NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care

RCS England Future of Surgery Festival
2026-04-20 - 2026-04-21 | ICC Birmingham, Broad Street, Birmingham, West Midlands, B1 2EA, United Kingdom
A celebration of surgery, shaped by you.
On 20 and 21 April 2026 we are bringing together surgeons and surgical teams for a first-of-its-kind UK festival dedicated to the future of surgery. A space for connection, inspiration, and collaboration, our vision is to unite the best and brightest minds from all career stages and specialties because your questions, insights and experiences will help shape the conversations that matter most. And meaningful change happens when we come together.
More than an event
With over 25 hours of high-quality curated content to choose from and many opportunities to meet peers and collaborate in facilitated sessions, you’ll be able to design your own programme. Whether it’s hearing from thought leaders and trailblazers, accessing practical advice and support, or being newly inspired, this is your opportunity to explore what’s important to you and to contribute to the future of the profession.
If that’s not enough, you’ll also be able to explore the latest technology, soak up the atmosphere and come away feeling energised by this celebration of surgery and the people, like you, who shape it.
Themes that matter
Festival topics will span innovation, workforce and wellbeing, diversity, equity and inclusion, global surgery and more, reflecting the issues shaping surgical practice today and tomorrow.
Be part of it. Find out more on our dedicated festival website.
Register your interest to be the first to receive the programme and hear when early bird booking opens. Have a question or an idea? We would love to hear from you – email the team.

NIHR RSS SME Funding Application Development Retreat
2026-04-21 09:30 - 17:00 UTC
Get ready to dive into funding tips and tricks to boost your Health and Life Sciences / Social Care application game at this retreat.
NIHR RSS SME Funding Application Development Retreat
Join us on April 21, 2026 at 9:30 AM (BST) for a relaxed and productive day focused on SME funding applications. This in-person retreat is perfect if you want to get hands-on help and connect with others working on similar projects. Whether you’re just starting or need a boost to your application, this event will give you the support and insights you need. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to collaborate and learn!

Engineering Medical Innovation for Scale - InFact x SETT x NIHR Webinar
2026-04-22 09:00 - 10:00 | Online, United Kingdom
Are you a MedTech innovator, researcher, or clinician working to bring a device, diagnostic or treatment technology to market? Do you find yourself curious about how to bridge the gap between promising science and a scalable, trial-ready solution?

Join inFact, the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care, and the Southampton Emerging Therapies and Technologies (SETT) Centre for a practical webinar exploring how engineering expertise, rigorous process, and the right partnerships can dramatically accelerate MedTech commercialisation — and what that looks like in practice.
This webinar is hosted by inFact, a New Zealand-based MedTech engineering company with a mission to halve the time it takes for medical innovations to reach market. With teams spanning mechanical design, embedded systems, industrial design, software, materials science, and regulatory compliance, inFact partners with innovators globally to take science from the benchtop to clinical trials and beyond.

What we’ll cover:
Reflections on the MedTech innovation and the challenges facing innovators today
A deep-dive case study: how inFact partnered with the University of Auckland to transform a complex laboratory process into a clinical trial-ready oxidative stress detection device and consumable, all while the science was still being developed
The systematic engineering approach inFact applies across all MedTech projects: de-risking, staged development, regulatory alignment, and clinician-centred design
An interactive discussion to understand where UK innovators are experiencing the most friction on their commercialisation journey and how partnerships can help
This session is designed to be practical and participatory. Come ready to share your challenges and co-create solutions.

Who should attend?
This webinar is relevant to MedTech founders and startups, academic researchers commercialising technology, NHS clinicians developing devices or diagnostics, NIHR grant holders, and innovation managers working across the UK health and life sciences ecosystem.

About InFact
InFact specialises in working with scientists while the science is still evolving. They provide design and engineering capabilities in the early stages so you can scale up your clinical and scientific programmes. Their extensive reach into specialist global suppliers for materials and prototyping processes ensures they can efficiently build equipment needed for cutting-edge science.​ Their capabilities extend to integrating QMS requirements, reimbursement, IP strategy, go-to-market and manufacturing from the earliest phases through to commercialisation. Since 1998, inFact has provided advanced engineering design services to help commercialise science & research for Medical, Deeptech and industrial applications and we bring an extensive array of technology solutions to resolving challenges with new innovations.

About NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care
The HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care aims to drive HealthTech innovation patients and healthcare systems to deliver socio-economic benefit through quicker diagnosis and treatment of surgical conditions with safe, early recovery in the community. They focus on supporting the entire surgical pathway, merging expertise from diagnostics and medtech to move technologies into the NHS faster. Its main goals include providing support for market access and regulatory expertise, training and capacity building to educate and increase knowledge in relevant fields, and supporting technologies with high potential for adoption.

About Southampton Emerging Therapies and Technologies (SETT) Centre
The SETT Centre was established in 2021 to bring together and focus on three exciting areas within which we can translate cutting edge research and innovation into clinical care and patient outcomes. Since 2021 SETT has supported over 153 research studies. We have grown from a handful of people to a wide network of over 35 people all collaborating at different points along the research pathway to improve patient care. Their vision is to bring life changing cures closer to those who need them, accelerate clinical testing of innovations and translate technology into clinical care, and harness cutting-edge data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence into care delivery.

Health Economics Workshop
2026-04-23 09:30 - 16:00 | Cloth Hall Court, Quebec Street, Leeds, England, LS1 2HA
Further details to follow with registration link
Academics, SME’s, Clinicians and students are invited to attend this one day workshop.
Numbers are limited to early registration is a must.

Introduction to Early Economic Evaluation for HealthTech Training Course
2026-04-23 09:30 - 16:30 | Cloth Hall Court, Leeds
We’re running a one-day training workshop on how early economic evaluation can support HealthTech development, pricing and adoption decisions.
This course is designed for SMEs, academics, researchers and students interested in HealthTech innovation and evaluation. No prior economics experience is required.
Through practical examples and group work, participants will learn how early models inform value cases, evidence strategy and commercial planning.
📍 Cloth Hall Court, Leeds
📅 23rd April
💲 Free to attend (lunch included)
⚠️ Limited places

Coffee and Learn: Unlocking the Strategic Value of Patient Engagement in Healthcare Investments - A Tool for the PE Community
2026-04-23 15:00 - 16:00 | Online, United Kingdom
This tool equips PE champions with the knowledge, evidence, and strategies to position patient engagement (PE) as a value driver in healthcare investment. We’ll explore how integrating patient engagement (PE) into the investment community can align investor motivations with PE’s potential to drive both financial returns and societal impact in healthcare businesses.
Whether you want to engage with investors directly or nudge your investor relations colleagues, don’t miss out on hearing from fellow PE Champions on how they’ve already leveraged this new tool – join us to embark on the shared journey to advance patient-centered solutions with investors!

An introduction to open publishing and peer review with NIHR Open Research
2026-05-12 12:00 - 13:00 | Online, United Kingdom
This webinar will provide an overview of the open publishing and peer review model used by NIHR Open Research, including advice for first-time authors and NIHR grantees. You will also have the opportunity to hear from Marian Knight, Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health at the University of Oxford. Marian is the Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, and an NIHR Open Research Advisory Board member and author; she will share her author experience in using the platform to publish her research. There will be a Q&A and the session will be recorded for registrants who are unable to attend live.

NIHR Open Research provides all NIHR-funded researchers with a place to publish any results they think are worth sharing. Submissions to NIHR Open Research are subject to editorial checks that ensure the robustness, quality, and transparency of the underlying research. Following these checks, articles are published Open Access before peer review, so that they can be viewed as quickly as possible. Expert reviewers are then selected and invited, and their reports and names are published alongside the article, post-publication. Articles that pass our peer review process are indexed in major databases like PubMed and Scopus.

NIHR MLTC CNC Webinar: Exploring Patient-Reported Outcomes in MLTC Research
2026-05-14 13:00 - 14:00 | Online, United Kingdom
Exploring Patient- Reported Outcomes in MLTC Research- What, Why, and How
Hosted by the MLTC CNC Methodologies Workstream, in this session Dr Sarah Hughes ( Centre for Patient Reported Outcomes Research (CPROR), University of Birmingham) will explore what patient-reported-outcomes (PROs) are, why they are important, and how they are currently used in MLTC research and care. She will also discuss some of the challenges, future directions for MLTC PRO research, and what is needed for PROs to better reflect patients’ perspectives of their health.
You can register to attend here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/AP8ZggDYX2
Please share with colleagues in your infrastructure and for further information please contact James.Finney@leicester.ac.uk

Devices & Diagnostics: Turning data into better care
2026-05-14 13:00 - 14:30 | Online, United Kingdom
Please join us for our next Innovation Club exploring how data from devices, diagnostics and digital tools is translated into practical, patient centred care across the healthcare system. This is been delivered as a hybrid session so either join us in person at the Innovation Pop Up (light lunch provided) or online.

