Webinar: How well are you conducting your virtual meetings and webinars?
2021-07-07 10:00 - 11:00 (Europe/London)
In a world where the majority are working remotely, the ways we present ourselves has changed. But whether we are talking about delivering client-facing webinars or meetings, or even internal team meetings via video software, it is vital that we continuously improve our approach and performance in order to deliver an inspiring and engaging experience for our audience.
COVID-19 has changed so much in our business lives and online communication has become the norm. From a business perspective we are now spending much of our day talking to colleagues or customers online, and from a marketing perspective, webinars have replaced conferences, and even were conferences are taking place, the virtual partnering platforms often require online video conferencing.
The Life Sciences Marketing Special Interest Group will cover best practice for delivering brilliant presentations and conducting excellent meetings to help you promote yourself and your business. This webinar will be of value to all who have to, or might have to, create and deliver business presentations, webinars or hold meetings as part of their current role – and who want to be the best at it!
The webinar will cover:
-The types of virtual meetings and webinars
-Current industry challenges
-The best approach for delivering engaging meetings and webinars
-The purpose and nature of presentations.
-Knowing what success looks like and the need for clearly defined outcomes.
-It’s all about the audience!
There will also be an opportunity to put your questions to our presenters in a Q&A session.
This free to attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the INSTILS programme, this event is not restricted to those in the D2N2 area.
DURATION: 1 HOUR

Robin Bodicoat, Marketing Director at Quotient Sciences
Robin is the CIM qualified, Marketing Director at Quotient Sciences, a leading drug development services organization. He is also an active Board Member of the BMC (Business Marketing Club), which is the independent voice of the B2B marketing industry. He has 15+ years’ experience in Life Sciences, Pharma and Healthcare, with knowledge in marketing campaign planning and strategy, and brand development. In 2017 he managed the global re-brand of Quotient Sciences.

Lizzie Butler, Founder & Creator, LB Communications Ltd
Lizzie Butler is the founder and creator of LB Communications – an exciting business that shares the most essential communication skills for corporate and individual development!
With over 20 years’ experience working for blue-chip companies, not-for-profit organisations and the public and private sectors, she helps individuals and businesses to enhance their skills, grow their businesses and develop their teams through brilliant communication.
As a Licensed Master Practitioner of NLP and a highly experienced Business Development Specialist, Lizzie has worked with Executive Directors, Business Owners, Sales Professionals, Commercial Managers, Lawyers, Event Managers, University Lecturers and Students, creating change, development and corporate and individual growth!

WEBINAR: Hospital-based Health Technology Assessment (HTA): What medical device manufacturers should know
2021-07-15 10:30 - 11:30
Join this one hour webinar to hear from the team at CHEATA (The Centre for Healthcare Equipment & Technology Adoption) if you want to learn about hospital-based Health Technology Assessment (HTA).
During the webinar Professor Dan Clark OBE and Dr Sarah Bolton will cover:
– What is Hospital-based HTA
– Two case studies from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
– What evidence should medical device manufacturers be thinking about to support HTA
About CHEATA: CHEATA was set up within the Department of Clinical Engineering at NUH NHS Trust in response to the challenge laid out in “Innovation Health and Wealth – Accelerating Adoption and Diffusion in the NHS” to help the NHS become the best health system in the world by rapidly adopting new devices and technologies into practice. CHEATA is hosted by Clinical Engineering service at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
DURATION: 1 Hour
This free to attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the INSTILS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the D2N2 region and is open to all.
Speaker Profiles:

Professor Dan Clark OBE, CHEATA Director and Head of Clinical Engineering at Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH)
Dan leads the Clinical Engineering service at Nottingham University Hospitals, one of the largest in Europe, which provides the full scope of equipment services including: device evaluation, commissioning, service and maintenance, decommissioning and disposal. He has considerable experience of evaluating new technologies and medical devices and introducing them into the healthcare setting. Dan also holds an honorary chair in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham and is co-director of the Centre for Healthcare Technologies, a unique collaborative venture between Nottingham University and NUH NHS Trust specialising in the acceleration of curiosity driven science into adopted medical technology. He also chairs the NUH NHS Trust’s Medical Devices Group and sits on a number of trust-wide risk committees. Finally, Dan was an expert member of the NICE Medical Technology Advisory Committee (MTAC) for 10 years until his “retirement” from the committee in 2019. Dan is a director and founder member of CHEATA since its inception in late 2014. Dan was awarded an OBE for Services to Clinical Engineering particularly during Covid-19 in the 2021 New Years Honours.

Dr Sarah Bolton, CHEATA Business Manager
Sarah has been the Business Manager for CHEATA since August 2016. Prior to joining CHEATA, Sarah was responsible for Healthcare and Medical Devices at Pera Technology, a role which included project delivery, client engagement and management, project planning and management as well as bid writing for major UK and EC funding bodies. Sarah is an experienced research scientist with a background in academic and clinical inflammation research where she undertook her post-doctoral studies on inflammatory mechanisms in the brain and activation mechanisms of eosinophils in asthma. She joined AstraZeneca in 2004 as an Experimental Pathologist in the Respiratory and Inflammation Therapy area, specialising in translation pathology of COPD and asthma. After leaving AZ, Sarah worked as an independent consultant continuing the experimental pathology work for a range of academic and commercial clients.

WEBINAR: Medtech Regulatory Special Interest Group (SIG) – Product traceability and Unique Device Identification for the EU and Global Use
2021-09-16 13:00 - 14:00
The next MedTech Regulatory Special Interest Group (SIG), delivered by regulatory affairs expert Richard Young and GS1 standards professional Chris Florey, will explore the requirements for product traceability and Unique Identification for the EU and Global Use, immediate and future considerations for a business.
This webinar will cover:
Richard Young, AcclaimBiomedical Consulting Ltd:
– Regulatory background
– Eudamed
– MDCG guidance so far
Chris Florey, GS1 standards professional, GS1 UK:
– Basic UDI DI (GMN)
– UDI-DI and UDI-PI
– UDI for software as a medical device
– Human Readable Interpretation (HRI)
– Barcode verification
There will be time at the end of the presentations for a Q&A session. Please submit any questions in advance for Richard and Chris to discuss during the presentation on the online booking form.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the ACTIS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the ACTIS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the SEMLEP area and is open to all.
Duration: 1 hour
TO BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE, CLICK HERE
Speaker Profiles:

Richard Young, Managing Director, AcclaimBiomedical Consulting Ltd
Richard has an extensive background in regulatory affairs in addition to GMP (quality assurance), GLP (laboratory testing), and GCP (clinical). Spanning over two decades, these core skill areas have been developed with experience in products ranging from class 3 devices such as Orthopaedic implants (IIb) neurological robots, through electromedical devices such as infusion systems and cardio vascular products.
Richard brings a blend of pragmatism and experience to these disciplines that facilitates insightful problem solving approaches as well as solid solutions.
Richard’s skills and experience includes such areas as the development and implementation of effective quality management systems, auditing to ISO and FDA QSIT standards, and operating at national and international level through industry associations including Eucomed, ABHI and ABHI Technical Policy Group.

Chris Florey, GS1 standards professional, GS1 UK
Chris has over 15 years experience of working with organisations to adopt GS1 standards to meet trading partner and regulatory requirements, and his focus for the past eight years has been within the healthcare industry, assisting medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers in implementing the NHS eProcurement strategy, the FDA UDI rules, the EU MDR and the FMD using GS1 standards. Whilst not a regulatory expert, he is able to share his experience of engaging with the regulators and thousands of manufacturers and distributors that are GS1 UK members.

*Cancelled* WEBINAR: The Midlands Ecosystem of Bench to Bedside in the Era of MDR and UKCA
2021-09-21 10:00 - 11:30
**Unfortunately this event has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. We anticipate that it will take place in early 2022, details to be released in our fortnightly newsletter in due course**
The MedTech and medical devices market for the UK has changed. Companies large and small, having weathered the impacts of COVID-19, are now faced with further challenges as the EU’s MDR comes into effect and we march towards the time limit on marketing CE marked devices and in vitro diagnostics within the UK and the introduction of the UKCA. These changes present opportunities but companies will have to be prepared if they are to remain profitable, whilst both maintaining compliance and in achieving compliance for their new devices and diagnostics.
Fortunately the Midlands boasts a thriving ecosystem of MedTech organisations, networked to provide end to end support for driving innovations from “bench to bedside”. Companies within the Midlands have a multitude of development services which they can access to help take them from ideation to regulation. This webinar in partnership with the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF) aims to highlight these services and map out how to both access them and get the most out of that interaction.
There will be an opportunity to put your questions to the presenters in a Q&A session after the presentations.
Duration 1 hr 30 mins
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the INSTILS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the D2N2 area and is open to all.
Speaker Profiles

Professor Mike Hannay, Managing Director, Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF) – CHAIR
Mike is Managing Director of MTIF based in Nottingham. Funded by Nottingham Trent University and D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership MTIF works with partners across the East Midlands to improve the quality of patient care by helping Med-Tech companies accelerate the development and commercial availability of innovative medical technologies and devices

Deanne Hewson, Healthcare Technologies Industry Manager, University of Nottingham
Deanne Hewson has worked with businesses and universities for over 20 years, developing knowledge exchange activities and providing business support. Deanne’s current role with the Centre for Healthcare Technologies focuses on delivery of the INSTILS programme, offering support to SMEs in the D2N2 region to innovate products, services and processes.

WEBINAR: Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing Special Interest Group (SIG)
2021-09-22 10:30 - 11:30
Join the next online Additive Manufacturing & 3D Printing Special Interest Group, in partnership with The University of Nottingham – Centre for Additive Manufacturing.
Confirmed presentation topics:
– Medical Product Design for Additive Manufacturing
– How to protect Intellectual Property in Additive Manufacturing innovations
– Additive Manufacturing of Medical Devices
DURATION: 1 hour
This free to attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the INSTILS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the D2N2 area and is open to all.
Speaker Profiles:

Chaired by: Ruth Goodridge, Professor in Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), The University of Nottingham
Ruth is Professor of Additive Manufacturing (3D-Printing) at the University of Nottingham. She is currently on secondment to Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, based in Clinical Engineering. With a degree in Biomaterials and PhD in Bioengineering, she has a particular interest in the medical applications of Additive Manufacturing, including assistive and rehabilitation devices (inc. prosthetics), implants and diagnostics. She has 20 years experience in multidisciplinary research into Additive Manufacturing, including a 2-year JSPS fellowship held at NAIST, Japan. Her expertise lies in material development for AM and advancing understanding of coupled material-processing aspects, in particular for polymer and glass powder bed fusion.

