We are on a mission. It is a mission to grow the health technologies sector in the West Midlands. Grow existing businesses. Grow the number of health tech businesses. Grow their turnover. And grow the number of good quality jobs in the sector.

Our Cluster Organisation exists to promote collaboration. Collaboration between member companies. Collaboration with those who can help our members. We are proud to have been instrumental in defining our health tech sector around the 4Ds of data, devices, diagnostics and digital health. Proud to have supported the Department of International Trade in producing Data-driven healthcare, its prospectus for high potential opportunities in our region’s health tech sector.

Active promotion of our Cluster began in 2021, bringing together the businesses, NHS and Universities to strengthen the region’s offer. Highlights of the Cluster’s first year include:
 Publication by the Department for International Trade of a HPO (High Potential Opportunities) prospectus for the region’s health tech sector built around the 4 Ds
 Great strides forward in COVID-19 diagnostics including The Binding Site’s Human Anti-IgG/A/M SARS-CoV-2 ELISA and Rapid Testing methods devised at Universities of Birmingham and Warwick
 Sole centre for the Ventilator challenge – all appraisals at the Medical Devices Testing & Evaluation Centre (MD-TEC)
 An integrated partnership at Aston that developed the SNAP device for safe nasendoscopy
 Strength in depth in clinical trials – examples include the Midlands led the largest Genomic Medicine Centre taking part in the 100,000 Genomes Project and the joint £6 million Cryo-EM facility which supported remote collaborative research during lockdown
 Location of the new Rosalind Franklin “Mega Lab” at Leamington Spa
 Regional support for a UK Centre of Excellence for Regulatory Innovation & Delivery to be located in Birmingham.

Our Executive Chair, David Kidney, says there are abundant opportunities to start new businesses, grow existing businesses, relocate to the region or invest in the region’s health tech businesses:

“We have nurtured a more coherent business support offer across the West Midlands. Accelerators and incubators, supported by world-class Universities operate side-by-side with science parks and business estates from Keele in the north of the region to Warwick in the south. We are very excited by the prospect of the University of Birmingham’s collaboration with Bruntwood Sci Tech to develop the new Health Innovation Campus, a £210M multi-phase development where building is already underway.”

The value added by the Cluster – to the region’s health tech sector and economy overall – will grow as the Cluster develops its influence. An early example of this has been the pump-priming money the Cluster has secured for small diagnostics companies in DIAGCOMM, a model that can be replicated in other parts of the sector.

It is the hallmark of the Cluster’s approach that we work collaboratively with other organisations which offer business support services. We aim to overcome a fragmented and confusing eco system and instil a holistic, business-focused support system – we call this our concierge service. This has earned us a reputation as an effective team player, able to work strategically with others for the benefit of the Midlands.

The over-arching objective of the Cluster is to support the growth of the health tech sector in the West Midlands. Measures of success will be health tech sector growth in wealth-creation and jobs.