Speakers:
Dr Andrea Utley – Head of Impact & Innovation, Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds
Andrea will present findings from three studies assessing the accuracy and efficacy of the Yuwell Anytime continuous glucose monitor. She leads Impact and Innovation in the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Leeds, working with industry partners on research that supports product development at local, national and international level.
Tsitsi Chinyandura – Founder of Lotessa Digital Health
Tsitsi will present Lotessa, her Leeds‑based, patient‑led digital health platform supporting people prescribed GLP‑1 medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. Developed from lived experience, it supports patients and clinicians across the GLP‑1 pathway, including BMI verification, medication logging, adherence monitoring and side‑effect management.

Mr Paul Nix – Consultant Otolaryngology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust
Paul will share evidence from a pilot study on Steriwave nasal photodisinfection, showing how a rapid, clinician‑led intervention can dramatically reduce surgical site infections. It will explore the implications for patient outcomes, antibiotic stewardship and wider NHS system productivity.

Dr Nick Gompertz – CEO and founder of EarSwitch
Nick will present EarSwitch, an in‑ear technology that captures biometric signals from the ear canal to support more inclusive monitoring and interaction. It will explore how this approach can enable more accessible, dignified care across assistive technology and future health monitoring.

PROBr & NIHR presents: Clinical Trials Week Webinar Series (3 day part)
2026-05-18 - 2026-05-20 | Online, United Kingdom
Explore clinical research, innovation, and myths in this 3-part webinar series. Learn, engage, and be part of the future of healthcare.

A 3-Part Webinar Series Exploring Research, Innovation & Inclusion
Join PROBr and the NIHR part of Your Voice in Health Research for a dynamic, educational, and interactive Clinical Trials Week, designed to open the door to research for everyone, whether you’re completely new or already involved in healthcare, academia, or innovation.
This 3-day virtual series brings together researchers, clinicians, innovators, and the public to break down what clinical research really is, explore cutting-edge innovations, and challenge common misconceptions that often prevent people from getting involved.

Essential Guide to Grant Applications (EGGA)
2026-05-19 - 2026-05-21 | Online, United Kingdom
Our Essential Guide to Grant Applications (EGGA) is a free-to-attend, online, three-day masterclass, funded and hosted by NIHR RSS USP, on how to write a grant application for applied health or social care research that is strong from a methodological point of view, reads well and presents a convincing case for funding. The event will cover important writing tips, along with guidance on what reviewers will be looking for in an application. Attendees will learn how to make their research idea clear and compelling to reviewers, how to write a good methods section and how to demonstrate credible support.
The online masterclass focuses on how to sell your research idea by:

writing a convincing application with a good structure, flow and argument;

presenting a strong methods section, including statistical, qualitative, health economics and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) elements;

having a good project plan;

engaging with sources of external support for your research.

Digital Literacy as a Determinant of Health
2026-05-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Mid Yorkshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF1 4DG, United Kingdom
Digital literacy is increasingly a gateway to health, wellbeing and opportunity. Accessing GP services, managing long-term conditions, applying for benefits, finding housing support, or engaging in education now relies on digital confidence as much as clinical provision.

Building on widely recognised determinants of health, such as income, housing, education and social networks, digital inclusion is emerging as a critical determinant shaping how people experience health and care across West Yorkshire.

This event brings together community leaders, healthcare professionals, innovators, and people with lived experience to explore how local communities are responding and what collective action looks like next. Participants will share insights, discuss practical solutions, and contribute to a West Yorkshire Digital Literacy Insight Resource that captures learning from across the region.

What to expect
– Interactive sessions: conversation tables, QR prompts, post-it notes and discussion cards so everyone can join in
– Lightning talks: hear real stories from local innovators, health educators and people driving change in the community
– Networking: connect with people from health, tech, community organisations and local government
– Action focus: help identify priorities that will shape the West Yorkshire resource and future One HealthTech activity

Whether you work in health or tech, or simply care about making digital health fairer, you’re very welcome. Let’s come together, share ideas and build something better. Arrive at 17:30 for refreshments, with the event starting at 18:00.