Professor Richard Bibb, Professor of Medical Applications of Design, School of Design & Creative Arts – Loughborough University
Richard is Professor of Medical Applications of Design in the School of Design & Creative Arts, Loughborough University. He has more than 20 years’ experience in research exploring the application of Additive Manufacturing and advanced design technologies in surgery, prosthetics, orthotics and medical devices. He founded the Medical Applications Group at PDR in 1998 and led it for 10 years. He moved to Loughborough University in 2008 and founded the Digital Design & Fabrication research group in 2014.

Gareth Probert, Partner, UK and European Patent Attorney, EIP
Gareth is a partner at the patent firm EIP and heads the EIP HealthTech practice group, an interdisciplinary team specialising in protecting innovations in the medtech and healthcare sectors. He also focusses on contentious proceedings before the European Patent Office, often handling multi-party oppositions for commercially significant patents. During his 20-year career in the profession Gareth has gained substantial experience in the medtech and healthcare space, along with the FMCG, formulations, peptide, food and chemical sectors.

Dimitris Katsanis, Founder & CEO, Metron Additive Engineering
Dimitris is the founder and CEO of Metron Additive Engineering, an ISO 13485 and AS9100 certified company, active in the field of Additive Manufacturing of metallic components.
Since 2015, he leads a team of engineers and scientists working on the design and manufacturing of parts used in a variety of industries. In the field of medical implants, Metron A.E. participated in a variety of custom implants programs together with other world leading companies in the field.

WEBINAR: Infectious Diseases Special Interest Group - The Microbiome: Emerging and Innovative Technologies
2021-09-23 10:00 - 11:30
Join the next online Infectious Diseases Special Interest Group (SIG), this SIG will focus on “The Microbiome: Emerging and Innovative Technologies”.
Recent advances in microbiome research have highlighted the significant influence these microbial populations have on our wellbeing. The upcoming SIG will be focussing on this rapidly accelerating field, looking at the role of the microbiome in human health and how imbalances lead to disease. It will also look at the application of emerging technologies that can be used to better understand the microbiome, and the development of new therapeutic approaches for associated diseases.
This event is in partnership with De Montfort University and led by Dr Katie Laird, Professor of Microbiology and also Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group at De Montfort University.
Confirmed speaker presentations:
– Open Innovation in Biofilms R&D: Translation of Academic Research to Address Industry Needs
– Manipulating respiratory microbiomes: a role for commensals?
– Labskin: Commercial Skin models to understand the microbial/host interaction
– Rapid Prototyping of Microfluidic Systems
DURATION: 1.5 hours
This free to attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire region and is open to all.
Speaker Profiles:

Dr Katie Laird, Professor of Microbiology and Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group at Leicester School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University
Katie has a BSc (Hons) in Biology and obtained a PhD in applied microbiology in 2008. During her PhD she developed and patented an essential oil based antimicrobial vapour, whilst her postdoctoral work included the assessment of natural antimicrobials efficacy against post-harvest pathogens.
Her research interests include the use of natural products as antimicrobials in particular to combat hospital acquired infections and biofilms. Her other area of research includes the assessment of healthcare laundry as a potential route of cross contamination in the clinical arena.

Dr Katerina Steventon, Senior Innovation Consultant, National Biofilms Innovation Centre
Katerina is a healthcare specialist with substantial experience of working at the clinical, commercial and research interface. She holds a MSc in Clinical Biochemistry, a PhD in Transdermal Absorptions and over 20 years of global work experience in the personal care and wound care industry. Katerina has an in-depth knowledge of skin biology in both its healthy and diseased states. The strengths Katerina brings to NBIC comprise a comprehensive understanding of the industry and academia, commercialisation of research in a spectrum of healthcare areas and an experience of running an innovation consultancy with a focus on functional skincare.

Dr David Cleary, Career Track Post-Doctoral Fellow, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton and the Southampton NIHR Biomedical Research Centre
David graduated in Medical Microbiology from the University of Surrey in 2002 and went on to complete his PhD with the University of Warwick whilst employed as a microbiologist at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTL), Porton Down. His current research interests include characterising human respiratory tract microbiomes to determine the microbiota-host interactions that determine colonisation and progression to disease, as well as understanding the epidemiology of pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae.

Dr David Caballero-Lima, Head of R&D, Labskin
David received his undergraduate degree in Biology and his PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the Universidad de Extremadura in Spain. David took postdoctoral research positions at the University of Sheffield and the University of Manchester, with both roles focussing on studying human/pathogen interaction via tissue models and obtaining a greater understanding in the regulation of the cell cycle and vesicle transportation during morphological changes.
David was initially Services Manager at Labskin, bringing his 18 years’ experience working with microbiology and host-pathogen interactions. As Head of R&D, David now leads the research department, focusing on the development of new methods for studying the native skin microflora, prebiotic, probiotics and antimicrobial effects of ingredients and formulation for pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical studies. He is also the scientific lead for the development of Labskin new consumers service; Skin Trust Club. David is a key collaborator on international research bids, as a peer with leading international experts from academia and industry.

Paul Marshall, Engineering Consultant, Co-Founder of Rapid Fluidics Ltd
An experienced Chartered Mechanical Engineer, Paul lead the engineering for QuantuMDx Ltd in Newcastle to develop the Q-POC point of care mobile diagnostics system and is now an engineering consultant specialising in Life Sciences. His works covers a wide range of projects from microfluidic instrumentation and consumable systems design for diagnostics through to technical reviews of water, sanitation and health projects for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr Raymond Allan, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology, De Montfort University
Raymond’s research focusses on the investigation of bacterial biofilms, developing an understanding of the adaptive mechanisms they employ to enable their survival within the human host, and their role in chronic infectious disease. His research also includes the identification of targets for the development and investigation of novel treatment strategies for biofilm-associated infections. He has several years’ experience investigating biofilms at University of Southampton, the National Biofilms Innovation Centre, and Southampton NIHR Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, before joining De Montfort University.

WEBINAR: The final furlong – your clinical trial data and top tips on regulatory submission
2021-10-06 10:00 - 11:00
Join us for the next in the series of our Clinical Trial Special Interest Groups with Afortiori Development, at this webinar “The final furlong – Your clinical trial data and regulatory submission. Top tips on getting ready for regulatory submission”.
When a trial finishes, the ultimate goal is to have usable data that can be presented to regulators to make your case for your product’s approval. Join us to understand the key considerations you’ll need to be aware of when getting your data ready for regulatory scrutiny.
DURATION: 1 hour
This free to attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
Speaker Profiles:

Chaired by: Dr Nicola Wall, Chief Executive Officer, Afortiori Development
Nicola co-founded Afortiori Development after a long career in clinical research within a variety of roles. Nicola has extensive experience and a proven track record in global clinical trial management, quality assurance and process management in the healthcare industry. Afortiori have built an impressive global team of clinical trial specialists, clinicians and biostatisticians with experience in adult, paediatric and neonatal clinical research, and both primary and secondary healthcare settings.

Greer Deal, Director, Global Regulatory Services
Greer has over 25 years’ experience in the life science sector and 15 years ago when her husband, Bobby Deal, identified a gap in the market, she co-founded Global Regulatory Services (GRS) and more recently, as part of the company’s expansion, they also established Med-Di-Dia in Ireland. Operating at the forefront of technology GRS is a specialist organisation with worldwide coverage providing solutions to the global life science industry focusing on regulatory affairs, quality compliance and innovation. With a worldwide network of professionals, GRS is able to support companies with emerging, novel technologies from foods to herbals, medical devices to IVDs, pharmaceuticals to regenerative therapies and borderline medicinal products. Greer is passionate about raising the profile of regulatory professionals and highlighting how regulatory affairs is a critical part of a product’s journey from concept to commercialisation and beyond.

IN-PERSON EVENT: Food Supplement Special Interest Group (SIG): Sleep - a holistic approach, where nutrition and supplementation have a role to play
2021-10-07 09:30 - 12:45 | We are Pioneer Group Nottingham, Innovation Building, (formerly BioCity), Pennyfoot Street, Nottingham, NG1 1GF, United Kingdom
With COVID-19 restrictions being eased for business events, we are pleased to be able to offer this in-person event. Please see details below regarding COVID-19 compliance.

***Registration for this event is now closed****
The next Food Supplements Interest Group (SIG) will take place in-person on Thursday 7th October. The SIG will discuss Sleep – a holistic approach, where nutrition and supplementation have a role to play.
Topics to be covered:
*Sleep – some truths and myths explained
*Differentiation between food supplement claims and medicinal claims
*Traditional herbal remedies – why are these so different?
*Botanical food supplements – what are they and how can I use them?
*What is a systems biology approach?
*How are the principles of system biology applied in the world of nutrition?
*A review of known nutrients used for sleep claims using a systems biology lens
*Melatonin medicine or food supplement?
*Dietary considerations
To book, please complete the online booking form below. Due to social distancing, places will be limited. Your application will be reviewed and a member of the events team will be in touch to confirm your place. Unfortunately due to the number of places available, we are only able to offer one place per organisation.
This free to attend event will be held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Click here to be redirected to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £255, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.

