Rethinking MedTech Collaborations

Virtual Northern MedTech Summit

28th January 2021 9.30am- 1.30pm

The Virtual Northern MedTech Summit 2021 was an exciting initiative powered by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Surgical MedTech Co-operative, the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), and Empact Ventures.

It aimed to showcase and raise awareness of the North’s position as a MedTech cluster for public and private sector organisations of all sizes while encouraging new collaborations to address the challenges in the healthcare sector today and tomorrow.

The event was attended by more than 275 people in 20+ countries. It was open any individual, professional, academic, researchers, clinicians, tech startup, scale-up, SME, corporate, funder or patient who will be super connected by Empact Ventures to people, organisations, and opportunities to address their challenges, needs, and interests.

Our collective goals of the summit were:

To showcase the North as a leading MedTech Cluster by raising awareness of its world-class infrastructure, support, and networks available

To foster new collaborations within and across the North and beyond

To focus on building a stronger foundation in a post-COVID-19 world to future-proof the UK Healthcare System

To create and stimulate new discussions around the challenges, trends, and needs in today’s new normal

To bring new perspectives and approaches from other industries to the healthcare sector

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The Format

28th January 2021; 9.30am - 1:30pm

1.Keynote Speaker: This featured a high-caliber industry leader to share his experience on building a MedTech Cluster

2. Roundtable Discussion (x9): These hosted 50+ speakers across 2 x 45 minute sessions covering 9 topics

3. Digital Exhibition: This will featured 15 MedTech startups, scale-ups, and support organisations from across the UK available to connect

5. MedTech Showcase: This featured 5 MedTech startups / scale-ups who share their progress and welcomed new collaborations

Our Keynote Speaker

Professor Sir John Tooke - Reflections on Diagnostics

Professor Sir John Tooke is a clinician scientist and graduate of Oxford University who trained at Kings College London, the University Department of Medicine at Leeds General Infirmary where he undertook his higher medical training, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and as a Wellcome Trust Senior Lecturer at Charing Cross Medical School in London. Until 2015 he was Vice Provost (Health) and Head of the School of Life and Medical Sciences at UCL and Academic Director of UCL’s Academic Health Science Centre, UCL Partners. Sir John is immediate past President of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Executive Chairman of Academic Health Solutions. He is also a board member of the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA).

Our Roundtable Discussions

The Virtual Northern HealthTech Summit hosted over 50+ speakers across 9 roundtables and we are publishing the videos from the event below in February 2021

Roundtable 1

The Future of MedTech in the UK in Today's 'New Normal' Created by COVID-19

This featured a mixture of facilitators, companies, clinicians, academics, as well as patients across the UK with COVID-19 including Matt Hughes (Editor-in-Chief, Top Business Tech), Ian Sharp (Managing Director, Future Health Innovations), Mary Hopkins, Richard Hall (Managing Director, PD-M) and Philip Sheppard (Research Associate at Centre for Sustainable Manufacturing and Recycling Technologies)

Roundtable 2

The Role of Artificial Intelligence AI and MedTech in Healthcare

This featured a mixture of AI MedTech specialists from the private and public sector covering topics such as AI-driven diagnostics

Roundtable 3

The Challenges, Trends & Opportunities faced by MedTech Companies in the North

This featured a mixture of existing MedTech stakeholders from around the North, (e.g. Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Middlesborough, Liverpool).

Roundtable 4

Improving Patient Outcomes through the Latest Surgical Innovations

Chaired by NIHR, this covered Diagnostics for Surgery, AR/VR use in Surgery, Applications of 3D Visualisation techniques in surgery, the application of robotics in surgery and the use of wearable technology in surgical education and clinical practice.

