The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has confirmed £4.16 million in innovation zone funding for children’s healthcare innovation at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
The funding is supporting the development of a Paediatric Open Innovation Zone designed to develop, test and deploy technologies to tackle “some of the biggest health challenges faced by children and young people in the region”.
Iain Hennessey, consultant surgeon and clinical director of innovation at Alder Hey, highlighted how technology is key to shaping a healthier future for children: “With this vital funding, we can accelerate our mission—collaborating with businesses, academics, and forward-thinkers to turn today’s children into tomorrow’s healthier adults.”
Alder Hey has shared how the project will support collaborations with local innovators, offering access to clinical teams, expertise and facilities to help to jointly develop paediatric solutions.
The Combined Authority also announced a further £4.24 million of innovation zone funding for the “Innovate, Grow, Accelerate and Partner (IGAP)” programme, in a move which will “plug gaps in early-stage investment, providing vital technical, financial, and business support for local start-ups, spinouts, and SMEs” developing health and life sciences technologies.
The programme will support up to 100 businesses at varying stages of development, through three different work streams: the incubator, which will offer support to 40 early-stage businesses to help them move “from concept to investment-ready enterprises”; the accelerator, which will support 50 “high-growth potential” businesses to scale-up and commercialise; and the £1 million “Clean Tech for Health” challenge fund, offering up to £100,000 to “at least 10” businesses “tackling major public health and net zero challenges”.
Health innovation in Liverpool
Last year, we spoke with Kate Warriner, chief digital and transformation officer at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Trust, who shared insights on current projects and digital priorities around the digital, data and technology workforce, patient engagement, data use, and more. “I think it’s a really exciting time for digital health and the transformation opportunities that digital can help to enable,” she said. “There’s a lot to watch with the new and emerging technologies that are coming out, and a lot to be optimistic about. The NHS has been on quite a journey over the last few years, but I think that there is a lot to be hopeful for. For us, working with children and young people is key – they keep us motivated and energised, and that’s why we’re here: to make a difference for our patients.”
Earlier this year, we spoke with Matt Connor, group chief digital information officer for University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, consisting of Liverpool University Hospitals Trust and Liverpool Women’s and spanning multiple hospital sites. Matt shared insight into the importance of having a cohesive strategy for digital and his views on cyber security – the current threat landscape, priorities for the group, considerations to take around finances for cyber, and more. “We cannot forget about getting the basics right, if we are to deliver effective digital innovation,” Matt told us. “If we can do things once and at scale, and get to a place where we reach a level of systems convergence and integration, then that will benefit both how we are able to deliver services to a high standard; but also provide a simplified digital and IT offer for our staff and patients alike.”
We also reported on a programme led by the University of Liverpool, expected to invest nearly £10 million in funding for a Civic HealthTech Innovation Zone (CHI-Zone), with a further £2.5m in funding expected from other sources including the university itself. Based in Liverpool Science Park, the CHI-Zone will be developed as part of the 10-year Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone programme, aiming to bring in “up to £800m” of public and private investment and create “8,000 new skilled jobs”. The programme plans to train the future workforce in a range of areas, particularly when it comes to health AI and to support the development of the trusted use of data and AI in health and social care. The university also notes a desire to create a “leading centre for developing and testing prototypes” as a way to build its global reputation and encourage foreign direct investment.
