Hosted by NHS England, the Health and Care NHS Innovation Expo 2014, 3 -4 March at Manchester Central proved to be a great place for the SBRI Healthcare team to showcase the programme with leaders and innovators from the NHS and Industry.
This year’s Expo was designed to provide the tools and inspiration to make positive changes in health and care.
Key speakers over the two days included:
• Bryan Sivak,- Chief Technology Officer at the US Department of Health and Human Services
• Lord Ara Darzi – leading voice in the field of global health policy and innovation
• Professor Sir Bruce Keogh – Medical Director of NHS England
• David Nicholson - Chief Executive NHS England
!Selection of the Management Board and Invited Companies Selection of the Management Board and Invited Companies on the SBRI Healthcare Stand[/caption]
The event generated much interest with delegates keen to know more about SBRI Healthcare to date and future competitions. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet companies who have received funding, hearing firsthand how they have benefitted from the competition and the support received to develop and bring products and services to market.
Members of the SBRI Healthcare Management Board were also on hand to offer expert advice and share their considerable experience. This included Peter Ellingworth, Chair of SBRI Healthcare and Chair of Manchester AHSN; Stephen Browning, Technology Strategy Board (TSB) SBRI Lead; Karen Livingstone, SBRI Healthcare Lead Director, EAHSN.Past winners, uMotif and St. Joseph’s Hospice were guests on the SBRI Healthcare stand having received seed funding and business support in recent competitions focused on innovative solutions to address unmet health needs.
Bruce Hellman, CEO of uMotif, a socially-minded software company helping people to lead healthy, engaged and independent lives commented, “The Expo was a great opportunity for us to make high quality new contacts and further develop some existing leads. We were delighted to be guests of SBRI Healthcare to share our experiences and to benefit from some introductions and networks that we wouldn't otherwise have accessed”.
“The event gave us an opportunity to network and raise awareness of Care Compass, a website that provides patient-led support to those facing a life-limiting diagnosis. It was also great to see what other innovative projects exists,” said Rachael Yearwood, St Joseph's Hospice.
“2014 promises to be a milestone year for SBRI Healthcare with a number of new competitions and record funding set to be announced over the coming months,” added Karen Livingstone SBRI Healthcare Lead Director, “The Expo was a great opportunity to promote the programme and to showcase some of the companies who have already received funding and could share their experiences with potential future competitors.”