Chaired by Kosta Mavroulakis (Founder & CEO, Empact Ventures), this roundtable discussed how MedTech startups, scale-ups and SMEs can better prepare to successfully enter this particular market. It covered how to get innovative products noticed and adopted and ensure their products are routinely used and not pushed aside after a pilot evaluation

Roundtable 5

Overcoming Procurement Challenges to Maximise MedTech Adoption

Chaired by Kosta Mavroulakis (Founder & CEO, Empact Ventures), this roundtable discussed how MedTech startups, scale-ups and SMEs can better prepare to successfully enter this particular market. It covered how to get innovative products noticed and adopted and ensure their products are routinely used and not pushed aside after a pilot evaluation.

Roundtable 6

Adopting Innovation Beyond MedTech & New Thinking in Healthcare Today

This covered how public and private sector have found amazing ways to adapt their products, process and approach to support and revolutionise the MedTech industry.

Roundtable 7

Adapting to MedTech Regulations

Chaired by the NIHR Surgical MedTech Co-operative, this roundtable discussed the regulations that are changing and will introduce significant changes in the regulatory infrastructure of the MedTech sector, what this means and how to adapt.

Roundtable 8

Using MedTech to tackle health inequalities & drive economic growth in the North

The North has a strong MedTech cluster – from medical devices to digital health and service provision. Chaired by the Northern Health Science Alliance (the NHSA), the roundtable examined the new ways of working required to deliver the next generation of treatments for patients. It discussed how the North’s strengths in MedTech can be used to level up the region’s economy while tackling its significant health inequalities and the challenges and opportunities for levelling up in MedTech.

Roundtable 9

The Future of Innovation MedTech for trainees, early career professionals and students

This roundtable covered how interdisciplinary students and trainees can contribute to delivering MedTech innovation now and in the future. This group of the MedTech #workforce is critical for the #UK #LifeSciences Industry to achieve its strategic aims and ensure the UK remains at the leading edge of Medtech innovation moving forwards. It discussed opportunities to get involved in MedTech, plus some of the latest advances from the MedTech Foundation and ASiT Innovation.

Note: If you attended the summit and you would like to be super connected with any of these speakers, please email hello@empact-ventures.com

Startup & Scale-up Showcase and Exhibition

At the Virtual Northern MedTech Summit, the following MedTech startups and scale-ups pitched and exhibited for new collaborations:

The my mhealth platform uses react native technology to deliver a range of digital therapeutics to patients with a range of health conditions. Their aim is to empower patients with the tools they need to self-manage more effectively. The platform includes condition specific, NHS approved, Apps for people living with COPD, Asthma, Diabetes, Heart Disease and Covid-19. mymhealth.com

Categories: AI, HealthTech, MedTech

We are pioneering an implanted electrotherapy device to treat brain tumours. Our internal electrotherapy device fits elegantly into the current treatment pathway and once implanted, it will deliver pain and side effect free treatment 24/7 directly to the site of the cancer cells. The entire device is completely implanted, with a small battery placed under the shoulder. qvbio.co.uk

Categories: MedTech

The Neatebox WelcoMe system utilises location-aware technology on the modern smartphone and uses geolocation to trigger specific messages to participating venues. A disabled person using WelcoMe triggers this notification when within a certain distance which provides staff with information on how best to serve their soon to arrive visitor. www.neatebox.com

Categories: HealthTech, MedTech

TapSOS is a smartphone app for non-verbal contact with emergency services (999). Many people face barriers when engaging with 999 – physical, medical or situational. Confusion, panic and stress can break down communication causing life-threatening delays tapsos.com

Categories: HealthTech, MedTech

The innovative CanSense test provides an affordable healthcare solution to early-stage cancer detection using one simple blood sample, significantly reducing the high levels of cancer mortality. www.cansenseltd.com

Categories: AI, MedTech

The NHS estimates that 15-20% (and up to 25% of women who are predominantly affected) of the UK population is affected by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) – a chronic gastrointestinal condition with variable bowel symptoms that can severely impact the daily life and wellbeing of affected individuals. For this, the team at Bold Health has created Zemedy, a digital therapeutic solution for IBS with a whole-body approach to patients’ long-term health and wellbeing, to bridge the gap in care and in access to effective therapies for IBS. www.bold.health