PROGRAMME
SPEAKER PROFILES
DELEGATE LIST
The venue and all participants will be required to adhere to social distancing guidelines at all times. Please see further information below regarding COVID-19 compliance at the venue.
We are Pioneer Group, Nottingham (formerly BioCity):
We are Pioneer Group is accessible by car, train and bus as it is a City Centre venue, on-site parking is not available for delegates, however the Motorpoint Arena Car park is available and located behind the buildings, for details and the address see here.
Venue and event – COVID-19 Compliance
– Delegates must not attend if they are self isolating or displaying any COVID-19 symptoms (a high temperature, new and persistent cough, or a loss of/change in sense of taste or smell), even if these symptoms are mild
– Delegates must not attend if anyone they live with have one of the above symptoms
– An NHS QR code for delegates to check in on will be available
– Delegates/staff have the option to wear a face covering upon entering the venue and whilst in attendance at the event
– The room will be laid out with relevant spacing between tables/delegates
– All rooms will have hand sanitiser nearby
– Social distancing measures will be in effect for all toilets
– Individual boxes will be provided for lunch – with options for Meat eaters, Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free

WEBINAR: Digital Technology and the Future of Healthcare
2021-11-11 10:00 - 11:00
This webinar will explore how digital technologies have been used during the pandemic and consider the potential for driving change in health and social care provision.
The potential of ‘big data’ approaches are increasingly being recognised, and the value of people’s data signatures as indicators of activity, well-being, and broader social trends is being explored in various healthcare settings.
Hosted by Medilink Midlands, this webinar will feature speakers from De Montfort University’s Digital Health research team and partner organisation Howz. Howz is a member of TSA, the industry body for Technology Enabled Care (TEC), representing the largest industry specific network in Europe and bringing together a growing membership of organisations across local government, health and the private sector.
Key areas explored at the webinar will include:
• Findings from an ongoing project on using a smart-meter app to detect electricity usage patterns within the home, and the potential to identify significant changes in an individual’s physical ability.
• Capacity for digital technology to enhance health and well-being.
• The long-term trends of digital technology in healthcare.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the LLEP area and is open to all.

Speaker Profiles

Dr Simon Oldroyd, Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Dr Simon Oldroyd became Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor in April 2019. Prior to this he had been PVC/Dean for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences since February 2015 and Deputy Dean to the faculty since October 2011.

Professor Bertha Ochieng, Professor of Integrated Health and Social Care, DMU
Bertha Ochieng is Professor of Integrated Health and Social Care, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University. A key aspect of her research is in examining digital solutions that support development of integrated models of health and social care and community engagement.

Professor Ivan Browne, Director of Public Health at Leicester City Council
Ivan Browne is the Director of Public Health at Leicester City Council and has been spearheading the local response to COVID 19 in the City. He is a professor of public health practice with De Montfort University and has a particular interest in the potential of digital technologies to improve population health and wellbeing.

Louise Rogerson, Chief Operating Officer, Howz
Louise Rogerson is a physiotherapist with 18 years experience working within the NHS as a frontline clinician, operational service manager, and latterly as a commissioner. As a commissioner Louise was responsible for development of healthcare service pathways at a population level including stroke, palliative care, and CVD. Seeing the data available to her as a commissioner Louise realised that more needed to be done to fill the data gap for older people to enable access to support services before they hit crisis point.
As Chief Operating Officer for Howz, Louise is responsible for the customer experience, building partnerships, project management, and team development. Howz describes the daily routine for an individual through smart meter data and other sensors and aims to detect changes earlier. Louise is part of the Surrey NHS project management team providing expertise in both development and implementation of remote monitoring. Louise also continues to run her own practice as a physiotherapist with a special interest in neurology and older people.

This webinar is part of Leicester Business Festival 8-18th November. For further details please click here.

WEBINAR: An update on current changes to MDR, IVDR & Role of the Person Responsible (PRRC)
2021-11-17 10:00 - 11:30
The next MedTech Regulatory Special Interest Group (SIG), hosted by regulatory affairs expert Ben Jacoby, from Cambridge RA Ltd, will provide a comprehensive update on the current Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) landscape, plus an overview of the requirements and practical considerations needed within a company to meet regulatory compliance.
The next MedTech Regulatory Special Interest Group (SIG), hosted by regulatory affairs expert Richard Young, from AcclaimBiomedical Consulting Ltd, will provide a comprehensive update on the current Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR) landscape, plus an overview of the requirements and practical considerations needed within a company to meet regulatory compliance.
Ben will be joined by Anne Jury, a regulatory affairs consultant with over 18 years experience in the medical and diagnostic healthcare products industries, and Alexander Pearce, Educo Life Sciences, well experienced in helping medical device professionals develop their skills and knowledge through learning and development.
During the presentations, they will cover:
– Introduction to current changes to requirements MDR & IVDR
– ISO13485 minimum Quality Management Systems (QMS) requirements
– Clinical Evidence
– General Safety and Performance Requirements (GSPR)
– Lay Users (individuals who do not have formal education in a relevant field of healthcare or medicine display)
– Roles of the Person Responsible for Regulatory Compliance (PRRC)
– There will be time at the end of the presentations for a Q&A session. Please submit any questions in advance for the panel to discuss during the presentation on the online booking form.
CLICK HERE TO SECURE YOUR PLACE
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the ACTIS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the ACTIS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the SEMLEP area and is open to all.
Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Speaker Profiles:

Ben Jacoby, Director, Cambridge RA Ltd
Ben is an experienced regulatory consultant who has worked with clients in the diagnostic, medical device and pharmaceutical industries to help them bring innovative products to market. He provides regulatory and strategic guidance on EU, UK and US issues to clients. Core competencies include technical files, Clinical studies; EU and UK legislation including IVD’s, companion diagnostics and medical devices; EU legislative requirements for instruments; and classification of devices. With more than 25 years of experience in regulatory affairs, he was a European-authorized representative at Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics (a Johnson & Johnson company at the time). He is an effective partner in project management and in achieving goals and deadlines. He is a skilled and persuasive communicator with clients and colleagues at all levels; and flexible and adaptable to changing environments and business needs. Ben has a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of London.

Alexander Pearce, MBA | Director of Educo Life Sciences
Alexander is the Director of Educo Life Sciences, designing learning programmes to meet the needs of life science professionals. He is a specialist in learning product development and was previously Product Manager for a leading Life Science training organisation. He has extensive knowledge of learning pathways, content creation and digital training solutions and was responsible for managing a portfolio of over 300 courses. He was instrumental in designing and delivering online learning solutions.
Alexander is a firm believer that technical training can be delivered in an interactive and impactful way to avoid it being repetitive and boring. He believes training solutions that combine online learning tools and techniques with face-to-face learning delivers greater improved skill retentions and performance.
Alexander has a BSc in Medical Physiology and an MBA from the University of Leicester.

Anne Jury, Director of Anne Jury Associates, Medical Devices Regulatory Affairs Consultancy
Anne Jury is a consultant and trainer in medical devices EU & UK regulatory compliance and quality assurance systems. Starting out as a company microbiologist for Smith & Nephew Textiles Anne went on to work for Notified Bodies, BSI and then TÜV Product Service as a lead auditor and later as UK Regional Manager.
Anne has run her own consultancy business since 2000 providing medical device regulatory support to companies ranging from research institutes and start-up companies to SMEs and multi-national market leaders. Anne was one of the founders and visiting lecturers to the MSc in Medical Technology Regulatory Affairs run by TOPRA and Cranfield University where she was also an external examiner from 2009 to 2012. Anne is also a course leader for Educo Life Sciences, the learning and development specialist, since 2020. Anne is Vice-President of Team-PRRC, a non-profit organization set up in March 2020 to support individuals in the role of PRRC under the EU medical device regulations.

WEBINAR: Exploring Digital Innovation & Integration for Health and Social Care
2021-12-02 09:30 - 11:30
Join us online for the first Digital Health Special Interest Group (SIG) with PDMS, the topic for this SIG is ‘Exploring Digital Innovation & Integration for Health and Social Care’. The SIG will be chaired by Professor Dean Fathers and will include a presentation by Microsoft, a panel discussion, breakout groups plus the opportunity to feedback following the breakout sessions, please see further details below:
Helena Zaum, Industry Solutions Manager from Microsoft will be talking about ‘Digital Innovation in Social Care’:
Technology has transformed the world around us, but as yet it has only had a relatively small influence on how we experience care and healthcare. The opportunities presented by technology to provide more personalised support for people and to underpin services which are oversubscribed are substantial, however critical issues around ethical innovation, digital inclusion and workforce skills remain largely unbroached. During the course of her presentation, Helena will cover some of the potential technology offers to meet the challenges we face, but will also highlight some of the opportunities to take a responsible and inclusive approach to technology in social care.
Panel discussion, Chaired by Chris Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer, PDMS:
– Daniel Casson, Digital Adviser, Care England
– Richard Wild, Chief Information Officer, Manx Care
– Helena Zaum, Industry Solutions Manager, Microsoft
– Peter Northrop, Locality Manager (Yorkshire & Humber/NE), Skills for Care
– Lauren Stacey, Locality Manager (Midlands), Skills for Care
Breakout sessions x 3:
– Challenging the ethical dilemmas of the aggregation of personal health and social care data into management information
– The digital divide – how do we ensure inclusive and accessible health and social care that works for everyone?
– What are the current barriers preventing technology from enabling the health and social care workforce from achieving their full potential?
DURATION: 2 hours
This free to attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £254, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
Speaker Profiles:

Professor Dean Fathers DL
Dean has held a portfolio career for over twenty five years combining senior roles across the commercial, public and University sectors. Dean started his commercial career in logistics with Pioneer, TNT and Abbey Hill BMW before becoming a serial entrepreneur and developing an international business base. He continues to hold a portfolio of commercial roles, currently being the Chair of Progress Care, a Non-Executive Director of NeedleSmart and an advisor to the Boards of several organisations primarily in the health and digital technology sector like OxeHealth and PDMS. A commercial mentor on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur’s programme, Dean further supports commercial healthcare organisations through his role on the Board of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, where he Chairs the Healthcare Strategic Advisory Board, sits on the Innovation Council and also represents the GLLEP on the Midlands Engine’s Health Board. Dean became a Professor in the Practice of Healthcare Management at Cass Business School in 2010 and Chaired the Centre for Healthcare Enterprise. He is currently Chair of both the Centre for Organisational Resilience and the Lincoln International Institute for Rural Healthcare at the University of Lincoln where he is a Professor of Resilience. He is also a Professorial Fellow of the Institute of Mental Health and an Honorary Professor in Healthcare Leadership at the Nottingham University Business School. In addition to being the Chair of separate Acute, Community and Mental Health NHS Trusts, Dean has also Chaired NHS commissioning bodies. With a strong interest in leadership, workforce development and digitisation, Dean has held roles on ancillary NHS bodies such as the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, NHS Providers and the NHS Leadership Academy, supporting numerous national and regional initiatives. He remains an Independent Director of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, is a Lay Member of the Academy of Health and Care Science’s Regulatory Board, where he is also a Life Science Industry Registry Council member too, and finally is Chair of the Midlands Medilinks’ Digital Health Special Interest Group.

