Manchester delegation to showcase city opportunities for US BioMed firms

Business leaders from Greater Manchester are flying out to the US this month to showcase investment opportunities for biomedical companies.

At the MedTech Conference in San Jose, the Health Innovation Manchester delegation will present the message that the city offers life science businesses an ideal location for the testing and fast-track adoption of innovative treatments, services and products.

The group, comprising inward investment officials, academics and representatives from the worlds of health and business, will also visit health innovation clusters in California’s Bay Area and the Greater Boston Area of Massachusetts.

Businesses including medtech and data companies, contract research organisations (CROs) and drug developers will be shown the potential partnership opportunities Manchester can offer following its £6bn-a-year health and social care devolution deal.

Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese said: “Greater Manchester is steeped in a history and reputation for innovation. From the industrial revolution to computer science and the recent isolation of graphene, the North of England has always had a pioneering spirit.

“With the strength of our world-class universities in medical research, and having the UK’s first integrated health and social care system, Greater Manchester is a highly-attractive business destination for US companies. As the best city to live in the UK, our city region is a great place to study, work and invest.”

Tim Newns, chief executive of Manchester’s inward investment agency MIDAS, commented: “Greater Manchester has created a globally unique partnership, which joins up both the planning and delivery of services within a citizen-centric health and social care system covering a diverse Metropolitan population of 3m people.

“This partnership will deliver unrivalled access for US life sciences and healthcare companies to a large-scale, real-world test bed for innovation, covering the full spectrum of health and social care, which is underpinned by a proven world-leading digital health platform.”

The managing director of science and technology park operator Manchester Science Partnerships, Thomas Renn, said: “Greater Manchester is showcasing the UK’s first fully integrated and devolved ecosystem linking industry, academia, and health and social care to accelerate the adoption of eHealth technology.

“We are excited to spend time in San Jose, San Francisco and Boston – the leading life science hubs in the US, which will provide us with the opportunities to connect with key decision makers, entrepreneurs, start-ups, and academia in other cities.”