Medilink Midlands

WEBINAR: Validating Digital Health: From Artificial Intelligence to Clinical Evidence
2023-06-14 10:00 - 11:00 (Europe/London)
We are delighted to be holding our next Clinical Trials Special Interest Group series, organised in partnership with Afortiori Development. This online event will bring together a panel of experts to answer your questions relating to Validating Digital Health: From Artificial Intelligence to Clinical Evidence.
Rather than formal presentations, this hour-long session will take a roundtable discussion / Q&A format.
Our panel brings together specialists from our partners at Afortiori, alongside guest speakers from other industry leaders.
Joining us on the day will be:

Dr Nicola Wall, Afortiori Development
Prof Peter Bannister – Entrepreneur and Expert technology specialist
Dr Lauris Kemp – IP Expert
Timothy Bubb – Regulatory Expert

Full speaker biographies can be found below.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1 hour
Speaker Profiles:

Chaired by: Dr Nicola Wall, Chief Executive Officer, Afortiori Development
Nicola co-founded Afortiori Development after a long career in clinical research within a variety of roles. Nicola has extensive experience and a proven track record in global clinical trial management, quality assurance and process management in the healthcare industry. Afortiori have built an impressive global team of clinical trial specialists, clinicians and biostatisticians with experience in adult, paediatric and neonatal clinical research, and both primary and secondary healthcare settings.

Peter Bannister, Managing Director, Romilly Life Sciences Ltd
Peter has helped build multiple high-growth biomedical businesses, commercialising innovative products for surgery, diagnostics and digital treatment pathways across international markets and leading R&D, regulated product development and strategic business development. He founded Romilly Life Sciences to help cross-sector teams from health, tech and pharma organisations implement, evidence and scale solutions based on data and artificial intelligence (AI). He is also co-founder of Migration Biotherapeutics, Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham Centre for Regulatory Science and Innovation, Fellow and Chair of Healthcare at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, an Academy of Medical Sciences Future Leader in Innovation Enterprise and Research (FLIER) and serves as NIHR Industry Spokesperson on AI.

Dr Lauris Kemp, Partner, HGF Ltd
Lauris is a UK and European patent attorney and a partner in HGF’s biotech team. She has a strong life sciences background with a first degree in Immunology and Biochemistry; and a PhD and 6 years post-doctoral experience covering cell expression systems, protein purification, mass spectrometry, protein crystallography and bioinformatics. Her patent work reflects this broad base and Lauris handles increasing numbers of bioinformatics applications, securing commercially useful claims for clients. She has drafted and prosecuted bioinformatics applications in metagenomic and microbiome sequencing, in silico drug testing and AI cancer diagnostics. She has also successfully defended bioinformatics patents at EPO opposition proceedings.

Timothy Bubb, Technical Director, IMed Consultancy Ltd
With more than ten years’ experience in QA/RA roles, Tim has breadth and depth of knowledge across the regulatory, engineering, clinical, design and development, and quality assurance disciplines. Tim has a passion for empowering innovation in medical devices and brings insight and pragmatism to projects bringing complex lifesaving and life enhancing products to market.

IN-PERSON EVENT: Medilink Midlands Business Support & Impact Celebration: What's Next
2023-06-21 09:30 - 13:30 | Space Park Leicester, 92 Corporation Road, Leicester, LE4 5SP, United Kingdom
Come and join us to celebrate the fantastic work and achievements that the collective ERDF Projects (INSTILS, ACTIS and SoLSTICE) have provided by supporting over 400 companies across the region in the last eight years.
Delivered through Medilink Midlands, these ERDF Projects have had significant positive impact on the region and the economic growth. We invite you to join us at Space Park, Leicester to share the findings and highlight some of the success stories, built on the funding, support and advice these companies have received.
As part of this celebratory event, you will hear from:

Interim Chief Executive Officer, Melanie Davidson on how the three ERDF projects have impacted the region
Case Study examples of SMEs who have benefited from the project
Medilink Midlands Innovation Advisers will present on future/current funding opportunities
Lewis Stringer from British Business Bank will present on Finance options from the British Business Bank (see profile below)
Dr Helen Compton from NIHR Coordinating Centre will present on Available NIHR MedTech funding (see profile below)
Plus more to be confirmed

This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £508, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
Speaker Profiles

Lewis Stringer, Senior Manager, UK Network – East & South-East Midlands, British Business Bank
Lewis joined the British Business Bank in October 2016 as the MEIF Senior Relationship Manager, covering the East and South-East Midlands. The Midlands Engine Investment Fund (MEIF) is a £250m ‘fund-of-funds’ launched in February 2018 and providing equity, debt, small business loans and early stage, proof-of-concept funding for SMEs across the Midlands. He transferred to the UK Network Team in the Bank as Senior Manager, covering the East & South-East Midlands and supporting demand-side initiatives, in October 2018. And has more recently worked on the Bank’s high-profile Covid-19 response initiatives. Lewis has 25 years’ experience in economic development including two years at Capital for Enterprise Limited (the Bank’s predecessor), where he worked in the Debt Team on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme and former RDA legacy funds, ten years at East Midlands Development Agency (emda) in the Business Investment Team and five years at Nottingham City Council, where he managed a team and a series of grant, loan and equity funds, and investment readiness programmes. Lewis also has over five years commercial and personal banking experience with Lloyds Banking Group.

