Propel Healthtech has released the third episode of its podcast series, bringing together two voices from West Yorkshire’s health innovation ecosystem to explore the region’s growing reputation as a hub for healthtech innovation, collaboration and accelerated growth.
The latest episode features Jane Green, Health Tech Cluster Lead at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and Dr Emma Thornton, NHS Doctor and Founder of Cocoon, who share their perspectives on the opportunities available to healthtech innovators across the region.
The conversation shines a spotlight on Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire, West Yorkshire’s healthtech ecosystem, whilst exploring the importance of collaboration, the role of regional investment and the experiences of innovators developing solutions to address challenges in health and care.
In Episode Three of our Propel Healthtech podcast series, Jane and Emma explore:
- The strengths of West Yorkshire’s healthtech ecosystem and the opportunities available to innovators across the region.
- The importance of collaboration between the NHS, industry, academia and public sector organisations in supporting health innovation.
- How regional initiatives and investment are helping to create an environment where healthtech businesses can develop and grow.
- The experiences and challenges faced by healthtech founders working to bring innovative solutions into healthcare settings.
- The role of programmes such as Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire in connecting innovators with the expertise, networks and support needed to succeed.
Throughout the conversation, both Jane and Emma highlight the importance of creating an environment where innovative ideas can develop into solutions with the potential to improve patient outcomes, with support from leading stakeholders and governing bodies from across the region.
Jane explains: “So the key part of this, through our West Yorkshire Local Growth Plan we want to create more businesses, to create more jobs, and have better productivity in the region. So, our programmes are set up through incubator space through the universities, accelerator space through Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire and our partnership with Health Innovation Yorkshire and Humber – which is really key and you’ve done a lot of work with the Leeds team in the last few years and now expanding that right across the region, and that will bring real advantages for the businesses that are scaling up within the region. The real key thing is that those start-up and scale-up businesses need to be supported when you get those pain-points of needing funding to keep going and to get to that commercialised point.”
Drawing on her experience as Founder of Cocoon and a participant in Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire, Emma discussed the importance of providing healthtech innovators with tailored support that goes beyond traditional business development. She highlighted how the programme’s focus on navigating the NHS, alongside opportunities for collaboration and peer-to-peer learning, has helped her on her own innovation journey.
Emma explains: “What I think is great about Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire, is that it really considers the NHS piece well. I think you can go on other accelerators, and they can look at the commercial angles, but they’re not focussing on health care systems. So, for example the sessions that we’ve done on procurement were invaluable and it’s so helpful… It’s just been such a great mix of different areas that we’ve covered, and also the other innovators as well, it’s such a lovely group of people – I really genuinely mean that and everyone has been so supportive – and it’s really nice to see and speak to people who are at very slightly different stages of their innovation journey.”
Looking ahead at the Propel Healthtech podcast series
Hosted by Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and delivered in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire supports ambitious innovators working to improve health outcomes through technology and innovation.
This podcast series forms part of Propel Healthtech’s commitment to championing innovation, sharing knowledge and creating meaningful conversations across the healthtech ecosystem.
Future episodes will feature innovators, healthcare leaders, academics and industry experts from across the Propel community and wider health innovation landscape, offering valuable insights for anyone seeking to develop, adopt or scale healthcare innovation.
To watch Episode Three in full, visit our YouTube channel or listen via Audioboom and hear first-hand why innovation, collaboration and evidence remain critical to improving health and care outcomes.
