About

Grow MedTech has been a major UK programme providing specialist support for innovation in medical technologies, involving a consortium of six universities across the Leeds and Sheffield City Regions.

The programme

The programme has been a collaboration between the Universities of Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds Beckett, Sheffield Hallam and York, led by the University of Leeds and funded through the Research England Connecting Capability Fund from April 2018 to June 2021.

By combining the different strengths of our partner universities in medical and related digital technologies, innovation and commercialisation, we have provided capacity and capability in medtech that far exceeds that offered by a single institution.

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The team

We believe that our Technology Innovation Managers have been key to the success of both our funding schemes and the overall programme. They brought a wealth of experience in medtech innovation – with backgrounds in academia, industry or knowledge exchange – and provided invaluable support to academics both in progressing their technologies and in developing commercial awareness.

UKRI Research England funding ended in June 2021. You’re welcome to make contact with the team members who are still in post (or our Executive Group members) via the website or directly below.

  • Dr Jo Dixon-Hardy

    Director of Grow MedTech
    University of Leeds

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  • A picture of Dr Graeme Howling, Senior Technology Innovation Manager for Grow MedTech and the Medical Technologies IKC

    Dr Graeme Howling

    Senior Technology Innovation Manager
    University of Leeds

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  • Dr Luke Watson - Grow MedTech Technology Innovation Manager

    Dr Luke Watson

    Technology Innovation Manager
    University of Huddersfield

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  • Rowan Grant

    Communications and Engagement Manager
    University of Leeds

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Capabilities & assets

Our consortium involved six universities across the Leeds and Sheffield City Regions: Bradford, Huddersfield, Leeds, Leeds Beckett, Sheffield Hallam and York. We have brought together the different strengths of our partner universities to provide capacity and capability in medtech that far exceeds that offered by a single institution. Together, the consortium has brought key research capabilities in:

Artificial intelligence

Advanced materials

Assistive technology

Digital health

Health and medical engineering

Imaging and sensing technology

Each of our technology innovation managers is based in one of our partner universities, but they work collectively as a team, connecting with academics, companies and clinicians from across the regions. So wherever you make your first contact with Grow MedTech, you are accessing the opportunities and expertise provided across our whole network.

Partnerships

One of our most important roles has been to act as partnership brokers, proactively connecting people from academia, industry and clinical practice to collaborate more effectively in developing new medical technologies.

Through these partnerships and collaborations, we have been nurturing a vibrant regional, medtech community across the Leeds and Sheffield City Regions.

Alongside our partnership universities and our connections to industry, we have also linked into the wider network of healthcare innovation support organisations across the regions, to create added value.

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Sign up

If you’d like to be involved in Grow MedTech, get in touch on our contact page. There’s space for you to send us a query if you have one and we’ll aim to respond as quickly as possible. You can also use the form simply to sign up to our mailing list, to receive information on our funding calls, projects, events and news.

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