Dr Helen Compton, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, NIHR Coordinating Centre
Helen joined the NIHR in 2016 to lead on stakeholder engagement activity with the charity and medtech communities and provide leadership and delivery for a number of high profile strategic and operational projects across NIHR. Helen has led business/ governance changes at the science-policy interface with > 9 years research programmes commissioning experience. She developed applied research programmes from end to end to address pressing government and industry needs and has extensive experience working across government departments. Helen has developed the evidence supporting a number of national strategies and presented evidence-based findings at all organisational levels and internationally through the OECD. Helen is an innovation advisory board member to CW Innovation, the partnership between Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust and the Trust’s charity, CW+. CW Innovation aims to develop the Trust into a leading real world environment test bed for digital and med tech innovation through partnership with others.

WEBINAR: How to Develop and Deliver a Successful Marketing Strategy for Life Science Companies
2023-06-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Online via GoToWebinar
Does your promotional material lack direction and focus? Are you pressured into going straight into tactics without giving real thought to marketing strategy and ‘big picture’ planning? In this Life Sciences Marketing Special Interest Group (SIG) webinar, we will be discussing the core elements of a marketing plan.
A marketing plan is essential, not only to help you organise everything that you need to do, but also to ensure that you think about what you want to achieve. It will help you identify your target audience, outline what differentiates you from competitors, ensure your messaging is aligned to your audience needs, and help you to select the right tactics and channels. Ultimately, your marketing plan is a roadmap to guide you towards your goals and objectives. Delivered by Robin Bodicoat, Head of Marketing for Touchlight, this session will provide you will the tools to develop the most impactful route.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the INSTILS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Derby/Notts area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1 hour
Speaker profile

Robin Bodicoat, Head of Marketing, Touchlight Genetics
Robin is the CIM qualified, Head of Marketing at Touchlight Genetics, a London-based biotech company focused on the discovery and development of DNA-based genetic medicines, including DNA vaccines and gene therapies. He is also an active Board Member of the BMC (Business Marketing Club), which is the independent voice of the B2B marketing industry. He has 20+ years’ experience in Life Sciences, Pharma and Healthcare, with knowledge in marketing campaign planning and strategy, and brand development. In 2017, he managed the global re-brand of Quotient Sciences.

IN PERSON: New Health Tech Support for the Midlands
2023-08-22 10:00 - 14:00 | Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, 53 Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham, B15 2RS
Following on from our webinar in July, this in-person session provides another opportunity to hear about the latest support available if you’re involved in the development of emerging healthcare technologies and are working toward commercialisation.
Held at the Edgbaston Park Hotel and Conference Centre, this event will provide you with the resources and support you need to:

Understand your company’s needs and assess your strengths and weaknesses.
Identify the key challenges facing the NHS and the healthcare industry and develop a strategy to address these challenges.
Create and test new products and develop innovative solutions to healthcare problems.
Test new products in real-world conditions.
Expand your company’s market, network of suppliers, and develop new skills and services to meet the needs of the healthcare providers.
Show how your company’s work is making a positive impact on the local economy and health.

This event is the perfect opportunity to learn from experts, network with other health tech companies, and get the support you need to take your business to the next level.
As well as a welcome presentation from Dr Ben Roberts from the Medilink Midlands Innovation Adviser team, we’ll also hear presentations from:

Aston University
Bruntwood SciTech
City-REDI
MD-TEC
Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA)
University Hospitals Birmingham
West Midlands Health & Wellbeing Innovation Network
WMG at the University of Warwick

WEBINAR: Net Zero Healthcare: Embracing Sustainability for Business Growth
2024-01-23 10:00 - 12:00 | Online via GoToWebinar
As the world grapples with the pressing challenges of climate change and environmental degradation, the healthcare industry has a crucial role to play in adopting sustainable practices and achieving net zero emissions, particularly in light of upcoming NHS and UK government regulations that will mandate healthcare organisations to take concrete action to reduce their carbon footprint.
This event will delve into the compelling reasons why environmental sustainability is essential for healthcare innovators, highlighting the significant business advantages and opportunities that arise from embracing greener practices.