Your Voice in Health Research Summit
2026-05-22 17:00 - 20:30 | Cardigan Community Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Join us in person to share your experiences and ideas about health research! This is your chance to make a real impact and help shape the future of healthcare. Come meet researchers, connect with others passionate about health, and have your voice heard in a relaxed and friendly setting. Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity to be part of something meaningful!
For more information, visit the organiser’s website: https://www.probr.co

2nd Biomarker Accelerator Conference 2026
2026-06-02 09:00 - 17:30 | ARC West London, Manbre Road, London, W6 9RH, United Kingdom
Rescuing Stalled Biomarkers and Accelerating Translation
Join leading voices from industry and academia for a dynamic, solution-focused conference dedicated to accelerating the journey of biomarkers from discovery to patient care, hosted at ARC West London.
About the Event:
Biomarker Accelerator 2026 brings together researchers, clinicians, industry experts, and innovators to tackle one of the biggest challenges in healthcare: why promising biomarkers stall; and how to move them forward. This event is designed to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world application, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, practical insights, and translational impact.

Opportunity for early career researchers to help shape the new NIHR Planetary Health Research Framework
2026-06-02 14:00 - 16:30 | Online, United Kingdom
We are looking to refresh our NIHR Carbon Reduction Guidelines and develop a new NIHR Planetary Health Research Framework that is targeted towards environmental sustainability; supporting research that can help deliver low carbon, sustainable and resilient health and care systems.
We are looking for up to 4 early career researchers (doctoral or postdoctoral) who are ideally working in, or familiar with, the climate, health and sustainability field to bring your experiences and perspectives to help shape the new framework.
The Ask: We ask that you are available to join an online workshop on Tuesday 2nd June 2026 (14:00 -16:30). Interested individuals are asked to complete and submit a short EOI form before 5pm on Monday 11th May 2026 and outcomes will be communicated by the 18th May.

Winning in Wearable HealthTech
2026-06-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Online, United Kingdom
Wearable healthtech is transforming how people monitor, manage and understand their health. However, technical complexity, regulatory hurdles, and scaling challenges are slowing down even the most well-funded teams
In this webinar, CPI experts and a leading wearable SME will break down:

Where wearable products typically fail during development and scale-up.
How to navigate technical and regulatory barriers more efficiently.
What investors and partners look for before committing to scale.
Practical strategies to move from feasibility to commercialisation faster.

This session is designed for founders, product leaders, and innovation teams in SMEs who are actively working on bringing wearable technologies to market.
Join us to discover what it takes to succeed in wearable healthtech, and how CPI can help bring the next generation of impactful, accessible health technologies to life.

AI, Literacy & Trust: What Communities Need to Know
2026-06-04 18:00 - 20:00 | University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Artificial Intelligence is already part of everyday life; helping shape healthcare, public services and how people access support.

But many people feel AI is happening to them rather than with them.

What does AI actually mean for communities?

Can we trust it?

Who decides how it’s used?

And how do we make sure it works fairly for everyone?

This event creates space for an open, honest conversation about understanding AI, building trust and making sure communities have a voice in how technology is designed and used.

No jargon. No hype. Just real discussion about what matters.

Disability Inclusion Webinar
2026-06-08 15:00 - 16:30 | Online, United Kingdom
A global call to action for disability inclusion in health research, 15:00 to 16:30 BST, Monday 8th June 2026.

The Disability Inclusion in Research Collaboration (DIRECT), NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, and NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care invite you to:
A global call to action for disability inclusion in health research, 15:00 to 16:30 BST, Monday 8th June 2026.
This free online webinar will outline key messages from a recently published global call to action, including:

Challenges to disability inclusion in health research related to monitoring disability inclusion, the research cycle, and the research and advisory workforce.

Actions to advance disability inclusion for research teams, infrastructure organisations, and wider stakeholders.

Practical examples of work focused on advancing disability inclusion.

Accessibility and questions
The webinar will be hosted on Zoom and recorded.
British Sign Language (BSL) interpreting and real-time captioning will be provided.
Slides will be shared prior to the webinar. The webinar recording and transcript will be shared after the webinar.
If you have any other access needs for this webinar, or any questions about the webinar, please contact Libby via PPIBRC@leeds.ac.uk.
Presenters
The webinar will be presented by DIRECT members with diverse lived and professional experience of disability, including:

Dr Anna Anderson, University of Leeds, UK

Professor Bonnielin Swenor, Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, USA.

Jasjot Maggo, University of Otago, New Zealand.

