A memorandum of understanding has been signed by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Nottingham, and GE HealthCare, forming a partnership on research and health innovation.
The three organisations will be collaborating on “shared areas of interest” such as digital, data, analytics, and education, Nottingham University Hospitals notes.
In 2017, GE HealthCare acquired a spin-out from the University of Nottingham, Monica Healthcare, which focused on enabling women to move more freely during labour using a wireless foetal monitoring device. “The new partnership aims to build on this history and explore further opportunities, including potential collaborations with spin-out companies and the development of new approaches to healthcare delivery,” says NUH.
“NUH is excited for the collaborative opportunities in research, innovation and healthcare delivery that signing this MoU will enable,” comments NUH deputy medical director Mark Simmonds. “It will allow us to provide even better patient care in the long-term and offers the prospect of new innovative research opportunities to attract colleagues to Nottingham.”
In 2024, HTN interviewed Sajid Azeb, COO and deputy chief executive at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to learn more about a collaboration with GE HealthCare on its Command Centre, an organisational and operational transformation programme. By utilising digital technology, analytical insights, redeveloped workflows and processes, and dedicated staff, BTHFT developed an optimised operating model to maximise resources and proactively manage demand.
Wider trend: Health research and innovation
A partnership has been launched between the DATA-CAN data research hub for cancer hosted at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and the West Midlands Secure Data Environment to support access to high quality cancer data for researchers. The partnership draws on pseudonymised patient data from patient records at major cancer centres across the UK, including on diagnosis, treatments, test results, and patient outcomes. The first dataset has been uploaded to the WM SDE, with three further datasets currently in development, Leeds Teaching shares.
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has welcomed the launch of the Zenith supercomputer funded by the Department for Science, Industry and Technology. Said to offer researchers the ability to study health data on an “unprecedented scale”, the supercomputer will also support and inform the development of AI tools for patient care across the NHS. The AI Centre for Value-Based Healthcare is reportedly collaborating with Zenith on the project to help ensure the supercomputer’s power is deployed “responsibly and securely”.
Three “interregional” projects have been selected for a share of €3.8 million through the EU-funded UNITE programme, with an aim to utilise data for innovation across heart failure, neonatal intensive care, and medical imaging. The selection follows an open call that reportedly engaged more than 1,000 organisations and received 19 proposals from different European regions, seeking to improve accessibility of health data across borders and to deliver more personalised remote care. The first project to be confirmed for funding is CARDIO-HUB, which utilises real-world data, AI-powered risk prediction, and remote monitoring to help improve care for elderly heart failure patients.
