CLUSTER NEWS – April 2024
Super Skills Workshop
At the cluster organisation, we are working hard on the skills and talent agenda. I recently brought HeathTech employers and the Combined Authority’s skills team together at the Matthew Boulton College in Birmingham in a HealthTech Skills Workshop to encourage the co-production of future skills training in our sector.
There was a brilliant exchange of information between the Combined Authority and the employers – and a lot of common ground. It felt to me that there is an appetite for more co-operative working here. For example, the Combined Authority has successfully arranged “bootcamps” of intensive training for upskilling and reskilling in some sectors, but not yet in the HealthTech space. The employers present said that a HealthTech bootcamp would be welcome and they are willing to help co-produce its content.
There was also a very positive presentation from the skills team about apprentices. A new Path2Apprenticeships programme will provide 3,300 places for young people (ages 19-29) on pre-apprenticeship courses to ready them for their apprenticeships. The skills teams wants employers to commit to take these young people as apprentices when they successfully complete the pre-course.
Might your business be interested in either or both of these initiatives?
If so, please let me know now.
The Combined Authority and WMHTC are working on a Skills Framework for the HealthTech sector, mapping the occupational skills needed and the qualifications currently available and supporting the Combined Authority and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education in developing a new, flexible Level 4 qualification for MedTech.
Might your business be interested in either or both of these initiatives?
If so, please let me know now.
Worthy of note, too, is the venue where the skills workshop was held – we met at Matthew Boulton College – in recognition that we want HE and FE to be part of the journey with us. The Principal, Pat Carvalho, gave us a compelling presentation about how education and training Colleges like hers, can help employers. I would be happy to hear from any reader of this news with your questions and your suggestions on these vital issues.
Read my Blog here for more.
CLUSTER’S EVENTS
The April Topical Tuesday featured Alison Johnson from ORCHA. This organisation provides a quality standard for health apps. There are 365,000 such apps and so far only 20% meet ORCHA’s standards. When you think about it, this is a serious situation for app users, who may rely on health apps without any input from clinicians or other healthcare workers. Alison described the landscape as a “Wild West”. It is definitely worth getting health apps assessed and accredited by ORCHA.
Missed it? Watch the video here.
The May Topical Tuesday will be held at 4.15pm online on Tuesday 14th May and will feature a presentation about our new Kickstart service for start-ups, jointly with BEC. Read more here, don’t miss out, register NOW.
We attended the Bruntwood pitch event for a cohort of HealthTech innovators who are benefitting from support paid for out of the Innovation Accelerator.
Midlands Engine Health Board
I was a Board member at the latest meeting of the Midlands Engine Health Board, hosted by Mills & Reeve, Solicitors, in Birmingham. We looked at the work of the Health Innovation Network, received the results of a project examining links between employees’ mental health and productivity, had a presentation about ICBs (Integrated Health Boards) and celebrated the recent launch of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II.
Health Tech Land Insights Forum
I attended the first meeting of the new industry-led HealthTech Land Insights Forum on 15th April at iCentrum. I provided the secretariat to its members. Representatives of landowners, developers and property managers were present as were the Combined Authority and the Growth Company. We intend to meet a couple of times a year and to keep tabs on land availability issues as they impact on the HealthTech sector.
Innovative Heath Working Group
The Innovative Heath Working Group meeting on 24th April focused on issues around Air Quality, health impacts, and innovative technologies for protecting people from harmful effects.
Tech WM – Tech Review
Tech WM also held its annual Tech Review in Wolverhampton on 24th April – I managed to get there hotfoot from the IHWG meeting. It is so encouraging that our region’s tech businesses are fast developing a reputation that is being notices not just around the UK but around the globe.
I was delighted to attend two celebratory events this month which showcased different strengths of our region’s universities:
University of Birmingham/NIHR
First, I attended the University of Birmingham/NIHR event on 19th April which celebrated many achievements in Translational HealthTech and subsequently business successes, and especially celebrated the £3M grant from NIHR to set up the HealthTech Research Centre for Devices, Digital and Robotics. It was all phenomenally positive.