Associate Professor Amy M Russell, University of Leeds, UK.

Dr Victoria Shepherd, Cardiff University, UK.

Associate Professor Katherine Deane, University of East Anglia, UK.

Agenda

Welcome and introduction (Anna Anderson).
Monitoring disability inclusion – challenges and actions (Bonnielin Swenor).
Practical example – disability data collection (Bonnielin Swenor).
Research cycle – challenges and actions (Jasjot Maggo).
Practical example – working with people with learning disabilities (Amy M Russell).
Practical example – research with people with impaired capacity to consent (Victoria Shepherd).
Research and advisory workforce – challenges and actions (Katherine Deane).
Practical example – Lab Access guidelines (Katherine Deane).
Take-home messages (Anna Anderson).
Questions.

Thank you for your interest in our webinar!

Leeds Renal Research Day
2026-06-09 09:00 - 16:00 | University of Leeds, Parkinson Building, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
Dental Lecture Theatre 6.142, Level 6, Worseley Building University of Leeds
16 June 2026

9.00-9.10am – Welcome Andy Lewington, Consultant Renal Physician/Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
9.10-9.30am Inclusive Research – interdisciplinary work to address inequity in kidney health. Sunil Daga, Associate Professor, University of Leeds
9.30-9.50am Kidney disease in ciliopathies: insights from gene discovery and functional genomics. Colin A. Johnson, Professor of Medical & Molecular Genetics, University of Leeds
9.50-10.10 am Peer support for people with kidney failure: how, when and where is it most effectively implemented? Dr Anna Winterbottom, Senior Health Services Researcher, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
10.10-10.30am Investigation of Complex Dynamics of Donor-Specific Antibodies in High-Risk Kidney Transplantation Ghofran Hijazi, Warwick University
10.30- 10.50am BK virus in kidney transplantation. Matthew Welberry Smith, Consultant Renal Transplant Physician, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
10.50- 11.10am Repurposing of drugs for BK virus driven kidney disease. Andrew Macdonald, Professor of Tumour Virology. University of Leeds
11.10-11.30am Coffee/Tea
11.30-11.50pm Tarot framework Dr Adrienne Seitz Consultant Transplant Physician/H&I Consultant, LTHT
11.50-12.05pm My KRUK MRes Application’ Heather Roberts Kidney Transplant Specialist Nurse, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
12.05-12.25pm Big Lessons from Big Data in the Advanced Kidney Care Clinic. Andrew Mooney, Consultant Nephrologist/Honorary Associate Clinical Professor, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
12.25-12.45pm Navigating Transplant Options: Multifaceted Decisional Needs in Disadvantaged Patient Populations. Dr Ahmed Ahmed, Renal Department Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
12.45-1.05pm Developing a Departmental Clinical Research Programme. Andy Lewington, Consultant Renal Physician/Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust

1.05-1.20pm Lunch
1.20-1.40pm The Fortrea Clinical Research Unit. Jim Bush Vice President and Global Head, Clinical Pharmacology Physicians, Fortrea. Honorary Fellow St George’s, University of London
1.40-2.00pm Lower urinary tract consequences of BK virus reactivations in kidney transplant recipients and beyond. Simon Baker, Kidney Research UK Intermediate Fellow Department of Biology & York Biomedical Research Institute
University of York
2.00-2.20pm Platelet Microparticles (PMP) as marker of Diabetes Kidney Disease progression James Salt, Beckett University, Leeds
2.20-2.40pm Diagnostics for infection; lessons learnt from COVID? Kerrie Davies MBE Consultant Clinical Scientist /Honorary Associate Professor of Diagnostics for Infectious Diseases Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
2.40-3.00pm Continuous Early Prediction ​of Acute Kidney Injury ​from Longitudinal EHR Data.​ Polina Banushkina, Research Fellow, University of Leeds
3.00-3.20pm Masters project on pharmacogenomics. Dane Howard. Advanced Clinical Pharmacist – Solid Organ Transplant, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
3.20-3.40pm Uraemic Cardiomyopathy: Past, Present, and Future – Insights from Cardiorenal Research in Leeds. Shanmugakumar Chinnappa, Consultant Renal Physician, Doncaster and Bassettlaw Teaching Hospital
3.40-4.00pm Bioimpedance-guided fluid management: Audit of clinical decision-making and outcomes. Jessica Corcoran Jessica Concannon l Clinical Scientist l Clinical Engineering & Medical Physics, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust
4.00-4.10pm Final Comments. Andy Lewington, Consultant Renal Physician/Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust

NIHR BioResource Scientific Conference
2026-06-17 09:30 - 12:30 | Online, United Kingdom
Agenda
9:30am-9:35am – Welcome to the BioResource – general housekeeping and agenda run through
9:35am 9:45am – Dr. Nick Watkins – Keynote address on the vision for the future of health research in the UK
9:45am 10:05am – Dr. Michael Colwill – Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in transgender and gender non-conforming people
10:05am 10:25am – Prof. Cath Williamson -The role of genomics in maternal health
10:25am 11:10am – Fireside chat on research inclusion, featuring – Dr. Esther Mukuka, NIHR Director of Research Inclusion with Prof. Cath Williamson and Hannah Stark, BioResource Operations Lead
11:10am 11:30am – Comfort break – a chance to stretch your legs and grab a drink before the next session starts
11:30am 11:50am – Alicia Rowland and Lucy Clossick Thomson – PS-002-101, the first gene therapy in kidney disease: how and why we’ve leveraged BioResource to help support recruitment in a NICE patient group
11:50am 12:10pm – Prof. Rachel Upthegrove – The Mental Health Mission and the SMILE BioResource
12:10pm 12:30pm – Prof. Nathalie Kingston, Director, NIHR BioResource – Closing remarks.
Keep an eye on our website, X and LinkedIn channels – more announcements coming soon!

JCA for Medtech and IVD: What Pharma Already Knows That You Need to Know
2026-06-23 15:00 - 16:00 | Online, United Kingdom

OHT Better HealthTech by Design: Better Together: Clinicians + Designers in the NHS
2026-06-23 18:00 - 19:30 | Online, United Kingdom
About the Event

Exploring why innovation in healthcare often fails at adoption and how a wider, UX-led approach can create meaningful change long before technology is fully implemented.

Drawing from real NHS case studies across rheumatology, cardiology, and neurology, this session shares lessons from designing services with clinicians, patients, and multidisciplinary teams to improve pathways, reduce friction, and build trust in complex healthcare environments.

Rather than focusing purely on technology, this talk explores how human-centred design, collaboration, and behavioural understanding can drive sustainable innovation in the NHS.

Speakers
Laura Smith, Service Designer and Researcher, Unboxed
Dr William Bradlow, Cardiology Consultant, University Hospital Birmingham

Understanding Innovation in NHS Supply Chain
2026-06-25 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-07-30 10:00 - 11:00, 2026-08-27 10:00 - 11:00 | Online, United Kingdom
These sessions are a great opportunity to:

Ask questions directly to the team.
Gain an overview of public procurement.
Learn where to find upcoming opportunities.
Discover where to access information on current tender requirements.
Explore other support available to suppliers.

Whether you’re new to public sector procurement or looking to expand your understanding, these events are designed to help guide, support, and connect you.

Digital Poverty: When Access Isn’t Equal
2026-06-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Aire Logic Limited, Aireside House, 24 Aire St, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4HT, United Kingdom
About the Event

Digital services are increasingly becoming the default way people access healthcare, public services, education and employment support.
But access isn’t equal.

For many communities, digital exclusion is shaped by affordability, connectivity, confidence and wider cost-of-living pressures with real consequences for health outcomes and opportunity.

This event creates space for an open conversation about digital inclusion, practical solutions and how systems and communities can work together to reduce digital inequality.

No assumptions. No blame. Just honest discussion about what works and what still needs to change.

Key questions

When services become “digital by default”, who gets left behind?

How do device access, data poverty and affordability affect health and wellbeing?

What practical solutions are already working locally?

How do policy and grassroots approaches come together?

Evidencing value in healthcare innovation
2026-06-30 11:00 - 12:30 | Online, United Kingdom
As the healthcare landscape evolves, there is growing national focus on moving beyond cost alone when procuring innovation. Demonstrating wider value, including patient outcomes, system impact and operational benefits, is becoming increasingly important, yet many innovators face challenges in evidencing this effectively.
This webinar will explore how innovators and NHS partners can better evidence value throughout the innovation and procurement journey. Attendees will also learn how we, at Health Innovation West of England, can support innovators in generating meaningful evidence to strengthen the case for adoption across healthcare systems.

Who should attend?