Helena Zaum, Local and Regional Government Industry Lead for Social Care and Integrated Care, Microsoft UK
Helena is passionate about the positive impact which technology, sensitively applied, can have on communities and cities of the future. Technology embedded in the fabric and infrastructure of our lives should help improve our day to day experiences, but it must do so in a way which helps us build a strong sense of community with those around us, and encourages a shared sense of ownership about our immediate environment, and our impact on those further afield. Digital technologies can also transform our ability to deliver person centred care and health in the community and at home. Helena’s remit at Microsoft involves looking at how technology can help transform public services, particularly integrated health and social care. During her ten years at Microsoft, Helena has worked in various public sector focused roles, working with a mixture of start ups and major commercial organisations serving the public sector and with local government customers in the UK on their digital transformation activities. Prior to Microsoft, Helena managed a number of large change programmes and is well versed in the importance of the people side of change and transformation.

Chris Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer, PDMS
Chris co-founded PDMS in 1993 with a mission to help organisations get the maximum value from information technology and their associated data assets. His experience lies in recognising the business benefits that can be achieved by effective use of information technology to make services cheaper, safer and more convenient. He attended Manchester University and Cranfield Institute of Technology and gained his Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors. Drawing on his extensive knowledge and passion for technology, has recently been re-elected as an SME representative on the techUK Central Government Council. Chris also sat on the Advisory Panel as part of an Independent Review of the Isle of Man health and social care system conducted by Sir Johnathan Michael in 2019. Chris has a particular interest in Digital Health and citizen centric services – putting the individual at the core and designing digital services to help improve a patient’s experience and outcomes. Chris is passionate about the benefits that organisations and individuals can achieve through good software engineering. However, he believes that technology is rarely the best starting point, it’s all about understanding the problems and achieving positive outcomes.

Daniel Casson, Adviser on digital transformation, Care England
Daniel is Care England’s social care transformation and partnership building consultant. He was for 12 years head of business development at Jewish Care, a social care organisation which provides a broad spectrum of care from nursing and residential care to home care and social work services. His focus is on integration with a special interest in digital pathways for integration of health and social care. He woks with innovators, social care providers, local authorities, the NHS, regulators and other health bodies to embed digital transformation and innovation in their everyday work. He is also part of the Digital Social Care Team, working on the NHS Digital-financed programme to support care providers to transform digitally, and recently drafted the PPP paper The future of social care: Turning rhetoric into reality under the chairmanship of Damian Green. He writes a regular blog for Care England and co-hosts the Talking Care podcast. He is a governor of the Alder Hey Foundation Trust.

Richard Wild, Chief Information Officer, Manx Care
Born and raised on the Isle of Man, Richard Wild graduated from the University of London with an MSc in Advanced Computer Science and began his career at Demon Internet in 1994 as a computer programmer. With expertise in internet development, he subsequently moved to California and worked with one of the world’s largest e-retailers as Chief Technical Architect. Returning to the UK in 2002, Richard became the Lead Security Architect at the Cabinet Office and moved to the Department of Health in 2004. In this role, he became a respected expert in confidentiality, privacy and information risk management. He was a trusted advisor to Dame Fiona Caldicott, the National Data Guardian, and was the Director of her two Caldicott reports on confidentiality and data security. Returning to the Island in 2015, Richard joined the Department of Health and Social Care and was lead author of its ‘Health and Social Care in the next five years’ strategy published that year. He moved to the Cabinet Office in 2017 as Executive Director of Government Technology Services, before joining Manx Care in January 2021 as Chief Information Officer.

Peter Northrop, Locality Manager (Yorkshire & Humber/NE), Skills for Care
Peter is one of Skills for Care’s Locality Managers, working to support adult social care employers to deliver what the people they support need and what commissioners, and regulators expect. We do this by helping employers get the best from their most valuable resource – their people. Our practical support helps leaders and managers recruit, develop and lead their staff, retaining them from entry level through to senior leadership and management roles. Skills for Care’s role is to work with employers, Government, and partners to ensure social care has the right people, skills, and support required to deliver the highest quality care and support, now and in the future. Our role is to respond and adapt to the emerging trends and needs within social care, using data and evidence to drive forward widescale change. We provide best practice, tools, resources, and intelligence to support workforce recruitment, capabilities, and culture. All of our work is collaborative.
Peter’s background is as a registered social worker, having qualified in 1982 and he maintains his registration to date. He has worked with children and families, older people, and as an approved social worker in Mental Health. Peter has worked at Skills for Care for the past 15 years engaging with employers from Local Authorities and the Private, Independent, and voluntary sectors.

Lauren Stacey, Locality Manager (Midlands), Skills for Care
Prior to joining Skills for Care, Lauren worked in various roles in further and higher education before discovering her passion for adult social care while working as a support professional in community services for adults with learning disabilities. Lauren then worked as part of the external workforce team at Leicestershire County Council where she specialised in social care recruitment and retention, with a special interest in digital marketing for recruitment. Lauren now volunteers at a community service for adults with learning disabilities alongside her role as a Locality Manager for Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire at Skills for Care.

WEBINAR: Wearable Technologies in Healthcare
2021-12-08 10:00 - 11:30
The next Medical Technologies & Systems Special Interest Group (SIG) will take place online, join us as we discuss Wearable Technologies in Healthcare.
This SIG is in partnership with Nottingham Trent University and will be chaired by Professor Philip Breedon, Professor of Smart Technologies.
Attend to hear about:
– Measuring Meaningful Aspects of Health Using Sensors and Wearables
– Smart Medical Textiles
– Harnessing body heat to power wearable devices
TO BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE CLICK HERE
DURATION: 1.5 hours
This free to attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Speaker Profiles:

Chaired by: Professor Philip Breedon, Professor of Smart Technologies, Nottingham Trent University
As well as his role at Nottingham Trent University, Philip is also a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered IT professional. He is a member of the Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research invention for innovation funding panel and holds a number of journal editorial positions. His research interests and latest projects centre on new and emerging technologies and materials. This includes wearable technologies, 3D printing of pathological models, additive and subtractive manufacturing for medical applications, surgical robotics, cardiovascular devices, augmented /virtual/immersive technologies and environments, the surgical pathway and investigative research related to the utilisation of ‘smart materials’ for medical applications. Through promoting his work and research activities he now works with a number of surgeons and clinicians across Europe.

Bill Byrom, VP, Product Intelligence and Positioning, Signant Health
Bill serves as Vice President at Signant Health, a clinical trials technology solution provider. He has worked in the Pharmaceutical industry for 30 years and is a recognised thought leader in clinical trials technology product strategy. Bill is the author of over 70 publications and two industry textbooks on electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO). He leads a number of industry research groups developing methodology in the use of sensors and wearables, including participants from the pharmaceutical industry, regulatory bodies and academia. Bill is a member of the scientific leadership board of the Digital Medicine Society, and a senior visiting research fellow at Nottingham Trent University.

Dr Yang Wei, Senior Lecturer in Wearable Electronic Engineering, Nottingham Trent University
Yang is a senior lecturer with the Department of Engineering Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and is currently the research lead of the Smart Wearable Research group. Yang is also the academic expert on smart medical textiles at the Medical Technology Innovation Facility (MTIF), a leading smart medical textiles lab. His research interests include electronic textiles (e-textiles), medical devices and technologies, sensors and actuators, and printing technologies. He is an active steering group committee member of the EPSRC E-Textile network and a member of the IPC Electronic-textile initiative committee, actively participating in the development of e-textiles standards in interconnections, design and washability. Yang has been PI/Co-I on a number of electronic textile projects focusing on the development of alternative treatments through novel designs, materials and fabrication. This allows electronic textiles to be seamlessly and invisibility integrated within the daily garments, thus maximising the wearability and comfort.

Dr Katrina Morgan, Senior Research Fellow – Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton
Working in state-of-the-art cleanrooms for over ten years, Dr Morgan is an expert in developing novel materials for electronic and photonic devices. Working closely with over ten industrial partners in a European wide project, Smart2Go, Dr Morgan has been developing wearable thermoelectric generators that can harvest energy from body heat for low-power devices, such as sensors. More recently Dr Morgan is leading a project, working with BAE Systems Ltd, to investigate using such a system to monitor human body temperatures which can then be logged remotely using low-power long-range wireless techniques.

WEBINAR: Biocompatibility, Practical Applications in the new MDR environment
2022-02-02 10:00 - 11:30
The next MedTech Regulatory Special Interest Group (SIG), hosted by regulatory affairs expert Richard Young, from AcclaimBiomedical Consulting Ltd, will provide a review of regulatory requirements and the application of biocompatibility in the new environment.
Richard will be joined by Philip Clay, Director and Principal Toxicologist, Chorley Consulting and they will be covering:
– Requirements of Annex 1 of the regulation 2017/745
– A regulatory perspective on existing products
– ISO 10993 the 2018 issue
– Biological Evaluation Plans
– Biological Evaluation reports
– What Are the interpretations of the requirements being taken by notified bodies?
– Application and assessment of Biocompatibility for existing products?
– What are the typical implications for Biocompatibility Rationale and testing?
– What are the practical constraints?
– Limitations of existing testing?
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the ACTIS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the ACTIS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the SEMLEP area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Speaker Profiles:

Richard Young, Managing Director, AcclaimBiomedical Consulting Ltd
Richard has an extensive background in regulatory affairs in addition to GMP (quality assurance), GLP (laboratory testing), and GCP (clinical). Spanning over two decades, these core skill areas have been developed with experience in products ranging from class 3 devices such as Orthopaedic implants (IIb) neurological robots, through electromedical devices such as infusion systems and cardio vascular products.
Richard brings a blend of pragmatism and experience to these disciplines that facilitates insightful problem solving approaches as well as solid solutions.
Richard’s skills and experience includes such areas as the development and implementation of effective quality management systems, auditing to ISO and FDA QSIT standards, and operating at national and international level through industry associations including Eucomed, ABHI and ABHI Technical Policy Group.

