Innovating Medical Technologies across the Yorkshire Region

这个基于地方的影响加速帐户（PBIAA）的目的是支持将大学在医疗技术方面的研究转化为新的临床产品和服务。在约克郡地区有一个充满活力的医疗技术（MedTech）商业集群，有200多家公司雇用了16,000多名员工，主要从事高价值的技术工作。利兹大学和谢菲尔德大学在与医疗技术相关的工程和物理科学研究方面有着良好的记录，特别是在反映当地商业优势的领域（例如骨科、牙科、植入式设备和外科技术）。虽然该地区的大学研究优势与商业突出之间存在明显的协同作用，但目前在创新资助途径上存在差距，这阻碍了该地区大学开发的技术创新被当地公司采用。PBIAA的目的是为弥合这一差距提供支持，并在该地区的学术、工业和临床资产之间建立联系，从而帮助发展该地区的经济。这是特别及时的，因为医疗技术行业正在转型，新技术越来越多地集成到产品和服务中。该地区有越来越多的高增长、高创新的医疗技术公司，它们具有从PBIAA中受益的吸收能力，但我们也将积极与需要采用新创新来应对不断变化的市场的老牌公司合作。我们与公民合作伙伴合作，包括西约克郡联合管理局和南约克郡市长联合管理局，NHS信托通过利兹和谢菲尔德生物医学研究中心，当地工业，投资者和创新支持组织制定这一建议，并塑造活动，以最有效地实现该地区的工程和物理科学研究基地的影响。医疗技术领域的创新商业化面临挑战，因为用于人类的产品存在监管障碍，需要大量的临床前试验证据来证明其安全性和有效性。PBIAA将资助影响项目，这些项目旨在产生证据，证明技术概念是有效的，并证明它是一个具有商业吸引力的提议。将采用分阶段控制的方法来鼓励早期阶段的高风险和快速失败。这些项目将成为鼓励企业进一步参与的典范，其成果将形成证据组合，为未来的活动提供信息。PBIAA还将支持建立区域创新环境的活动。这包括一系列培训活动和事件，提高对医疗技术部门的技术进步和转化过程的理解，并采取行动将学术、临床和工业合作伙伴聚集在一起，帮助建立一个持久的创新社区。PBIAA将支持确定临床需求的活动，双向借调，以及旨在提高对不同地区人口需求的理解的公众和患者参与活动。一个专门的合作基金将用于支持该地区大学的影响活动，培养该领域更广泛的区域优势，并利用英国研究基地的全部优势进行更广泛的合作。PBIAA将为区域工业提供与最先进研究的重要联系，使可持续的区域研究衍生产品开发管道成为可能。它将有助于推动区域经济增长，为区域工业采用新的创新，创造高价值的就业机会，并释放私营部门在研发方面的投资，支持2035年以后每年30亿英镑的产业。

The aim of this place based impact acceleration account (PBIAA) is to support the translation of University research in medical technologies into new clinical products and services. There is a vibrant Medical Technology (MedTech) business cluster in the Yorkshire region, with over 200 companies employing more than 16,000 people, mostly in high value technical roles. The Universities of Leeds and Sheffield have strong track records in engineering and physical sciences research related to MedTech, particularly in areas that mirror the local business strengths (e.g. orthopaedics, dental, implantable devices and surgical technologies). While there is clear synergy between University research strengths and the business prominence in the region, there is currently a gap in the innovation funding pathway that is preventing technology innovations developed at the region's universities from being adopted by local companies. The aim of this PBIAA is to provide support to bridge this gap and build the connections between the academic, industrial and clinical assets in the region that will help grow the regional economy. It is particularly timely because the MedTech sector is transforming and there is increasing integration of new technologies into products and services. There are growing numbers of high-growth, high-innovation MedTech companies in the region with an absorptive capacity to benefit from this PBIAA, but we will also proactively engage with established companies that need to adopt new innovations to address the changing markets.We have worked with civic partners including the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, NHS Trusts through the Leeds and Sheffield Biomedical Research Centres, local industry, investors and innovation support organisations to develop this proposal and shape the activities to most effectively enable impact to be realised from the region's engineering and physical sciences research base. Commercialisation of innovations in the MedTech sector is challenging due to the regulatory barriers for products intended for use in humans, with evidence from extensive pre-clinical testing required to demonstrate the safety and efficacy. The PBIAA will fund Impact Projects that aim to generate evidence to derisk a technology, both to prove the technical concept is effective and to demonstrate that it is a commercially attractive proposition. A stage-gated approach will be used to encourage higher risk in the early stages and fast failure. These projects will act as exemplars to encourage further business engagement and outcomes will form a portfolio of evidence to inform future activities. The PBIAA will also support activities to build the regional innovation environment. These include a suite of training activities and events that raise understanding of technical advances and translational processes in the MedTech sector, and act to bring together academic, clinical and industrial partners to help build a lasting innovation community. The PBIAA will support events to identify clinical needs, two-way secondments, as well as public and patient engagement activities that aim to improve understanding of needs across the diverse regional population. A dedicated collaboration fund will be used to support impact activities at universities across the region, nurturing the wider regional strengths in this sector, and draw on wider collaborations that utilise the full strengths of the UK research base. The PBIAA will provide regional industry with a vital connection to state-of-the-art research, enabling a sustainable regional research-derived product development pipeline. It will help drive regional economic growth, with new innovations being adopted by regional industry, creating high value jobs and unlocking private sector investment in R&D, supporting a £3bn/year industry beyond 2035.