Earlier this month our Chief Executive, Natasha Swinscoe, joined a prestigious line up of local and national leaders from across health and life sciences for a special summit at Bristol City Hall as part of the Bristol Technology Festival.
The summit brought together key stakeholders to explore the potential long-term benefits for the regional economy and our local communities of increasing inward investment into health and life sciences innovation in the South West.
The event welcomed Sir Patrick Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, as the keynote speaker, alongside Darren Jones, Chief Secretary to the Treasury and MP for Bristol North West; Professor Michele Barbour, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Innovation at the University of Bristol; and Dr Penny Dash, Chair of the North West London Integrated Care Board, amongst the guest speakers.
Presenting at the event, Natasha Swinscoe discussed what Health Innovation West of England has learned as an organisation from over a decade of collaborating to adopt and spread innovation and highlighted the significant opportunities and benefits a formal health and life sciences cluster would bring to the region, and what part the NHS might have to play in this.
“It was great to be part of such a fantastic event, showcasing the enormous potential of our regional innovation ecosystem,” commented Natasha. “There is a shared vision to bring together our brilliant minds and resources, build on the conversations and help shape a new cluster building initiative. It’s a fantastic opportunity to advance the health and life sciences sector, not just in the region but on a national and international level.”
Nick Sturge MBE, Chair of the techSPARK board said: “The South West is known for its early stage innovation and successful growth and the health and life sciences sector is no exception to this. We can rightfully be described as leaders in that field and we’re proud to be able to demonstrate this with such a pivotal event that will allow us to drive forward innovation, create investment opportunities and enhance the cross-sector for which this region is known.”
The summit was organised by techSPARK, the not-for-profit growth network in Bristol and Bath, in association with QantX, a leading regional investment firm.
At the event, QantX announced a new £300 million spin-out focused investment vehicle with SETsquared Partnership universities to support innovation and growth in the South and West. Read more about this new investment vehicle here.
Posted on October 25, 2024