Philip Clay, Director and Principal Toxicologist, Chorley Consulting
Philip is a UK and European registered toxicologist and specialises in safety assessment with over 30 years experience. He has published and presented widely in his expert field of genetic toxicology and also in the wider area of safety assessment. Chorley Consulting designs safety assessment programmes for medical devices and also provides toxicological advice for a range of product types. Philip is presently a BSI committee member for CH/194 (Biological evaluation of medical devices).
Chorley Consulting works with a number clients ranging from multinational manufacturers to single product start-ups. They have experience with assessing the biological safety of a wide range of devices including cosmetic surgery products, surgical implants, anaesthetic gas devices, catheters and invasive patient monitoring systems as well consumer healthcare products ranging from Class 3 devices down to Class 1. Their biological safety assessments have formed part of technical file submissions to a number of notified bodies without comment as well as supporting clinical trial applications. They also have experience with medical device submissions to regulatory authorities around the world including US FDA and China NMPA.

IN-PERSON EVENT: Thinking Differently for Business Growth
2022-02-22 09:00 - 13:00 | Charnwood Campus, Bakewell Road, Loughborough, LE11 5RB
This event is part of the Leicestershire Innovation Festival, organised by Medilink Midlands in partnership with Charnwood Campus. Charnwood Campus is a science, technology and enterprise park based in Loughborough and is the first Life Sciences Opportunity Zone in the UK.

Innovation is the cornerstone of success. Using innovation to adapt to changing markets and disruptive external factors not only helps ensure business continuity but also gives competitive advantage over competition.
This event will expose you to business leaders who were not afraid to do things differently, who successfully embraced innovative solutions to streamline processes, gain new customers, enter new markets, increase profitability during the process.
Connect to our life science business cluster – entrepreneurs, public and educational sector, networking organisations and health and social care organisations to support the development of an innovation culture within your business.
By attending this event, you will:
– Learn from some of today’s leading disruptors, market leaders, and digital transformers in the life sciences
– Discover how to create a culture of innovation that extends to all teams, units, and levels
– Engage in highly interactive panel session that connect our speakers to your questions and input
– Network, collaborate, and benchmark with your innovation peers
Programme
Speaker Profiles
Delegate List
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £508, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
How to find the venue:
Charnwood Campus is conveniently located on the outskirts of Loughborough, for travel information please see their website here. Please enter the site using the main entrance, off Bakewell Road, LE11 5RB. Once on site, if you are travelling by car complimentary car parking is available in car park E – see site map here. The event is taking place in the Conference Centre, which is in Building 21, Innovation Centre.
Venue and Delegate – COVID-19 Compliance:
– All participants will be required to adhere to social distancing guidelines at all times
– The rooms will be laid out with relevant spacing between tables/delegates
– All rooms will be adequately ventilated with outside air
– Additional cleaning will be carried out throughout the day
– All rooms have hand sanitiser nearby
– Social distancing measures will be in effect for all toilets
– Face coverings are not essential, however anyone who wishes to wear one can do so
– It is recommended that all delegates and speakers complete a lateral flow test before attending this event

WEBINAR: Defining decentralised trials!
2022-02-23 14:00 - 15:00
Join us for the next in the series of our Clinical Trial Special Interest Groups with Afortiori Development, at this webinar “Defining decentralised trials! What actually defines a decentralised trial and how do they work in reality?”.
This webinar will focus on what it means to run a ‘decentralised trial’ in the real world! Hear from our panel of experts as they discuss key aspects of what it means to actually run a decentralised trial and how or if they can work for your study and product. Our speakers will discuss various tools and methodologies and then a discussion will follow that examines the importance of the right approach overall as the defining factor for study success.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1 hour
Speaker Profiles:

Chaired by: Dr Nicola Wall, Chief Executive Officer, Afortiori Development
Nicola co-founded Afortiori Development after a long career in clinical research within a variety of roles. Nicola has extensive experience and a proven track record in global clinical trial management, quality assurance and process management in the healthcare industry. Afortiori have built an impressive global team of clinical trial specialists, clinicians and biostatisticians with experience in adult, paediatric and neonatal clinical research, and both primary and secondary healthcare settings.

Cheryl Bailey, Senior Global Project Manager, Afortiori Development
Cheryl has worked in numerous roles in the clinical research industry for over 11 years and is the Senior Global Clinical Project Leader at Afortiori, responsible for the management and delivery of clinical trial activities within the company. She has gained an extensive range of key skills including project management, ethics and regulatory, monitoring, financial management, budgets, protocol writing, skills training, quality management and laboratory experience. Cheryl has had a varied range of therapeutic experience:– mental health disorders, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and MCI, renal disease, sickle cell disease, healthy population studies, medical devices, dermatitis and psoriasis. She has managed a wide range of studies across various phases of research both in NHS settings and in CRO/CRF settings, allowing for the development of a sound knowledge base, an understanding of necessary operational processes and the skills to drive clinical trials forward.

Tim Davies, Business Development Manager, The Medical Research Network
With over 25 years in research and development with large pharma and over 8 years decentralised clinical trial services for speciality, orphan and biodiversity medicines especially in the provision of specialised decentralised Nursing.

Wessam Sonbol, Co-Founder & CEO, Delve Health
A proven biopharmaceuticals and healthcare solutions strategist focusing on life science process improvement, Wessam has nearly 20 years of experience in Phase I-IV, IDE and 510(K) clinical research and healthcare business operations. He’s successfully managed a data
management organisation and worked with Fortune 500 companies such as Medtronic, Abbott Vascular and J&J. Through breakthrough strategies, Wessam helps achieve notable results in improving clinical trial outcomes.

Webinar: Technical Innovation to support High Quality Care
2022-02-24 10:00 - 11:00
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace at which we can adapt technology in health and care sectors, working together flexibly in adopting new technology focused on users’ needs. Many health and care providers across the UK and globally have adopted technology innovation to enable faster treatment options and prevention services. Join De Montfort University’s Digital Health Team in partnership with Willows Heath and Medicspot, for an insight into the latest developments in this area supporting the future of healthcare.
This webinar focuses on:
• Experiences of health and care providers in adopting technology innovation
• Innovation in action: working in partnership with health and care providers to meet the needs of communities
• Factors driving change in technology innovation and the implications to health and the care sector
This event is part of Leicestershire Innovation Festival. For further details please click here
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1 hour
Speaker Profiles:

Stuart Hilton, Head of Commercial Partnerships, DMU (Chair)
Stuart has over 30 years’ experience in developing commercial solutions to technical challenges that support project requirements across a range of different industries and business sectors both internationally and within the UK. Stuart is an experienced professional commercial manager with expertise in building connections between higher education and external organisations.

Professor Bertha Ochieng, Professor of Integrated Health and Social Care, DMU
Bertha Ochieng is Professor of Integrated Health and Social Care, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University. A key aspect of her research is in examining digital solutions that support development of integrated models of health and social care and community engagement.

Dr Tariq Kapasi, Medical Director – Willows Health
Tariq is Co-Chair and Honorary Associate Professor at the Centre of Primary Care Research. He is passionate in developing governance processes to improve clinical outcomes for over 45,000 patients. Tariq is forever appraising innovative methods by which they can help to engage, educate, and empower their patients.”

Sharon Donald, Business Development Manager, Medicspot
As a former A&E sister and hospital manager, Sharon became a Business Development Manager in 1999 and is passionate about digital technology. For the last 14 years she has been working in digital health, assisting customers to transition to a digital health service in areas including Liverpool, Hull and Newham.

WEBINAR: How the Life Sciences Industry can leverage LinkedIn as a key marketing tool
2022-03-03 10:00 - 11:00
Join us online for the next Life Sciences Marketing Special Interest Group (SIG) webinar, where our presenters will focus on ‘How to leverage LinkedIn as a key marketing tool in your business to win more sales’.
LinkedIn is an incredible asset for any marketer and business working in a complex industry such as life sciences. It’s much more than a lead generation tool. In this Life Sciences Marketing Special Interest Group, Charlie Whyman, founder of Curious B2B Marketing, will show you how she has personally grown audiences across multiple industries including mining, surveying, commercial shipping and tech, and how the principles she has developed can be applied to a Life Sciences business.
This webinar will be hosted by Robin Bodicoat, Head of Marketing at Touchlight Genetics, who will provide his own industry specific thoughts and insights on using LinkedIn to generate success in the life sciences industry.
By attending, you can learn how to use LinkedIn to help you:
• Grow an audience of your target customers
• Create curiosity in your market and build a solid brand reputation
• Generate hot and engaged leads and enquiries
• Convert leads into sales FASTER
• Plus, much more
There will also be an opportunity to put your questions to our presenters in a Q&A session.
This free to attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £127, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
DURATION: 1 hour
Speaker Profiles:
Robin Bodicoat, Head of Marketing – Touchlight Genetics
Robin is the CIM qualified, Head of Marketing at Touchlight Genetics, a London-based biotech focused on the discovery and development of DNA-based genetic medicines, including DNA vaccines and gene therapies. He is also an active Board Member of the BMC (Business Marketing Club), which is the independent voice of the B2B marketing industry. He has 20+ years’ experience in Life Sciences, Pharma and Healthcare, with knowledge in marketing campaign planning and strategy, and brand development. In 2017 he managed the global re-brand of Quotient Sciences.

