This UK wide programme is designed to promote health innovation by bringing together cross-sector innovators and researchers through networking events and a collaborative funding scheme.
Researchers, clinicians, regulators, policymakers and patients and the public need to work together to help solve major challenges facing healthcare. Life Sciences Hub Wales is working in partnership with the London-based Academy of Medical Sciences to encourage collaboration through networking events and a collaborative funding scheme in Wales.
How will the programme work?
Many cross-sector mobility schemes have been tried or currently exist, but there are still specific gaps that still need addressing. This new programme will seek to boost connections and activity in areas of specific priority to health research, including data analytics and artificial intelligence for genomics, pathology, drug development and medical imaging and cell and gene therapy.
Key challenges to working across sectors include:
- A lack of incentives
- Difficulties in connecting with the right people and organisations
- Little recognition of mobility in career progression appraisals
- Cultural gaps between organisations
- A lack of resource to support engagement and backfill of mobile researchers, particularly from the NHS and small businesses.
The programme aims to address these challenges through two main components:
1. Establishing local hubs
The Academy of Medical Sciences will be establishing local hubs in the regions/nations of the UK, in partnership with existing organisations. Their aims will be to:
- Connect researchers across sectors though themed networking events, specific to the priorities to health research and local areas of strength
- Boost collaborations and new cross sector research projects – attendees can apply for hub seed funds after the events
- Increase researchers’ awareness of potential collaborations and developing their knowledge and skills to take advantage of opportunities for connections within different sectors
- Promote opportunities that support cross sector working
2. Building on connections
This programme will strengthen any connections made through events and other activities. Open, competitive funding will be available once the first networking hubs are established, to support flexible movement ‘secondments’ of researchers between academia, industry, and the NHS.
Find out more about the programme:
Life Sciences Hub Wales are partnering with the Academy of Medical Sciences to pilot their Cross-Sector Programme. If you would like to learn more then please get in touch by emailing hello@lshubwales.com.