INSIGHTS / News

Healthcare innovators in the West of England came together in Bath this month to learn how to take their cutting edge technology and business ideas to the next level.

The three-day healthcare innovation programme, hosted by SETsquared and the West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN), provided 24 innovators from 16 healthcare ventures with an intensive course in taking innovations to market.

Elizabeth Dymond, deputy director of enterprise and translation at the West of England AHSN, said: “The healthcare innovation programme is invaluable for those entrepreneurs looking to shape the next generation of healthcare. The innovations we saw today have the potential to revolutionise aspects of healthcare and improve benefits to service users as well as save money for the NHS.”

Simon Bond, Innovation Director at SETsquared, said: “The standard of innovation we’ve seen this month has been staggering. The technology ranges from innovations to help speech and language therapy, mental health and recovery from injuries as well as supported living for people with learning disabilities. The healthcare innovation programme has given a real boost to these entrepreneurs, and given them a solid foundation to build their businesses on.”

Participants, who came from both the NHS, companies, universities and the public contributor community, took part in sessions that covered bringing a business plan to life, market analysis for start-ups and how to pitch for funding. The programme also took a close look at funding strategies and the principles of funding an entrepreneurial business.

SETsquared joined forces with four Academic Health Science Networks in the South of England in November last year to set up the revolutionary new programme that could see more effective and better value healthcare technologies benefitting patients quicker than ever.