NHS staff with ideas for products or services to improve care, treatment and patient outcomes are being encouraged to apply to the new East Midlands NHS Entrepreneurs Programme.

Starting in January 2019, NHS Entrepreneurs will provide free support and advice to people working in a variety of clinical and scientific roles who want to explore setting up a company or NHS commercial enterprise based on big ideas for transforming aspects of NHS practice.

The NHS Entrepreneurs Programme is funded by East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN) and delivered in partnership with experts from the life sciences business incubator team at BioCity in Nottingham. BioCity is one of the country’s leading business incubators, with a survival rate for start-up companies located at BioCity of more than 91%.

The programme offers free advice and guidance to budding NHS entrepreneurs about developing their ideas into a commercially viable product or service which will benefit patients, the NHS and UK industry.

Tony Young, National Clinical Director for Innovation at NHS England said: ““Those working in frontline and support services within the NHS are an incredibly valuable source of new ideas. They know what works well and what could be done better because they have direct contact with patients and have day-to-day operational experience of providing treatment and care. It’s vital that we harness their expertise and support them in developing new products and services which can transform ways of working and have real and positive impact.

Added Tony: “The NHS Entrepreneurs Programme will give East Midlands Doctors, Dentists, Healthcare Scientists, Midwives, Nurses, Pharmacists and Allied Health Professionals the opportunity to test whether the solutions they would like to see embedded in practice are viable for commercial development. NHS staff are our greatest asset and we want to encourage them to innovate and problem-solve based on their valuable experience and expertise. This programme will help capture great ideas, generated at the grass roots of the NHS, and provide support to those with the drive and enthusiasm to develop them into viable commercial propositions.”

Mike Hannay, Managing Director at EMAHSN, said: “AHSNs have a vital role in driving innovation in healthcare. We are here to help individuals and industry develop and test their ideas, providing the evidence base to support the adoption and spread of good practice. We are delighted to be supporting this programme to give NHS entrepreneurs in our region a platform to explore the potential of their concepts and receive the support they need to get their big idea off the ground.”

The NHS Entrepreneurs Programme runs in two phases with 2.5 day Pre-Accelerator Workshops in January and March followed by part-time eight-week Accelerator Programmes starting in April 2019.

Two-hour taster sessions providing more information on what the NHS Entrepreneurs Programme offers will be running at NHS sites throughout the region over the next few months so people can find out more about the type of advice, support and guidance available.

The programme is provided at no cost to Doctors, Dentists, Healthcare Scientists, Midwives, Nurses, Pharmacists and Allied Health Professionals who wish to explore an entrepreneurial route for bringing an innovative healthcare-related product or service to market. The innovation can be still be ‘just an idea’ or can already be at the prototype or trials stage.

Places on the programme are offered on a selective basis based on information provided in the application form. Whilst the programme is free to attend, there is no provision for funding or backfill. If planning to attend during NHS working hours then approval must be received from the relevant employing NHS organisation.

For more information and for details about how to apply, please contact Aisha Ajij, Project Support and Industry Liaison Officer at EMAHSN, by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Expressions of interest in attending one of the taster sessions should also be forwarded to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For more information about BioCity visit: www.biocity.co.uk 

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