Healthcare innovators from across the West of England assembled in Swindon this month (June) ‘as part of a programme that aims to save the NHS millions by bringing the benefits of cutting-edge healthcare technology to patients faster’.
The four-day Health Innovation Programme for health professionals, hosted by SETsquared and the West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN), provided 17 healthcare ventures with an intensive course in taking innovations to market.
The programme, now into its fourth successful year, covered topics such as how to conduct effective market analysis, develop funding strategies, and build a compelling business case for potential investors.
The final day ended with an opportunity for delegates to pitch to a panel of investors and healthcare experts. This was followed by a prize giving attended by MP for North Swindon, Justin Tomlinson, who said: “I was delighted to attend the last day of the programme and to get an opportunity to speak to the participants and learn more about their pioneering ideas. Congratulations to SETsquared and the West of England Academic Health Science Network for continuing to deliver a course that goes from strength to strength and supports innovators looking to make a fantastic contribution to many different areas of health and social care.”
Karen Brooks, programme director at SETsquared, said: “Once more the quality of innovators continues to impress. I’m delighted that after four years this world-class training programme continues to make a real difference to healthcare entrepreneurs.”
SETsquared, a university business incubator, joined forces with two Academic Science Networks in 2014 to create what it says is ‘a revolutionary new programme that could see more effective and better value healthcare technologies benefiting patients quicker than ever’.
