform further as a fully integrated service offering for other institutions and organisations in the UK and internationally.