Innovation is at the heart of transforming healthcare. It is central to what we do and why we are helping to create an ‘innovation ecosystem’ for the West of England.
Over the last five years, England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) have become known as the ‘innovation arm’ of the NHS. The AHSNs operate a national network of Innovation Exchanges to identify common challenges and quickly bring people and organisations together to develop, test and spread solutions.
By being embedded in our local health and care systems, the West of England AHSN understands the innovation needs of the NHS and social care, and we’ve earned a reputation for our ambitious, joined-up vision for healthcare innovation.
We bring a whole system approach to matching innovation to locally identified challenges by connecting and brokering relationships between innovators, industry, researchers and academics, and health and care colleagues:
- Support for health and care providers: share your challenges that need innovative solutions
- Insights for innovators: understand current health and care priorities.
We have a variety of support and tools for healthcare innovators to use to help get your ideas off the ground or help your business grow.
- The Innovation Exchange is our web portal providing easy access to the support we offer innovators.
- Our Industry and Innovation team can offer advice, signpost you to local assets/resources and facilitate partnerships.
- We have funding and support opportunities available for businesses wanting to innovate in health. These include funded accelerator programmes, open innovation calls and upcoming health challenges. Visit our Innovation Exchange here to access.