University of Warwick’s Research Celebration Event
Secondly, I attended University of Warwick’s Research Celebration Event on 29th April. This event was an opportunity to celebrate the outstanding research and impact undertaken by Warwick staff and students and highlighted the amazing effort and achievements that underpin the University’s success.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES SECTOR NEWS
Binding Site gets Bigger in Birmingham
You may recall that the US multinational Thermo Fisher Scientific acquired The Binding Site, Birmingham’s foremost diagnostics company and a home-grown success story since its spin out from University of Birmingham 20 years ago, in a deal worth over £2bn. Over 500 jobs here would depend on what the new owners decided about the location of their newly-acquired business. Happily, they decided to expand their operations in central Birmingham and Binding Site has developed more space for its operations at Broadway, on the opposite side of the Fiveways roundabout across from the existing Calthorpe Road premises. The Broadway development adds a further 35,000 sq ft of offices, 40,000 sq ft of manufacturing capability and 15,000 sq ft of storage. It is expected that the Birmingham workforce will rise to 800.
Skills framework
I continue to work with the Skills Team at the Combined Authority on a Skills Framework for the West Midlands HealthTech sector. We are just finalising a draft for consultation with HealthTech employers which will map out the existing workforce, the occupational skills needed (and where the existing gaps are) and the occupational qualifications, both those that are available now and those that are in development.
I will be in touch about the consultation arrangements as soon as possible.
Roadmap – Strategy roundtable follow up
I have completed the “Roadmap” containing an agreed Vision Statement and Five Missions taking account of what stakeholders have said in two rounds of consultation since we held the Roundtable last October.
My plan now is to get the Roadmap website-ready and then publish it, together with the logos of those stakeholders who endorse the Roadmap. I will also provide stakeholders with the file so that all can display the Roadmap on their own websites as well if they want to.
The next stage of my work will be to develop, with all stakeholders, a more detailed, and comprehensive, “Narrative” for our HealthTech sector, something we can all use when we engage with potential funders, investors and business newcomers.
Feel free to contact me if you would like to know more about this work.
The Barclays Black Founder Accelerator are now officially open.
This is their fifth accelerator for Black Entrepreneurs and they are looking for 25 ambitious Black founder-led businesses to take part in this 12-week programme.
The programme will be delivered virtually and includes a series of expert-led masterclasses as well as one-to-one mentoring and professional coaching from business growth experts. There will be optional opportunities to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and industry leaders in face to face networking sessions too!
Important Dates:
· Applications Open: 3 April 2024
· Applications Close: 15 May 2024
· Programme Begins: 21 June 2024
· Demo Day: 24 October 2024
Konduit are Hiring
Konduit- UK Market Entry & Expansion Specialists who deliver fast-track hands-on success are looking for a self-employed business developer in the health tech sector to work on projects for their overseas clients. If you are interested or know someone who might fit this role, email wdieter@konduit.uk for more information.
WEST MIDLANDS REGION NEWS
Digital Technology in Manufacturing – Survey!
if you are a manufacturer and technology company seeking innovative approaches to enhance digital skills and promote the adoption of industrial digital technologies in the UK, the Digital Technology in Manufacturing research group want to hear from you. Many UK manufacturers lack crucial digital technology skills, yet the demand for these skills is growing. This multi-disciplinary team of researchers aim to support manufacturing digital technology adoption and upskilling by linking manufacturers, digital technology companies, service/training providers, policymakers, and communities.
They’re eager to hear about the challenges you’re facing in this area. If you can spare 5 minutes of your time, please complete their short questionnaire – I’ve completed it. Your insights will help the team better understand the real issues from as many organisations as possible, guiding the project to better support the industry. Thank you for participating in this research project, please find here the link to the short questionnaire: https://forms.office.com/e/8pfg0JKrpX
Have You Had Your Free Energy Assessment?
The Pilot Business Energy Advice Service (BEAS) is offering 4,000 free energy assessments to small businesses across the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton, as well as Worcestershire and the Marches, Warwickshire and Stoke and Staffordshire.
The assessments will provide recommendations for energy reduction, helping to reduce costs. There will be an opportunity to apply for a grant for commercial and industrial SMEs to facilitate investment in energy efficiency measures.
Birmingham Tech Week 2024
The now famous Birmingham Tech Week is on the horizon, already you need to Save the date: 21st – 25th October 2024.
Last year, the event witnessed a record turnout of over 7,500 attendees across 39 vibrant events at 24 distinct locations, marking 67m global impressions.
Mark your calendar for October 21st to 25th, 2024, because Birmingham Tech Week is where the future unfolds. Get ready for a week of innovation, inspiration, and groundbreaking tech moments.
