Member Article

Healthy ambitions as Leeds raises innovation aspirations globally

As part of its aim to become the UK’s first city for Health and Innovation, representatives from Leeds will this week be part of a UKTI delegation at a leading international medical conference in the USA.

Leeds and Partners, the city’s promotional organisation, will join Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS medical director and Miles Ayling, NHS director of innovation, as part of the UKTI delegation to AdvaMed 2013 where it will showcase the city’s health and innovation proposition to more than 1,000 companies, investors, policy-makers and global experts

The trip is part of Leeds’ continuing work to drive investment in the healthcare and medical technologies sector.

UKTI regional director for Yorkshire and Humberside, Mark Robson, said: “Thanks to the NHS the UK has a global reputation for providing excellent treatment. Our healthcare industries include innovators and manufacturers of revolutionary medical devices and healthcare consultants who are exporting British expertise across the globe.

“The UKTI delegation to AdvaMed offers an ideal opportunity for UK healthcare companies to find out about the many opportunities available in overseas markets, forthcoming trade events and the wide range of support that is on offer and I would urge any company, whether an experienced or novice exporter, to find out more about how exports can help their business grow.”

The delegation will provide an international platform for Leeds to outline the strengths of its dynamic medical technology cluster. The city is home to over 100 companies specialising in medical devices, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, together employing over 3,500 people. Award-winning firms in the city exporting to a range of overseas markets include RSL Steeper, Surgical Innovations, Brandon Medical, TissueMed and Kirkstall Precision.

The UKTI visit will build on investor interest already established in the US marketplace and will allow Leeds to further exploit opportunities to grow this sector by helping the delegation to identify potential working partners in America, present and test the sector proposition to experts and raise the profile of their regional capabilities within the sector.

Lurene Joseph, chief executive of Leeds and Partners, said: “The UKTI delegation helps to endorse the city’s health and innovation proposition and we will use this opportunity as a vehicle to illustrate the points of differentiation that Leeds has to offer in the medical technologies field.

This year’s attendance at AdvaMed follows Leeds and Partners’ participation in the Future Health Mission led by UKTI and health minister, Lord Howe, during AdvaMed 2012 which resulted in the establishment of a number of successful relationships, including with the Massachusetts Life Science Centre, CIMIT (Centre for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology), Massachusetts eHealth Institute, MIT Licensing Office, Cambridge Innovation Centre, Ernst and Young’s Global Sciences lead and UKTI’s US lead for healthcare.

Outside of AdvaMed 2013, Leeds and Partners will target investment and trade opportunities in the US and will continue to engage with investors that they have built relationships with in the last year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Addison .