Charlie Whyman, Founder – Curious B2B Marketing
Charlie Whyman, founder of Curious B2B Marketing is the creator of the OTTER marketing framework, helping businesses turn leads into sales with easy to apply systems and approaches. She’s the host of The Curiosity Key Podcast and founder of The Curious Marketing Club for ambitious SME businesses looking to improve marketing performance.
An engineer by background, Charlie discovered she had a talent for sales and marketing when selling her homegrown Sardinian olive oil on a Yorkshire market stall, selling laser scanners down one of the world’s deepest mines, telemedicine solutions to the commercial shipping industry and moving rapidly from marketing assistant to Global Head of Sales and Marketing for a major player in the Geospatial sector.
Charlie is also an avid adventurer, cyclist and F1 fan

WEBINAR: Digital Identity Unmasked - POSTPONED
2022-03-09 09:30 - 11:00
Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances this webinar has been postponed, all registered delegates will be notified of the new date. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you.
Join us for the next in the series of our Digital Health Special Interest Groups with PDMS at this webinar; “Digital Identity Unmasked – how digital identity is key to empowering the patient and the healthcare provider “.
The webinar will be chaired by Professor Dean Fathers and will include presentations on:
– Introduction to Digital Identity
– NHS Digital – focusing on the NHS login project, plus a case study
– Decentralised digital identities
– Digital identity in action in a digital vaccination system
– Digital identity in a mental health care app
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1.5 hours
Speaker Profiles:

Professor Dean Fathers DL
Dean has held a portfolio career for over twenty five years combining senior roles across the commercial, public and University sectors. Dean started his commercial career in logistics with Pioneer, TNT and Abbey Hill BMW before becoming a serial entrepreneur and developing an international business base. He continues to hold a portfolio of commercial roles, currently being the Chair of Progress Care, a Non-Executive Director of NeedleSmart and an advisor to the Boards of several organisations primarily in the health and digital technology sector like OxeHealth and PDMS. A commercial mentor on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur’s programme, Dean further supports commercial healthcare organisations through his role on the Board of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, where he Chairs the Healthcare Strategic Advisory Board, sits on the Innovation Council and also represents the GLLEP on the Midlands Engine’s Health Board. Dean became a Professor in the Practice of Healthcare Management at Cass Business School in 2010 and Chaired the Centre for Healthcare Enterprise. He is currently Chair of both the Centre for Organisational Resilience and the Lincoln International Institute for Rural Healthcare at the University of Lincoln where he is a Professor of Resilience. He is also a Professorial Fellow of the Institute of Mental Health and an Honorary Professor in Healthcare Leadership at the Nottingham University Business School. In addition to being the Chair of separate Acute, Community and Mental Health NHS Trusts, Dean has also Chaired NHS commissioning bodies. With a strong interest in leadership, workforce development and digitisation, Dean has held roles on ancillary NHS bodies such as the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, NHS Providers and the NHS Leadership Academy, supporting numerous national and regional initiatives. He remains an Independent Director of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, is a Lay Member of the Academy of Health and Care Science’s Regulatory Board, where he is also a Life Science Industry Registry Council member too, and finally is Chair of the Midlands Medilinks’ Digital Health Special Interest Group.

Chris Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer, PDMS
Chris co-founded PDMS in 1993 with a mission to help organisations get the maximum value from information technology and their associated data assets. His experience lies in recognising the business benefits that can be achieved by effective use of information technology to make services cheaper, safer and more convenient. He attended Manchester University and Cranfield Institute of Technology and gained his Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors. Drawing on his extensive knowledge and passion for technology, has recently been re-elected as an SME representative on the techUK Central Government Council. Chris also sat on the Advisory Panel as part of an Independent Review of the Isle of Man health and social care system conducted by Sir Johnathan Michael in 2019. Chris has a particular interest in Digital Health and citizen centric services – putting the individual at the core and designing digital services to help improve a patient’s experience and outcomes. Chris is passionate about the benefits that organisations and individuals can achieve through good software engineering. However, he believes that technology is rarely the best starting point, it’s all about understanding the problems and achieving positive outcomes.

Matthew Henry, Senior Project Manager NHS Login, NHS Digital
In 2019, after serving 24 years in British Army, Matt joined NHS Digital to work within the HR and Organisation Transformation Directorate; managing the core team supporting an organisational wide restructure programme. During the pandemic Matt moved into a variety of positions, working flexibly to support several different programmes during an extremely busy period. Matt was delighted to move into a permanent role with NHS Digital in August 2021 as the Senior Partner Onboarding Manager for NHS login, helping to provide a re-usable way for patients to access multiple digital health and social care services with a single NHS login.

Raja Sharif, Founder & CEO, FarmaTrust
Raja is Founder and CEO of FarmaTrust, who are driving the company’s vision and mission of creating innovative, digital solutions for the personalised medicine and healthcare sector to protect patients and creating efficiencies in the cell and gene therapy industry. Using IoT and blockchain technology, FarmaTrust is creating a transparent, auditable, secure, global solution to give confidence to patients, clinicians and regulators worldwide. Raja is a UK qualified barrister, with over 25 years legal and business experience in multinationals including Guardian IT PLC, Globix, BT plc, COLT and Al Jazeera.

Cliff Kirby, Founder & CEO, NeedleSmart
Cliff is the founder and CEO of NeedleSmart, who have offices in Knowsley. Having the original idea in 2008, Cliff successfully developed the business to proof of concept, obtained intellectual property and attracted seed capital. Subsequently, he lead multi-million pound investment into the business which produces patented needle-destruction devices. NeedleSmart is now a thriving entity with an exciting suite of products being delivered to healthcare markets globally. Cliff now has a number of business interests in the Liverpool City Region (LCR) and sits on the board of Knowsley Chamber, the LCR board of Health and Life Sciences and is an active member of the LCR Engineering landscape.

Prasannajeet Mane, Founder & CEO, Cerina
Prasannajeet is the Founder and CEO of Cerina, an early-stage digital health startup venture which is bringing digital interventions to treat anxiety disorders and depression. The origin of the venture is rooted in Prasannajeet’s own personal experiences of surviving a clinical psychological disorder. The research experience of studying different mental health conditions, long experience of using traditional and digital platforms, and business training at London Business School made him familiar with the clear gaps that are present in the existing mental health landscape. Prasannajeet is a graduate of London Business School and Indian Institute of Technology. Previous to his masters from London Business School, Prasannajeet worked as a mental health researcher for where he helped building an award-winning digital intervention and his research work got published in Nature.

Adam Wright, Programme Development Manager, NHS Providers
Adam is a programme development manager at the membership body NHS Providers. He is currently working on the Digital Boards programme, which aims to support trust boards lead the digital transformatino agenda. Prior to this he was part of NHS Providers’ policy team.

WEBINAR: The Future of Data and AI in Healthcare
2022-03-24 10:00 - 11:30
This webinar; “The Future of Data and AI in Healthcare” is in partnership with The Open University Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies.
Part of the webinar will include presentations from academics at the Open University and they will discuss their work in the fields of Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its relevance to the medical field. Discussion will include the ways in which Artificial Intelligence can enhance the use of data as well as innovative uses of AI and data for patient interactions and training. Mills and Reeve will also present at the webinar on ‘Legal issues around AI enabled technologies’.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the ACTIS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the ACTIS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the South East Midlands and is open to all.
DURATION: 1.5 hours
Speaker Profiles:

Gaynor Henry-Edwards, Research Manager, Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies – The Open University
Gaynor manages the Health and Wellbeing Strategic Research Area at The Open University. The Strategic Research Area supports, coordinates and promotes health and wellbeing research across the university. Open University researchers conduct research in health and wellbeing across various disciplines and areas including healthcare management, ageing studies, reproductive and sexual rights, assistive technologies, patient data management, mental health and biological health sciences. The scope of University expertise ranges from the science underpinning health and disease through to the medical humanities. The Open University is committed to working towards social justice specialising in participative and inclusive research methods with marginalised and vulnerable communities.

Professor Dr Fridolin Wild, Professor at the Institute of Educational Technology, The Open University
In addition to his role at The Open University, Fridolin is also leading the Performance Augmentation Lab (PAL). Fridolin seeks to close the dissociative gap between abstract knowledge and its practical application, researching radically new forms of linking directly from knowing something ‘in principle’ to applying that knowledge ‘in practice’ and speeding its refinement and integration into polished performance.
Fridolin leads the Special Interest Group on Wearable-Enhanced Learning (SIG WELL) of the European Association of Technology Enhanced Learning (EATEL). He chairs the working group on Augmented Reality Learning Experience Models (ARLEM) of the IEEE Standards Association as well as the Natural Language Processing task view of the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN). He is convenor of a key standards working group, WG 11, for future-proofing AR/VR in a joint technical committee of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), part of the sub chapter for computer graphics, image processing, and environmental data representation (SC24)
From 2015 to 2020, Fridolin was Senior Research Fellow at Oxford Brookes University. From 2009 to 2016, he was at the Knowledge Media Institute of the OU. Fridolin also worked as a researcher at the Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria from 2004 to 2009. He studied at the University of Regensburg, Germany, with extra-murals at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Hildesheim.

James Fry, Partner – Head of Life Sciences, Mills & Reeve LLP
James heads the firm’s fast growing, multi-disciplinary life sciences practice and focuses exclusively on this sector. The practice supports clients in the pharma and biotech, medical device, diagnostic, medtech and digital health sub-sectors. James’ own practice focuses on intellectual property, commercial contracting and regulatory work.

IN-PERSON EVENT: Rehabilitation Technologies: Supporting innovation through Multi-Stakeholder Networks
2022-03-29 09:30 - 13:00 | Charnwood Campus, Bakewell Road, Loughborough, LE11 5RB
*Please note that this event is in-person attendance only*
Technology has an increasingly important role to play in rehabilitation where it can support skilled healthcare professionals, reduce hospital stays and improve engagement with rehabilitation programmes. The East Midlands is well placed to support growth in this sector with the new National Rehabilitation Centre due to open at Stanford Hall, Nottinghamshire in 2024 and three new EPSRC funded networks being launched in the region to support the development and adoption of rehabilitation technologies.
This event in partnership with the Centre for Healthcare Technologies will provide you with an update on the vision and delivery of the National Rehabilitation Centre and explain how you can join and benefit from the three new NetworkPlus EPSRC funded initiatives. Members of these networks will be able to draw on the knowledge and expertise of academics, clinicians, industry and other stakeholders to develop new, disruptive technologies for rehabilitation including innovations in advanced materials, patient-specific devices and therapy, closed loop & autonomous systems, robotic solutions for healthcare as well as assisted living products and services.
Programme
Speaker Profiles
Delegate List
To book your free place, please complete the online booking form below. Please note the booking system is not automated and a member of the events team will confirm your place to you soon.
In-person attendance only, this event is not live streamed or available as a recording
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the INSTILS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £445, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the INSTILS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Derby/Derbyshire/Nottingham/Nottinghamshire area and is open to all.
Venue and Delegate – COVID-19 Compliance:
– All participants will be required to adhere to social distancing guidelines at all times
– The rooms will be laid out with relevant spacing between tables/delegates
– All rooms will be adequately ventilated with outside air
– Additional cleaning will be carried out throughout the day
– All rooms have hand sanitiser nearby
– Social distancing measures will be in effect for all toilets
– Delegates/staff are required to wear a face covering upon entering the venue and whilst in attendance at the event
– It is recommended that all delegates and speakers complete a lateral flow test before attending this event

