Innovation Agency Chief Executive Dr Phil Jennings was among speakers at the Growing Innovation and Investment for Pandemic Resilience event held to celebrate achievements in the past two years.
Jointly hosted by the Infection Innovation Consortium: iiCON and the Science and Technology Facilities Council, part of UK Research and Innovation, delegates met in person at the northern base of the Royal College of Physicians, the Spine in Liverpool.
Phil told delegates: “We use our local knowledge and harness the influence of our partners to drive change on the ground and integrate research into health improvement.
“We are as interested in seeing healthcare businesses thrive and grow, creating jobs and bringing in investment to the UK, as we are in seeing the healthcare system improve."
Attendees ranged from representatives of the UK’s leading life science institutes to innovators developing healthcare solutions.
The event offered the opportunity to spark potential future collaborations and enabled delegates to make new connections.
Co-organiser Dr Phil Carvil, who leads the HealthTec Cluster for the North West of England hosted by the National Science and Innovation Campus Sci-Tech Daresbury, said: “Bringing together the research, innovation and investment community together around the common vision of how we grow pandemic resilience was an important and timely conversation to be had.
“This event has sparked new ideas, supported new connections and grown awareness of the collaborative opportunities, particularly linked to the leading capabilities within the region.”
He added; “I look forward to not only continuing this critical conversation but seeing how future initiatives develop to grow the innovation and investment we need for pandemic resilience”
A well as the Innovation Agency, event partners included the Medicines Discovery Catapult, The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Bruntwood SciTech and Innovate UK, all key stakeholders in the wider North West HealthTec Cluster.