West of England healthcare and industry experts across sectors meet to discuss project ideas to meet NHS needs

Swindon, UK, 20 June 2014: West of England Academic Health Science Network in conjunction with Forward Swindon and supported by SEQOL and Great Western Hospital NHS Trust, hosted an event in Swindon on 16 June 2014 which invited leading healthcare experts and industry representatives to look at the key issues of mobile technology and health and social care.

Swindon, UK, 20 June 2014: West of England Academic Health Science Network in conjunction with Forward Swindon and supported by SEQOL and Great Western Hospital NHS Trust, hosted an event in Swindon on 16 June 2014 which invited leading healthcare experts and industry representatives to look at the key issues of mobile technology and health and social care.

Over 100 delegates gathered at the DeVere Hotel for a full-day event which included guest speakers from Nokia Networks UK, Microelectronics iNet, SEQOL, Romney House Surgery and Forward Swindon.

Clive Parkinson from Forward Swindon said “The event was filled to capacity which demonstrates Swindon’s reputation as a centre for innovation. The initiatives identified show the potential for increasing efficiency in the healthcare system and improving people’s lives.”

Delegates also learned about the latest funding competition from the Microelectronics iNet, an organisation which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and led by the University of the West of England.

“The West of England Academic Health Science Network event was a fantastic meeting with a good mixture of delegates from industry, the NHS, academia and other organisations. I hope that many will be able to submit an application to the iNet/West of England Academic Health Science Network joint competition so we can work on identifying potential NHS and industry partners,” said Janice Kiely, Microelectronics iNet Lead.

The funding competition is seeking applications from innovative small to medium-sized enterprises in the South West of England to apply for ‘project innovation vouchers’, worth up to £10,000, for telehealth projects.

The deadline for the competition’s ‘Expressions of Interest Form’ is 4 July 2014 and the final deadline for funding application is 29 August 2014. A ‘Matchmaking Workshop’ will also be held on the 16 July 2014.

‘Expressions of Interest Forms’ can be requested from and sent to microelectronics@inets-sw.co.uk, where further information can also be requested.

West of England Academic Health Science Network will be hosting a series of events this year with the intention to bring healthcare industry, academia and NHS organisations together to encourage collaboration on healthcare innovation that will bring greater patient benefit in addition to contributing to wealth creation for the UK economy.

Professor Lars Sundstrom, Director of Enterprise and Translation, West of England Academic Health Science Network said: “It’s clear that mobile systems will have a greater impact on people’s ability to manage their health in the near future. Our job is to help integrate this so it makes meaningful changes to health outcomes and we’re looking forward to working with companies to make this a reality in our region.”