Five health innovators from Ontario, Canada brought their knowledge to the Yorkshire and Humber region as part of June’s third international Propel@YH Boot Camp.
Run by the Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network (Yorkshire & Humber AHSN), the week-long accelorator sought to bring the best health innovations from around the world into the UK, with the Yorkshire and Humber region being the first to make use of them.
The AHSNs are increasingly operating on a global scale – building strategic partnerships with international bodies to stimulate inward investment and export growth opportunities. The Propel@YH Boot Camp was a huge opportunity to bring the latest health technology from around the world to the region, where patients will benefit from the best technology first, while the region benefits from the inward investment that the programme secures.
Innovations coming into the region for the Canadian Boot Camp included a digital PTSD therapy platform, a pelvic health rehabilitation company and a multi-disciplinary virtual healthcare clinic.
The Canadian innovators took part in a range of masterclasses, workshops and networking events across Leeds. Programme content included understanding how the NHS works, NHS governance, finance and procurement frameworks, clinical safety and supplier regulations, developing evidence-based proposals and reimbursement models.
Companies taking part also had access to the AHSN’s partners who bring specific expertise to the programme and include Barclays Eagle Labs, Hill Dickinson, Nexus, University of Leeds, Leeds City Council, and West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.
The Yorkshire & Humber AHSN is one of 15 AHSNs set up by NHS England to operate as the key innovation arm of the NHS. It acts as a bridge between health care providers, commissioners, academia and industry and accelerates the spread and adoption of proven innovations across the local healthcare system to improve the health and prosperity of our region.
Neville Young, Director of Enterprise and Innovation at the Yorkshire & Humber AHSN said: “As part of our mission to support economic growth and improve the health and wellbeing of our region, the Propel@YH Boot Camp helps secure investment and jobs by attracting these businesses to the NHS market.
“Now in its fourth year, the Propel@YH programme and Boot Camps have supported 44 SMEs many of which have gone onto great success, including securing national contracts and securing millions of pounds of investment from both the public and private sectors.
“If we can successfully support these innovators to establish themselves in Yorkshire, we can use the great regional assets available to us combined with the strength of the AHSN Network to spread these innovations across the country, securing investment, jobs and health and wellbeing benefits for the whole of the UK.”