Understand the compelling reasons why environmental sustainability and net zero are essential for healthcare organisations.
Explore the business benefits of adopting eco-friendly practices, including cost savings, risk mitigation, and enhanced brand reputation.
Discover how your technological advancements can empower healthcare providers to achieve their sustainability goals.
Learn from clinical experts about the support they offer in helping healthcare organizations transition to greener practices.
Gain insights from non-profit organisations about the advantages and opportunities that sustainability presents for businesses.

This event forms part of the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA) event series. Medilink Midlands are one of a consortium of delivery partners for the WMHTIA, a project funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Innovate UK and West Midlands Combined Authority (part of City Regions).

Speaker Profiles:

Webinar Chair: Dr Ben Roberts, Innovation Adviser and Sustainability Lead, Medilink Midlands
Ben joined Medilink in 2022 as an Innovation Adviser in the West Midlands, after graduating with a PhD in Biomedical Research at the University of Warwick. Ben is utilising his knowledge currently in delivering activity under the West Midlands AHSN industry gateway. With a particular focus on sustainability, he aims to support SMEs in the health and life science sector on their journey to Net Zero.

Siân Dunning, Programme Manager, Medical Devices Testing & Evaluation Centre
As well as being Programme Manager, Sian is responsible for the £7M facility within the Institute of Translational Medicine and hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NFT. Siân has extensive experience in the management of programmes and projects, having worked with UKRI and NIHR for the past 10 years. Prior to this appointment Siân worked in higher education within Innovation and managed various growth programmes including leveraged investment. She has worked within management roles throughout her career and has extensive commercial experience in research innovation, consultancy, sales and marketing, and training, with notable expertise in medical technologies, healthcare and ceramics. Siân’s specialisms are programme & project management, business growth, fund management, innovation, and commercialisation.
Presentation title: Sustainability considerations when innovating for healthcare

Thorsten Kampmann, Supply Chain and Organisational Transformation Consultant, Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)
He started his career with a PhD in Molecular biology and has extensive experience in supporting healthcare start up companies. Thorsten is leading the engagement of the MTC Transformation Team with the West Midlands Health Technology Innovation Accelerator (WM-HTIA). Thorsten and his team provide supply chain and manufacturing capability gap analysis, and development of capability development interventions. In addition to financial and technical performance optimisation the team is developing solutions for Environmental, Societal and Governance (ESG) optimisation of supply chains. Over the last decade, Thorsten has worked in a range of sectors, including biomedical, healthcare, aerospace, defence, nuclear, construction, general manufacturing, and supply chain improvement.

Florah Waithaka, Research Engineer, Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)
Florah has an MSc in Civil Engineering and Environmental Management and primarily supports research projects in the MTC that fall in the sustainability field. Florah is involved in the West Midlands Health Technology Innovation Accelerator (WM-HTIA) project to develop solutions for SME’s working with the NHS. This includes supply chain & ESG capability gap analysis as well as capability development interventions for SMEs involved. In addition, Florah has experience working in, Construction, STEM curriculum development and Carbon accounting.
Thorsten and Florah will present together and their presentation title is: Communicating your Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments to the healthcare sector and achieving ESG ratings like the NHS-Evergreen

Morgan Roberts, Project Officer, Sustainability West Midlands
Morgan’s work ranges from producing climate change adaptation support for organisations including the NHS, to running the West Midlands Net Zero Business Pledge, a free initiative involving organisations committed to reducing carbon emissions and supporting them on this journey. Morgan will be sharing an overview of the wide range of business support available in the region, providing guidance on how to identify and get involved in the best opportunities for your business.
Presentation title: Sustainability West Midlands on the wider support available for creating a sustainable and climate resilient business.

Bev Fawdington, Co-Founder/Creator, Rainbow Trays
Bev is the co founder and creator of Rainbow Trays, organisational and colour coded anaesthetic drug trays that support anaesthetists to identify and reduce the incidence of anaesthetic error and reduce cognitive loads. Human factor engineered, Rainbow Trays are recommended by the Association of Anaesthetists as a technical solution for medication error in anaesthesia.
An innovator aligned to sustainability in anaesthesia and healthcare, Bev has been awarded a number of UK Innovate projects that specialise in the use and sustainable end of life recycling of medical plastic waste.
She also specialise in carbon accounting, decarbonisation and climate alignment for business. Partnering with VÖR consulting, we provide a full service to support PPN06/21 compliance with Carbon Reduction Plans, carbon strategy, ESG reporting and verifiable offset programmes.
Presentation title: Carbon Accounts – Are they worth it?

Danny Harrison, Innovation Manager, WMG University of Warwick
Danny is an Innovation Manager at WMG, University of Warwick, where he specialises in micromobility supply chains. He is a passionate advocate for innovation and has a proven track record of helping businesses to succeed.
In his current role at WMG, Danny leads a team of experts who are working to develop new and innovative solutions for supply chains. He is also responsible for managing a number of research projects and initiatives, and he works closely with industry partners to help them to implement new technologies and processes.
Presentation title: WMG Net Zero Innovation Network