Innovators working towards evidence generation, market access and procurement
NHS organisations and innovation adopters interested in evaluating and implementing healthcare innovation

Why attend?

Gain practical insights into what “value” means in NHS procurement
Learn how to build stronger evidence to support adoption and commissioning
Hear directly from experts involved in sourcing, delivering and supplying healthcare products and services across NHS organisations
Understand the support Health Innovation West of England can offer

Key speakers:

Kirsty Dodson – NHS Supply Chain
Mike Long – Health Innovation West of England
Sian Thomas – UniWee

What will the session include?
This webinar will include presentations and insights from expert speakers, followed by discussion and shared learning around evidencing value in healthcare innovation.

York & North Yorkshire Health & Life Sciences Business Cluster
2026-07-01 09:00 - 14:00
Attendees will hear from a range of regional organisations supporting innovation and growth within the health and life sciences sector, alongside insights into the infrastructure, assets and support available within York and North Yorkshire. The event will also involve a facilitated networking workshop to directly connect health & life science businesses to the relevant stakeholders based on their stage and needs.

Breaking into the NHS: a masterclass for health innovators
2026-07-09 09:00 - 16:00 | Engine Shed, Engine Shed, Bristol, United Kingdom
Are you an early-stage healthcare innovator, based in the West of England with a solution that could transform the NHS?
Join Health Innovation West of England for a practical, interactive masterclass designed to help local innovators successfully navigate the NHS and understand what it takes to bring innovation into the healthcare system.
This is not just another conference. It’s a unique opportunity to gain direct access to NHS experts, receive practical commercialisation support, and connect with peers, mentors and specialists from across the regional innovation ecosystem.
Whether you are developing a digital health solution, launching a HealthTech start-up, or progressing a university spin-out, this event will provide valuable insights into how the NHS evaluates, adopts and works with innovation.
Please note: Spaces are limited. Applications need to be submitted by 19 June to be considered.
What you’ll gain:

Practical insights into how the NHS works as a marketplace for innovation
A better understanding of the decision-making units in the NHS
Guidance on developing a strong value proposition
Insights into the evidence and evaluation the NHS requires
Understanding of what regulators expect from innovators
Opportunities for mentoring, networking and collaboration with key experts and fellow innovators.

Expert-led sessions include:

The NHS as a marketplace
Developing your value proposition
Evaluation and insights
Regulatory affairs

Meet the experts:

Ruth Barker, Senior Evaluations Manager at Health Innovation West of England
Sam Bacon, Associate Consultant for SGB Consulting – Medical Device Quality and Regulatory Services
Claire Denyer, Programme Manager for Innovation at Health Innovation West of England

Who should attend

Early-stage healthcare innovators, based in the West of England, with a solution that could transform the NHS.
The masterclass is ideal for local:

Early-stage HealthTech founders
Digital health start-ups
University spin-outs
Innovators looking to better understand the NHS adoption and commercialisation pathway.

Why Great Health Technologies Never Reach Patients
2026-07-31 10:00 - 12:00 | Online, United Kingdom
Every year, remarkable health technologies are developed.
✅ Many are backed by outstanding science.
✅ Many secure investment.
✅ Many demonstrate promising clinical results.
Yet only a small number become part of everyday patient care.
Why?
If you’ve ever wondered why adoption takes years, why promising innovations lose momentum, or why organisations with good intentions still struggle to create lasting change, this conversation is for you.
Join me for a live episode of Signal Before Scale Conversations with Vee Mapunde, Co-Director of the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care.
Together, we’ll explore the patterns Vee has observed from working across researchers, clinicians, innovators, industry and the NHS. Rather than focusing on one technology or one organisation, we’ll examine what repeatedly separates innovations that gain traction from those that quietly stall.
We’ll explore questions including:
• Why do so many great healthcare innovations never become routine patient care?
• What signals suggest an innovation is on the path to successful adoption?
• What do founders, researchers, clinicians and NHS organisations consistently misunderstand about one another?
• What leadership behaviours build confidence across the innovation ecosystem?
• What conversations need to happen much earlier if we want innovation to reach patients faster?
This isn’t a discussion about grants or procurement alone. It’s a conversation about the human, organisational and leadership challenges that determine whether innovation creates real impact.
Whether you’re a founder, CEO, Chair, investor, clinician, researcher or NHS leader, you’ll leave with a different perspective on what it really takes to move from innovation to adoption.
I hope you’ll join us live, bring your questions, and be part of the conversation.
