Novartis has taken a 12.8% stake in pharmaceutical company BiolineRx as part of a partnership agreement.

University of East Anglia spin-out Spectral Edge offers up image enhancement technology for colour blindness.

Government body Innovate UK provides funding to Oxehealth for secure room monitoring.

The unit committed 36% of its funding in 2014 to health and life sciences, while the mobile and enterprise sectors also benefited from a retreat from consumer investments.

Utrecht University is one of the backers for biopharma firm Cristal Therapeutics.

Business Growth Fund, backed by the UK's five biggest banks, will form a venture capital subsidiary to invest in earlier-stage businesses.