A range of companies in China is looking to tap into the expertise of the UK life sciences sector with a search for private sector partners to co-design, import or distribute a range of healthcare products.
Read "Chinese businesses seek UK companies to partner on healthcare products"
To meet the growing interest in genomic medicine within the NHS, Health Education England’s Genomics Education Programme (GEP) has produced a series of videos to help all healthcare professionals understand the role genomics will play in future patient care and treatments.
Read "Introducing genomics into healthcare – free video resources"
Tech or digital start-up businesses are being encouraged to accelerate their growth by applying to Innovation Birmingham’s Serendip® Smart Cities Incubator programme. There will be at least four sector-specific Serendip® ‘quarters’: Digital Health, Intelligent Mobility, Internet of Things and an additional incubator. These will be delivered by Innovation Birmingham in collaboration with key partners, with the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network collaborating in the Digital Health quarter.
The Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI), with support from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and Academic Health Science Networks, is running a Medical Technology Trade Mission to Texas, taking in Austin, San Antonio and Houston from 14 to 21 May 2016. The purpose for the mission is to unlock the significant opportunity in Texas and create demand for UK products. The state has been selected as a soft landing for companies entering and growing operations in the USA and from where companies can springboard to other US states.
Read "ABHI seeks 20 SMEs to join Medical Technology Trade Mission to Texas"
WMAHSN has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award, along with private sector partner GE Healthcare Finnamore. WMAHSN and GE Healthcare Finnamore are in the running for the Public private partnership award 2016, the winner of which will be revealed at the Health Investor Awards 2016 on 15 June in London.
Read "WMAHSN shortlisted for a prestigious national award with GE Healthcare Finnamore"
In November 2015 the University of Birmingham launched its first Business with Birmingham Innovation Competition. Now open to SMEs across the UK, the competition is designed to celebrate entrepreneurship and innovation within some of the UK’s most exciting enterprises. Two categories are available: High Growth Innovative SME of the Year and Best Innovative Idea for Exploitation.
The European Commission has opened only its second call for regions to bid to become a European Reference Site. European Reference Sites are coalitions of regions, cities, integrated hospitals or care organisations, industry organisations, SMEs and research institutions that are jointly implementing an innovative-based approach to active and healthy ageing.
EIT Health, a European Union-wide consortium established to tackle healthy living and active ageing, has launched a call for proposals for new Innovation by Ideas projects to start in 2017, with up to half a million euros in funding up for grabs. The ultimate objective of the proposed projects should be the rapid market penetration of innovative healthcare products and services.
Join the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network (WMAHSN) for an evening of networking with clinicians, academics and industry over canapés, and the official launch of Meridian, the region’s brand new online health innovation exchange. Meridian, part of the WMAHSN’s Innovation and Adoption Service, has been specifically designed to support the West Midlands' innovation ecosystem by providing industry with an opportunity to showcase their innovations and performance-enhancing products, services and technology.
A four-week, free online course, Genomic Medicine – Transforming Patient Care in Diabetes, has been developed to show learners how current genomic knowledge can be applied in a clinical setting. The course is open to all those who want to learn about how the genomics era is changing medical science, including healthcare professionals, science undergraduates and non-specialists who want to learn more about genomics medicine.
Read "Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in Monogenic Diabetes starts this month"
The Green Bag scheme aims to improve patient safety by giving healthcare staff accurate information on patients’ medicines, in particular ensuring that medicines prescribed on admission correspond to those that the patient was taking before admission, where appropriate. The accuracy of the information is supported by the safe transfer of patients’ medicines between care settings, using the easily identifiable Green Bag. From Monday 4 April, the Green Bag scheme will launch across the whole of the West Midlands.
Read "WMAHSN-supported Green Bag scheme poised to roll out across the West Midlands"
There are still a few places left on a series of person-centred care workshops held around the West Midlands over the coming months. These workshops are free to attend. Places are limited so secure your place quickly by contacting Emily Brayford or 01782 733905.
Read "Last few places remaining on person-centred care workshops"
A range of companies in the USA are looking to tap into the expertise of the UK life sciences sector with a search for private sector partners to co-design a range of innovative healthcare products.
Read "US companies seek UK companies to co-design healthcare products"
SBRI Healthcare, an NHS England funded initiative to develop innovative products that address unmet health needs, today announced the companies that will share £4.4 million having successfully reached the next phase (Phase 2) of the clinically-led competition. Six companies will receive a second round of funding to further develop their products which in this competition are focused on addressing challenges in a key area of healthcare including brain Injury, child and adolescent mental health, diabetic foot ulcers, medical imaging and outpatient services.
Read "£4.4 million awarded in latest SBRI Healthcare Competition"
In order to explore how NHS organisations in the West Midlands could be best supported to involve patients in decisions about their choice of medicines, Pfizer and the WMAHSN hosted a joint workshop on the patient perspective in medicines optimisation and NICE compliance on 7 October 2015 in Birmingham. The outputs of the discussion have now been captured in a comprehensive report.
Read "Report on workshop on the patient perspective in medicines optimisation now available"
The second annual conference of the West Midlands Health Informatics Network (WIN) was held on 26 January at the University of Warwick. Its aim was to provide attendees with the opportunity to find out about digital healthcare innovations and research, share good practice and experiences, and network. Over the course of the day, there were 140 attendees from industry, local authorities, the NHS and academia, making this the biggest WIN event to date.
The Medilink West Midlands Healthcare and Business Awards 2015 took place on 14 January, bringing together business representatives, clinicians, researchers and academics from the region’s medical and healthcare technology sector. With categories for excellence in Start-up, Partnership with the NHS, Innovation, Export Achievement and Outstanding Achievement, the ceremony provided an opportunity to bring together leading organisations across the sector and celebrate achievements from across the region.
Read "Awards celebrate the best of healthcare innovation across the West Midlands"