Showcasing regional innovation and ecosystem on a national stage

It’s been a busy couple of months taking the Pledge out ‘on the road’ at a number of conferences, read about these from our pledgees below.

Med-Tech Expo

On 7th and 8th June, many of our Pledge partners attended the Med-Tech Expo in Birmingham,  a conference with an aim to connect leaders, engineers, innovators and manufacturers with all of the technology and innovation they need to facilitate the design and manufacture of life changing medical devices.

Hyder Latif, Research Operations Manager at MedConnect North exhibited as part of the North East North Cumbria Innovation Pathway. He said: “This was of great benefit for the MedConnect North service as we were able to demonstrate the fantastic ecosystem that we are a part of and able to show the full offering of the Innovation pathway with our partners on the stand. We were able to talk collectively to some potential clients and give them a better understanding of all the partners on the innovation pathway and how we work together.”

Caroline Wilson, Principal Scientist at the North East Innovation Labs, said: “The Newcastle Hospitals North East Innovation Lab (NEIL) exhibited at The MedTech Expo event with partners from The Newcastle MIC, Health Innovation NENC and MedConnect North. Here in the North East we are able to provide everything from support, advice and guidance, to NHS access, sample provision, Lab based validation and statistical expertise. This fantastic event enabled our North East collaborative to showcase our entire Innovation Pathway from concept to commercialisation for the benefit of potential Innovators and diagnostic developers.”

Rebecca Crow, Health and Life Sciences Sector Lead at Invest Newcastle, said: “It was brilliant to attend the MedTech Innovation Expo in Birmingham with colleagues from Health Innovation NENC and across the wider North East health and life sciences ecosystem. Working together to share the amazing work being done in the region at major events like these is critical to the success of our regional economy as it allows us to highlight our potential and attract new investment. At MedTech Expo, we also had the opportunity to show how we are commercialising research via the Health Innovation NENC’s Innovation Pathway, which enables innovators to get their ideas out of the lab and into the healthcare sector.”

         

NHS Confed Expo

The Health Innovation NENC exhibited at the NHS ConfedExpo at Manchester Central on 14th and 15th June, alongside several partners from the region. This event is one of the biggest and most significant healthcare conferences and promotes networking, spread, learning, and encourages innovation, complemented by an array of exhibitions to showcase the type of support and services on offer to the heath tech sector.

Stephen Lynn, Associate Commercial Director at the Health Innovation NENC, said: “The NHS Confed Expo was a great opportunity to meet with companies developing cutting-edge health technologies. The event was also a good forum for these companies to meet with potential partners and collaborators as well as some of the national grant funding organisations like NIHR and SBRI. The AHSN Network stand included companies from the NENC region, such as Crable and XR Therapeutics. Also exhibiting was the NHS Innovation Service; this service provides a great way for innovators to access dedicated support from a range of national support organisations.”

Jody Nichols, Associate Director at Health Innovation NENC, said: “The Health and Life Sciences Pledge went on the road in June and attended not only the Innovation EXPO Birmingham but also CONFED Manchester, both fantastic events to showcase and discuss the fantastic eco system work being created for the Health and Life Sciences Infrastructure in the North East and North Cumbria. At CONFED we not only met new potential pledgees and bumped into existing pledgees, but I also very proudly discussed with national colleagues the fantastic work we have done to create, launch and showcase the Health and Life Sciences Infrastructure in the NENC through the pledge.”

         

 

Biofocus 2023

On  28th June, our very own pledgee, BioNow, held their event BioFocus 2023 at the Catalyst at Newcastle Helix. BioFocus aims to bring together industry, academics, and experts within the field of life sciences, providing a great opportunity to showcase some of the latest technologies, innovations, as well as encourage networking via the exhibition stands. The Catalyst at Newcastle Helix saw a great turnout with 166 delegates, speakers and panellists, plus 12 exhibitors, and the event was supported by the Health Innovation NENC, the National Horizons Centre and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership.

Anna Bassett, Project Manager at the Health Innovation NENC, said: “The Health Innovation NENC exhibited at BioFocus 2023, sharing a stand with Diagnostics North East and The Newcastle Hospitals North East Innovation Lab (NEIL). It was a brilliant opportunity to network and to hear about the fascinating work going on in our region, through the speakers. It was great to also stand alongside some of our Pledgee organisations to really showcase the support we can offer from our Eco System, from initial idea through to adoption via the Innovation Pathway, and really highlight what potential collaborations could be made between organisations.”

BioNow’s Executive Director of Business Development, Stella James, commented: “It was great to see so many come together to connect, engage, benefit, and grow. Innovation is at the heart of the life sciences industry, so it was inspiring to hear about so many exciting opportunities for development and collaboration available locally and nationally both now and in the future.”

David Holmes, Membership Manager at BioNow, said: “BioFocus is all about connecting and showcasing the research, capabilities and facilities we have here in the Northeast with the wider UK Life Sciences sector, this week it was great to welcome people from across the region and beyond to see some of the great work going on here, start new connections and create opportunities for further growth, I’m looking forward to BioFocus 2024 already.”