WEBINAR: Straight to the source – Managing bone infections through non-traditional routes
2022-03-30 10:00 - 11:30
Join us for the next in the series of our Infectious Diseases Special Interest Groups at this webinar; “Straight to the source – Managing bone infections through non-traditional routes”.
Bone infections are extremely challenging to treat and patients often require weeks of intravenous antibiotics, which often cause side effects and impact on quality of life. Antimicrobial resistant infections are also becoming increasingly common, which can make these challenging infections even more difficult to treat safely and effectively. This session will hear from clinical and scientific experts on difficult to treat bone infections and how antimicrobial resistance impacts on this, and current and future alternatives to managing these infections.
This event is in partnership with De Montfort University and led by Dr Katie Laird, Professor of Microbiology and also Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group at De Montfort University.
Presentations confirmed so far are:
– Antimicrobial Resistance, The Silent Pandemic: Academia’s role in managing infections correctly
– Managing infection correctly: more than prescribing antibiotics
– Biocomposites: Bringing Calcium to life
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1.5 hours

Dr Katie Laird, Professor of Microbiology and Head of the Infectious Disease Research Group at Leicester School of Pharmacy, De Montfort University
Katie has a BSc (Hons) in Biology and obtained a PhD in applied microbiology in 2008. During her PhD she developed and patented an essential oil based antimicrobial vapour, whilst her postdoctoral work included the assessment of natural antimicrobials efficacy against post-harvest pathogens.
Her research interests include the use of natural products as antimicrobials in particular to combat hospital acquired infections and biofilms. Her other area of research includes the assessment of healthcare laundry as a potential route of cross contamination in the clinical arena.
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Dr Ryan Hamilton, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, De Monfort University
Ryan is a clinical academic pharmacist spending time as a senior lecturer at De Montfort University School of Pharmacy and as a clinical pharmacist at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
In academia, he teaches specialist and generalist pharmacy practice to undergraduate pharmacy students and is clinical lead for the Antimicrobial Resistant and Stewardship module of the postgraduate diploma in clinical pharmacy. He is an active researcher within the Infectious Diseases Research Group with projects spanning all areas of practice from bench to bedside.
At Kettering General Hospital he is one of the lead pharmacists for microbiology & infectious diseases and chairs the Northamptonshire Antimicrobial Medicines Optimisation Group. He has specialised in antimicrobials since 2015 with expertise in managing patients with complex and difficult to treat infections, outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, guideline and policy development, and stewardship interventions. Outside of these roles, Ryan has developed award-winning outreach and engagement programmes relating to hygiene, infection, and antimicrobial resistance.

Dr Michael Pierides – Consultant in Diabetes & Endocrinology at Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Michael is a Consultant in Diabetes & Endocrinolog, having trained in the East and West Midlands. He has an interest in education and completed a MSc in Medical Education at Warwick Medical School. He has been educational lead for the department since 2013, as well as a faculty member of the international surgical training course: ESMSC (since 2015). Beyond traditional delivery of education he is also involved in developing high fidelity simulation training.
His main role centres around diabetic foot medicine. He is the regional lead for the multidisciplinary diabetic foot service in Northamptonshire. From the beginning he was interested in diabetic foot disease and started a multidisciplinary foot round with a vascular consultant and specialist podiatrist, in 2015. Since then the service has progressed to be a full Multidisciplinary Countywide service for 2 hospitals and the county of Northamptonshire, with a podiatry delivered service feeding in to the diabetic foot service, Virtual ‘Rapid access clinics’ and specialist high risk foot clinics with Orthopaedics, all supported by Specialist Pharmacists, specialist nurses, Radiologists and Microbiology. “This is a true Team Effort and I am proud to be part of it.”

Phillip Laycock, Technical Research Director, Biocomposites Ltd
Phillip is the Technical Research Director at Biocomposites, an international medical device company that engineers, manufactures and markets world leading products for use in infection management in bone and soft tissue. Based in Keele, UK, it has global operations across Europe, USA, Canada, China and India. Biocomposites is a world leader in the development of innovative calcium compounds for surgical use. Its products regenerate bone and target infection risks across a variety of specialties, including musculoskeletal infection, orthopaedics, trauma, spine, foot and ankle, podiatry and sports injuries. Biocomposites products are now used in over 120,000 procedures per annum and sold in more than 40 countries around the world.

EMAHSN Innovation Academy MODULE D Live Q&A: Understanding stakeholders & developing an effective value proposition
2022-04-26 13:30 - 14:30
The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation Academy is open to anyone to register. Once registered, participants will have access to a range of modules, each including a webinar, live Q&A session with the experts and online resources.The webinars are on demand, so can be accessed at any time, with the live Q&A session for each module being scheduled throughout 2022
For further details/to watch the ON-DEMAND webinar or join the live Q&A session please CLICK HERE to Sign up for the Academy and to register for this module.
This module delves into starting up a business, as well as the main reasons why many new businesses may fail.
With this in mind, we emphasise the importance of making sure there is a market need for your innovation and how to do this effectively.
Key stakeholders are explored in more detail during this webinar, including the different types that you may come across (and we know in the NHS there could be more than a few) and you’ll understand each of their specific drivers and requirements to add real value to your innovation journey.
You’ll also find out more about value proposition, teaching you how to get your business’s value to potential customers. Tried and tested methodologies will be explained and explored to ensure you have the best chance of getting this part of your crucial planning done correctly.
Presenter / expert

Ayokunmi Ajetunmobi (AJ) ​ – Venture Development Manager, We Are Pioneer Group

WEBINAR: Usability Engineering for IVDR and MDR compliance
2022-05-18 10:00 - 11:30
The next MedTech Regulatory Special Interest Group (SIG), hosted by regulatory affairs expert Richard Young, from AcclaimBiomedical Consulting Ltd, will cover the importance of the inclusion of the usability engineering process as part of the development and maintenance of medical products, which right now has never been more important.
As companies transition to compliance with the revised European Regulations, the importance of this process for the success of the design and conformity assessment activities of an organisation are critical.
Richard will be joined by Greg Thay, Managing Director and Human Factors Consultant, THAY Medical and they will be covering:
– The regulatory requirement for Usability
– General Safety and Performance Requirements
– Integration with risk Management
– Usability Engineering IEC62366 as a process based standard in product design
– Documentation required
– Common pitfalls
Plus there will be time for the audience to ask questions.
TO BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE, CLICK HERE
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the ACTIS programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the ACTIS programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the SEMLEP area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Speaker Profiles:

Richard Young, Managing Director, AcclaimBiomedical Consulting Ltd
Richard has an extensive background in regulatory affairs in addition to GMP (quality assurance), GLP (laboratory testing), and GCP (clinical). Spanning over two decades, these core skill areas have been developed with experience in products ranging from class 3 devices such as Orthopaedic implants (IIb) neurological robots, through electromedical devices such as infusion systems and cardio vascular products.
Richard brings a blend of pragmatism and experience to these disciplines that facilitates insightful problem solving approaches as well as solid solutions.
Richard’s skills and experience includes such areas as the development and implementation of effective quality management systems, auditing to ISO and FDA QSIT standards, and operating at national and international level through industry associations including Eucomed, ABHI and ABHI Technical Policy Group.
Greg Thay, Managing Director and Human Factors Consultant, THAY Medical – profile to follow

EMAHSN Innovation Academy MODULE E Live Q&A: Budget Impact & benefit analysis – understanding and communicating the value of an innovation to an organisation
2022-05-19 10:30 - 11:30
The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation Academy is open to anyone to register. Once registered, participants will have access to a range of modules, each including a webinar, live Q&A session with the experts and online resources.The webinars are on demand, so can be accessed at any time, with the live Q&A session for each module being scheduled throughout 2022
For further details/to watch the ON-DEMAND webinar or join the live Q&A session please CLICK HERE to Sign up for the Academy and to register for this module.
In this module, you will explore the importance of understanding value, along with understanding the desirability and affordability of your innovation. It helps to understand the perspective of an organisation considering your innovation and what they would be looking for, knowing this helps you to identify the benefits of your innovation as well as the value versus financial savings.
An often ‘ignored’ element in many analyses is the ‘cost’ of change and the ‘cost’ of an innovation, this is explained and detailed here to articulate why and how these should be calculated to ensure accuracy and also credibility. Desirability and affordability are key traits for your innovation to be a success, and this webinar makes you think about what traits your innovation has in order to be desirable to customers.
Presenter / expert
Glen Howard – Health Analytics Programme Manager, EMAHSN

WEBINAR: Clinical Trials, Data Protection and You
2022-06-23 10:00 - 11:30 | Online
The next Afortiori Special Interest Group, “Clinical Trials, Data Protection and You”, will take place online on Thursday 23rd June.
Clinical trials, by their very nature, usually involve a large amount of sensitive personal data. The control and processing of personal and sensitive data means that specific data protection laws apply to Sponsors of clinical trials. Join us alongside leading experts Nicola Wall and Amy Ford to learn more about what this means in practice as you plan and implement your clinical trial.
BOOK YOUR PLACE TODAY
Speakers:

Dr. Nicola Wall is the founder and CEO of Afortiori Development, a clinical trials company that addresses the need for improved clinical trial design, planning and management to promote efficient and cost effective clinical trials for all types of products. She has an exceptional background within the pharmaceutical, medical technology and healthcare sectors with over 22 years of diverse experience across a range of therapeutic areas for a number of large and small clients spanning all areas of clinical development. She has worked closely with a number of emerging companies providing guidance and support for the clinical development journey. Afortiori Development have built an impressive global team of clinical trial specialists, clinicians and biostatisticians with experience in adult, paediatric and neonatal clinical research, and both primary and secondary healthcare settings.