Coventry Uni uses AI-generated avatars to train medical students
Coventry University is using AI to create the next generation of virtual patients, helping to teach the healthcare workers of the future – and the software is dramatically cutting the time it takes to build a patient avatar. By creating avatars that behave like a patient and give individualised answers to specific questions rather than just listing symptoms, students can interact with patient scenarios and hone their skills.
Rosalind Franklin Laboratory, Leamington Spa
After the furore over the news that the Rosalind Franklin Laboratory in Leamington Spa had been advertised for sale on Rightmove, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) was asked to review whether a feasible business case can be made for retaining the facilities for a public benefit. But now I have heard from the man assigned to do this work that the Government has taken the review internal and I fear that decision will be taken behind closed doors.
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Bioscience and health technology sector statistics 2021 to 2022
This month, the OLS (Office for Life Sciences) published the National Statistics for bioscience and health technology for 2021-22.
Four sectors are covered by these statistics:
- Biopharmaceutical core
- Biopharmaceutical service and supply
- Medical technology core; and
- Medical technology service and supply.
The sector with the highest proportion of sites and employment was the medical technology core sector, accounting for 44% of sites and 39% of employment. This sector has continuously accounted for the highest proportion of sites and employment since 2008.
The sector that generated the highest turnover in 2021/22 was the biopharmaceutical core sector, accounting for 43% of the total turnover generated across the life sciences industry.
The number of life sciences businesses operating in the UK has increased gradually since 2008, reaching a total of 6,850 in 2021/22. These businesses had a total of 7,910 sites in the UK, a 1% increase compared to 2020/21.
There were 304,200 people employed in the UK life sciences sector in 2021/22, a relative increase of 5% compared to 2020/21. The UK has seen a continuous upward trend between 2011/12 and 2021/22.
Businesses in the UK life sciences industry generated £108.1 billion in turnover in 2021/22, a 13% increase from the turnover value of £95.9 billion (in 2021/22 prices) in 2020/21. Turnover has seen an upward trend since 2014/15, with the largest annual increase (in both absolute and relative terms) occurring between 2020/21 and 2021/22.
These statistics tell us that the West Midlands bounced back from the COVID-19 pandemic strongly and has noticeable strengths in advanced manufacturing and MedTech. I expect future data sets, for development since 2021, will show the upturn in our region’s HealthTech sector more broadly. Just recently, I was at a presentation about recent research which places the West Midlands second in the UK for its SME cluster of MedTech businesses.
ICO guidance on transparency for health and care sector
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published new guidance for the health and social care sector, to help improve transparency around how people’s personal information is used.
The guidance, published on the 15 April, will provide regulatory certainty on how organisations should keep people properly informed about how data is being used. It outlines how organisations can assess appropriate levels of transparency and provides practical steps to develop effective transparency information.
British Business Bank – Midlands Engine Investment Fund II
The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II will deliver £400 million of new funding to small and medium-sized businesses across the Midlands.
The fund aims to build on the success of the first Midlands Engine Investment Fund and will drive sustainable economic growth by supporting innovation and creating opportunities for new and growing businesses in the Midlands.
The Midlands Engine Investment Fund II offers a range of commercial finance options with debt finance from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investment up to £5 million. The fund covers the whole of the Midlands, including the West Midlands, East Midlands and South East Midlands.
Spotlight on…
Matthew Boulton College
This College hosted our HealthTech Skills Workshop in its new Clinical Suite this month.
Its Principal, Pat Carvalho, presented to an audience of HealthTech employers on the ways in which the College serves the education and training needs of our growing HealthTech sector.
The College is one of the best general Further Education colleges in Birmingham, with 15,000 students (5,000 are age 16-19), just short of 1,000 apprentices and 50% of students are from areas of high deprivation.
The curriculum offer includes:
- 16-18 provision – Technical-Levels & BTEC Courses with applied learning and work experience components
- Adult provision – Access to Higher Education (HE) courses, tailored specifically for health professions
- ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages, preparation for employment
- Sector-Based Work Academies (SBWAs) – Supporting economical inactive, working with employers, training providers and job seekers.
I hope you enjoy reading my e-bulletin. Feel free to contact me personally with your feedback and suggestions for future activities at david@wmhtc.co.uk
Regards,
Executive Chair.
