By: Professor Gino Martini – CEO of PHTA
West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA) recently welcomed West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and Preet Gill, MP for Edgbaston, along with a delegation from West Midlands Combined Authority to the University of Birmingham, to meet with innovators behind some of the next-generation health technologies supported by the WMHTIA.
Some of the innovations on show included an AI-powered sensor to be used after surgery to reduce hospital stays, an adjustable wheelchair seating system that adapts to growth and posture changes over time, and a biotech start-up using nanotechnology for regenerative medicine, advanced therapies, drug discovery and 3D organoid cell culture.
The visit came shortly after the WMHTIA received additional funding of £4m for 2025/26 to enable it to continue to support Health Tech innovators.
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands has been leading the way with medical advancements for decades – from X-rays in the late 19th century to the pacemaker in the 1960s. Now, a new generation of entrepreneurs and medical pioneers are using groundbreaking technologies to cut hospital waiting times, improve mobility, and speed up recovery from lifesaving surgery. In the West Midlands, we are investing in top talent and cutting-edge research that is finding solutions to some of the medical world’s most difficult questions. These innovations are improving the lives of people across the region, and across the world.”
Professor Neil Hanley, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Medicine and Health at the University of Birmingham, said: “We are grateful for the hard work of the mayor and colleagues from the West Midlands Combined Authority in helping us secure this extension. Health and Life Sciences is at the heart of our opportunity for economic growth and the Accelerator has already delivered tremendous impact.”
The WMHTIA has united 21 partners – including PHTA – across academia, industry, and NHS, who provide innovators with support in developing and commercialising their technologies. This has been funded through the pilot Innovation Accelerator programme, which is led by Innovate UK on behalf of UK Research and Innovation and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
This new model of funding focuses on locally-led innovation to drive economic growth and technological advancement by supporting regional innovative businesses, researchers and entrepreneurs. In the West Midlands, local leadership has been driven by a partnership comprising of the West Midlands Combined Authority, universities and other research institutions, and senior industry representatives.
WMHTIA has for the past two years focused on locally-led innovation to drive economic growth and technological advancement, and has supported:
- 110 jobs created or safeguarded in the West Midlands over three years
- 105 health tech companies/academic teams provided with intensive bespoke development support
- £2.48m awarded in secondary grant funding to support health tech development
- £28.4 million in co-investment secured at year one
- 269 health tech enterprises engaged in WMHTIA’s support network
- Development of strategic partnerships between the region’s academic partners University of Birmingham, NHS trusts, and private industry