Amy Ford is a highly skilled and experienced information governance practitioner. She is passionate about using new, innovative digital solutions to make the best use of Big Data in a lawful and secure manner. Before joining Kaleidoscope, Amy held a number of information governance roles in the health sector. Most recently, she was the Head of Information Governance for NHS NEL Commissioning Support Unit. Amy leads the team to ensure delivery and project management of consultancy services are running smoothly and she deputises for the managing director.
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1 hour and 30 minutes

EMAHSN Innovation Academy Module F live Q&A Session: Constructing an NHS business case & pathway mapping
2022-06-30 13:00 - 14:00
The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation Academy is open to anyone to register. Once registered, participants will have access to a range of modules, each including a webinar, live Q&A session with the experts and online resources.The webinars are on demand, so can be accessed at any time, with the live Q&A session for each module being scheduled throughout 2022
For further details/to watch the ON-DEMAND webinar or join the live Q&A session please CLICK HERE to Sign up for the Academy and to register for this module.
This webinar focuses on what a business case is and the importance of one for innovators to provide decision makers, stakeholders and the public with a management tool for evidence-based, transparent decision making.
This module also touches on ‘the five case model’, which you will be able to use when creating your own NHS business case. Many people know how to create a standard ‘business case’, but very few understand how to create an NHS/healthcare ‘business case.’
Finally, the pathway mapping section of this module is a key part for you to think about how your proposal contributes to the achievement of NHS policy/priorities and trust objectives and plans.
Presenters / experts

Victoria Townshend – Lead Change Manager, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

Sally Robinson – Head of Contracts and Partnerships, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

EMAHSN Innovation Academy MODULE G Live Q&A: Building Evidence for your Healthcare Innovation
2022-07-12 13:00 - 14:00
The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation Academy is open to anyone to register. Once registered, participants will have access to a range of modules, each including a webinar, live Q&A session with the experts and online resources.The webinars are on demand, so can be accessed at any time, with the live Q&A session for each module being scheduled throughout 2022
For further details/to watch the ON-DEMAND webinar or join the live Q&A session please CLICK HERE to Sign up for the Academy and to register for this module.
This webinar makes innovators aware of the regulatory compliance that needs to be followed within the NHS.
It highlights why having evidence for your innovation is vital and goes into detail on how you can obtain the relevant evidence that the NHS needs. It further devolves on how ones’ device can be deployed or incorporated in a patient or hospital pathway along with how to make a health economic case. This module will cover value proposition, what applies to digital technology and the differences within this sector. Finally, it will walk you through gathering evaluation evidence for your customers.
Presenters / experts

Philip Miller – Evaluation Researcher, EMAHSN

Mike Watson – Digital Lead, EMAHSN

Dr Sarah Bolton – Business Manager CHEATA

WEBINAR: Has Covid solved the Digital Identity Problem?
2022-07-13 10:00 - 11:30 | Online
Join us for the next in the series of our Digital Health Special Interest Groups with PDMS at this webinar, “Has Covid solved the Digital Identity Problem? – The important role of identity in the digital transformation of health and social care“.
The webinar will be chaired by Professor Dean Fathers and will include presentations on:
– Introduction to Digital Identity
– NHS Digital – focusing on the NHS login project, plus a case study
– Decentralised digital identities
– Digital identity in a mental health care app
BOOK YOUR PLACE TODAY
This free-to-attend event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme – a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, click here to be re-directed to further information about the project. This event is classed as State Aid to participating businesses, the value of which is £190, but is delivered completely free of charge to participants.
Please note: whilst this event is held as part of the SoLSTICE programme, attendance is not restricted to companies in the Leicester/Leicestershire area and is open to all.
DURATION: 1.5 hours
Speaker Profiles:

Professor Dean Fathers DL
Dean has held a portfolio career for over twenty five years combining senior roles across the commercial, public and University sectors. Dean started his commercial career in logistics with Pioneer, TNT and Abbey Hill BMW before becoming a serial entrepreneur and developing an international business base. He continues to hold a portfolio of commercial roles, currently being the Chair of Progress Care, a Non-Executive Director of NeedleSmart and an advisor to the Boards of several organisations primarily in the health and digital technology sector like OxeHealth and PDMS. A commercial mentor on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur’s programme, Dean further supports commercial healthcare organisations through his role on the Board of the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, where he Chairs the Healthcare Strategic Advisory Board, sits on the Innovation Council and also represents the GLLEP on the Midlands Engine’s Health Board. Dean became a Professor in the Practice of Healthcare Management at Cass Business School in 2010 and Chaired the Centre for Healthcare Enterprise. He is currently Chair of both the Centre for Organisational Resilience and the Lincoln International Institute for Rural Healthcare at the University of Lincoln where he is a Professor of Resilience. He is also a Professorial Fellow of the Institute of Mental Health and an Honorary Professor in Healthcare Leadership at the Nottingham University Business School. In addition to being the Chair of separate Acute, Community and Mental Health NHS Trusts, Dean has also Chaired NHS commissioning bodies. With a strong interest in leadership, workforce development and digitisation, Dean has held roles on ancillary NHS bodies such as the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, NHS Providers and the NHS Leadership Academy, supporting numerous national and regional initiatives. He remains an Independent Director of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, is a Lay Member of the Academy of Health and Care Science’s Regulatory Board, where he is also a Life Science Industry Registry Council member too, and finally is Chair of the Medilink Midlands’ Digital Health Special Interest Group.
Chris Gledhill, Chief Executive Officer, PDMS
Chris co-founded PDMS in 1993 with a mission to help organisations get the maximum value from information technology and their associated data assets. His experience lies in recognising the business benefits that can be achieved by effective use of information technology to make services cheaper, safer and more convenient. He attended Manchester University and Cranfield Institute of Technology and gained his Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors. Drawing on his extensive knowledge and passion for technology, has recently been re-elected as an SME representative on the techUK Central Government Council. Chris also sat on the Advisory Panel as part of an Independent Review of the Isle of Man health and social care system conducted by Sir Johnathan Michael in 2019. Chris has a particular interest in Digital Health and citizen centric services – putting the individual at the core and designing digital services to help improve a patient’s experience and outcomes. Chris is passionate about the benefits that organisations and individuals can achieve through good software engineering. However, he believes that technology is rarely the best starting point, it’s all about understanding the problems and achieving positive outcomes.
Tim Dalby, Lead Delivery Manager for NHS Login, NHS Digital
Currently the lead delivery manager for the NHS Digital hosted ‘Engagement, Onboarding and Live Partner Service – NHS login’. The service has supported over 50 tech partners to be live with NHS login since early 2020 – and actively working with a further 50 to date. NHS login has over 28 million registered users and is playing its part in enabling the NHS ‘Long Term Plan’ and the ‘Vision for Technology’ so that more patients can choose to access assured digital health and care services to help meet their health and care needs using one reusable ‘NHS login’. Tim has a background in local authority adult social work and IT project delivery in health and social care. Tim has also led the implementation of NHS Digital created products, such as Child protection and FGM information sharing. Tim is passionate about leading and working on projects that have a proven benefit to patients and colleagues in the NHS and Social Care and technology sector.
Raja Sharif, Founder & CEO, FarmaTrust
Raja is Founder and CEO of FarmaTrust, who are driving the company’s vision and mission of creating innovative, digital solutions for the personalised medicine and healthcare sector to protect patients and creating efficiencies in the cell and gene therapy industry. Using IoT and blockchain technology, FarmaTrust is creating a transparent, auditable, secure, global solution to give confidence to patients, clinicians and regulators worldwide. Raja is a UK qualified barrister, with over 25 years legal and business experience in multinationals including Guardian IT PLC, Globix, BT plc, COLT and Al Jazeera.
Prasannajeet Mane, Founder & CEO, Cerina
Prasannajeet is the Founder and CEO of Cerina, an early-stage digital health startup venture which is bringing digital interventions to treat anxiety disorders and depression. The origin of the venture is rooted in Prasannajeet’s own personal experiences of surviving a clinical psychological disorder. The research experience of studying different mental health conditions, long experience of using traditional and digital platforms, and business training at London Business School made him familiar with the clear gaps that are present in the existing mental health landscape. Prasannajeet is a graduate of London Business School and Indian Institute of Technology. Previous to his masters from London Business School, Prasannajeet worked as a mental health researcher for where he helped building an award-winning digital intervention and his research work got published in Nature.

EMAHSN Innovation Academy MODULE I: Adoption and Spread Planning
2022-07-20 10:00 - 11:00
The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation Academy is open to anyone to register. Once registered, participants will have access to a range of modules, each including a webinar, live Q&A session with the experts and online resources. The webinars are on demand, so can be accessed at any time, with the live Q&A session for each module being scheduled throughout 2022
For further details/to watch the ON-DEMAND webinar or join the live Q&A session please CLICK HERE to Sign up for the Academy and to register for this module.
This module explores innovation, adoption and spread within the NHS. Tony will discuss the key factors which should be considered if your innovation is replicating another or improvement across multiple locations. He will also cover what needs to be thought about if your innovation is new to the NHS and how you can provide evidence that your product significantly improves the quality of health and care.
Tony will also give you the knowledge required during this webinar for you to put a completely new innovation in practice that has been used elsewhere, all whilst making you think about the logic behind your innovation!
Presenter / expert details

Tony Doyle – Commercial Director, Qbtech

EMAHSN Innovation Academy MODULE J: Navigating the Digital Health Landscape
2022-10-06 10:30 - 11:30
The East Midlands Academic Health Science Network Innovation Academy is open to anyone to register. Once registered, participants will have access to a range of modules, each including a webinar, live Q&A session with the experts and online resources.The webinars are on demand, so can be accessed at any time, with the live Q&A session for each module being scheduled throughout 2022
For further details/to watch the ON-DEMAND webinar or join the live Q&A session please CLICK HERE to Sign up for the Academy and to register for this module.
This module will provide you with a broad overview of the digital health landscape and the factors that digital health innovators may need to consider. These include involving people in the development of your product and value proposition. There are a wide range of digital stakeholders within the NHS which can make it challenging to navigate.
Mikes differentiates these stakeholders along with highlighting the regulations and evidence around digital health. The concept of digital health reimbursement is also covered throughout this module, signposting to key resources to help innovators understand more about each of these factors.
Presenter / expert

Mike Watson – Digital Lead, EMAHSN
