Innovators invited to apply for HealthTech digital accelerator programme

Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network’s (AHSN) digital health accelerator, Propel@YH, is back for its fifth year and is looking to support innovations that help the NHS whilst boosting the region’s economy.

Propel@YH provides HealthTech innovators with a structured course of advice and guidance to help them navigate the NHS, whilst enabling accelerated company growth and increased market presence. Successful organisations will take part in a series of masterclasses, digital innovator surgeries, events and 1-2-1 mentoring sessions during the six months of the programme.

Since the programme started, 40 innovators have been through the programme with 11 SMEs establishing a base in the region. Digital health and AI business, Mediwise, based in Leeds, has recently secured £1m investment since being on the programme in 2022 and now plans to expand its operations in Yorkshire.

Previous Propeller Maddie Julian, CEO of Digibete, developed an award-winning digital platform to help support self-management of type 1 diabetes. Since being on the Propel@YH programme in 2019, Digibete has secured a range of new research collaborations and has directly attributed one of these to the programme. Now, Digibete is planning to expand internationally.

Maddie Julian, chief executive of Digibete said: “The Propel@YH programme has been a timely and incredibly helpful resource for our company. Partnering with Yorkshire & Humber AHSN has been a game-changer for us. They’ve provided quick access to valuable support and connections a bit like a dating agency matching us with the right expertise and support we need.

“Their strong network and connections enable companies like ours to benefit greatly from their support. I would highly recommend other companies to explore this opportunity and tap into the expertise that AHSN has to offer.”

Dr Neville Young, director of enterprise and innovation at the Yorkshire & Humber AHSN said: “Over the last year, the programme has supported 44 innovators, facilitating 36 hours of networking time between innovator companies and national or local NHS stakeholders and this has resulted in 32 collaborations with the NHS.

“The programme also enables companies to engage with a wide variety of stakeholders from the wider HealthTech ecosystem across the UK and facilitates networking with other innovators and our colleagues from across the life sciences sector.”

Pad Burns, Healthcare growth director at 6B said: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Yorkshire & Humber AHSN, supporting the next cohort of the Propel@YH programme. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the engagement over the past 18 months, supporting innovators around the complex topic of ensuring their products are interoperable with NHS systems.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily

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