Health Innovation Programme (HIP) - March 2024
Health Innovation Wessex supporting innovators in the health and care sector on a 4-day accelerator programme
This year’s HIP, held in March in Eastleigh, proved to be another great success with attendees coming away with knowledge and skills to navigate the NHS landscape and progress their health innovation development and path to commercialisation.
The event was delivered in collaboration with the University of Southampton Catalyst Programme with Adrian Braine, Catalyst coach, providing expert business skills for the delegates. The annual four-day event attracts innovators from medical, academic and commercial backgrounds from around the region and beyond, with a range of innovations designed to benefit patients and healthcare.
The innovators learn how to progress their products from initial idea to commercialisation.
The programme helped them to:
The HIW Innovation and Industry team provided 1.1 support throughout the course and also presented on subjects such as:
"The breadth of the coverage from idea to adoption was excellent. The knowledge was very well transferred"
Alongside teaching presentations, the innovators also took part in multiple workshops which saw them focus on developing their own value propositions. These were facilitated by HIW and lead by Adrian and his team.
To finish the course and consolidate their learning, the innovators completed a mock pitch to members from industry, the NHS and successful innovators in the health and social care sector. They presented their proof of concept, value proposition and market insights with the panel posing as hypothetical investors and commissioners. During this session they answered some tough and probing questioning from the panel, the delegates were able to provide confident and credible answers demonstrating their learning and skills developed from the course. The pitches were scored on a number of points and this year’s winner was Kirsty Hill, CEO and Founder of Breathe RM(remote monitoring for cystic fibrosis patients) David Bream, Director of Industry Partnerships and Professor of Innovation, University of Southampton presented the prize.
Following the four-day programme all the innovators discussed how the programme had helped them move forwards with progressing the development of their products and ideas, of which HIW will continue to provide support and guidance.
"Fantastic opportunity to network, learn and collaborate withing a safe environment. Looking forward to next steps with HIW to demonstrate impact and protect IP. Would highly recommend."
We will be launching another HIP course later this year so if you are interested in applying keep an eye on our website, social media LinkedIn/X and local newsletters for our launch.
"The benefits of this experience extended beyond the confines of individual learning. Observing the work of peers, understanding their challenges, and witnessing their strategies for overcoming obstacles was in itself a rich learning experience, inspiring and motivational. Moreover, the Wessex team's role was remarkable. Their approachability and willingness to help each participant were evident throughout the course. Also, their cohesiveness, expertise, and unwavering support created an environment that was not only conducive to learning but also to personal and project growth."
We will be hosting this course again in November 2024 – if you would like to express interest, please email angus.donald@hiwessex.net