Categories: AI, MedTech

MySense is a wellbeing analytics platform that uses passive and wearable devices to spot early signs of wellbeing decline. The AI driven platform learns the expected patterns of an individual and then constantly analyses data points for any indications of abnormality. mysense.ia

Categories: AI, MedTech

VR Revival helps underrepresented Adults in mental health using Self-Compassion VR, Psychology and Story Telling www.vrrevival.co.uk

Categories: AI, VR, MedTech

Immersive Rehab Ltd creates interactive rehab environments & games in Virtual Reality that improve the effectiveness of physical rehabilitation. www.immersiverehab.com

Note: The below video is not the original video pitched at the event and the founder has chosen the share this video on ‘The impact of VR on health: a focus on rehabilitation’

Categories: AI, VR, MedTech

Note: If you attended the summit and you would like to be super connected with any of these tech startups or scale-ups, please email hello@empact-ventures.com

Our Virtual Exhibitors

Our Speakers

Professor Sir John Tooke (Key Note Speaker)

Professor Sir John Tooke is a clinician scientist and graduate of Oxford University who trained at Kings College London, the University Department of Medicine at Leeds General Infirmary where he undertook his higher medical training, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and as a Wellcome Trust Senior Lecturer at Charing Cross Medical School in London. Until 2015 he was Vice Provost (Health) and Head of the School of Life and Medical Sciences at UCL and Academic Director of UCL’s Academic Health Science Centre, UCL Partners. Sir John is immediate past President of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Executive Chairman of Academic Health Solutions. He is also a board member of the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA).

Vee Mapunde

Programme Director

NIHR Surgical MedTech Co-operative

Vee Mapunde is the Programme Director of the NIHR Surgical MedTech Co-operative based in Leeds which supports technology development, translation and evidence generation. She is responsible for overall operations management, support for the Director and the Theme leads, as well as strategy implementation & translational project selection.

Neil Sebire

Chief Research Information Officer for Great Ormand Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

Professor Neil Sebire is Professor of Pathology at UCL Great Ormond Street Hospital Institute of Child Health, and Chief Research Information Officer and Director of the Digital Research, Informatics and Virtual Environment (DRIVE) Unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. He has previously chaired and served on numerous National Committees including RCPath, RCOG and CCLG National Tissue Bank.

Julie Harrington

CEO Guts UK

Julie is the CEO of Guts UK, the only UK charity to fund research into the digestive system from top to tail: the gut, liver and pancreas founded in 1971 as the Digestive Disorders Foundation. Since then, they have funded almost 300 projects and invested £14 million pounds into medical research that leads to better diagnoses and treatments for the millions of people who, like us, don’t have the luxury of taking our guts for granted. Julie is an experienced General Manager/Chief Executive with extensive experience in fundraising, development and income generation across the Third Sector for diverse brands including Oxfam and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Dr Ben Martyn

Cluster Development Manager, Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA)

Dr Ben Martyn is the Cluster Development Manager for the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), a membership organisation acting to promote and develop the world-class life sciences cluster that exists across academia and the health service in the North of England. Ben’s role is to bring together clinical expertise, academia, industry and government to grow the Northern life sciences cluster, deliver the UK industrial strategy and raise the profile of the North of England internationally.

Kosta Mavroulakis, FRSA

Founder & CEO, Empact Ventures

Kosta is an award-winning global super-connector in the private, public and third sector who co-designs some of the leading technology initiatives in the UK and Europe. He is the Founder and CEO of Empact Ventures co-designing startup initiatives, scouting innovation for corporates and funders, and acting as a super-connector to many tech startups, scale-ups, and SMEs to get connected across the globe. In 2018, he co-founded the national Super Connect Series match-making events across 9 cities across England with Hays, which over the years has welcomed tech startups, scale-ups, and SMEs from India to pitch, exhibit, speak or attend its events and subsequently super connected them to those to address their challenges.