The newly founded Wessex HealthTech Research Collaboration will aim to strengthen our collective regional capability and is looking for ideas and contributions from across the partnership and beyond.
Wessex has significant strengths across biomedical engineering, diagnostics, artificial intelligence, data science, translational research and clinical innovation, supported by a strong ecosystem spanning healthcare, academia and industry. The vision is to unite these strengths behind a shared regional ambition, helping establish Wessex as a nationally and internationally recognised centre for HealthTech excellence.
By working together, Wessex aims to attract new partnerships, investment and opportunities while developing technologies that improve outcomes for patients and communities across the UK and beyond. This will also form an important part of the region’s emerging life sciences strategy, helping translate innovation into care.
Initial Regional Leadership Team
Partners have worked together to appoint an initial regional leadership team:
Neil White, Professor of Intelligent Sensor Systems and Director of the FEPS Centre for Healthcare Technology.
Pete Worsley, Professor of Assistive Technology and Tissue Health within Health Sciences at the University of Southampton.
Programme support provided by Rachel Chappell, Manager of the Southampton Emerging Therapies and Technologies (SETT) Centre at University Hospital Southampton.
Left to right, Prof Neil White, Prof Pete Worsley, Rachel Chappell
The team will act as ambassadors for the region, raising the Wessex profile nationally and internationally while creating new opportunities for collaboration, investment and impact.
As part of this work, the collaboration will look to attract inward investment to the region from a range of bodies, including preparing an application to host an NIHR HealthTech Research Centre (HRC) in the next funding round. Across England, these 14 centres accelerate the development, evaluation and adoption of medical devices, diagnostics and digital health technologies.
The Wessex HRC application is likely to have a therapeutic focus on Equitable Perioperative Health. Existing HRCs focus on surgery and devises. This proposal will focus on the patient journey, from prehabilitation to long-term recovery. This will mean a shift from focusing on making surgery better, to asking how we can use technology to improve the health, resilience and recovery of high-risk patients undergoing operations. The ultimate aim will be to scale findings across the country.
“The vison of our partnership is to bring greater visibility and coherence to the HealthTech work already happening across Wessex. Partners and stakeholders are already driving world‑class innovation, and this programme will support deeper collaboration to co‑create a shared regional offer that reflects our collective strengths and ambitions.”
Have Your Say
The team is keen to hear from organisations and individuals already delivering world-leading work across Wessex. A key part of the programme will be listening to partners and stakeholders, understanding existing strengths and identifying opportunities for future collaboration.
"Our ambition is to develop a shared vision for how existing strengths can be brought together to create greater impact for patients, the NHS and the wider economy. We are keen to connect with partners and organisations across Wessex who want to help shape the future of HealthTech in our region."
The team will be attending relevant events across Wessex over the coming months to raise awareness, build connections and gather ideas from partners and stakeholders.
Interested in getting involved? Researchers, clinicians, innovators, industry partners, SMEs, patient representatives and partner organisations are invited to contact the team to discuss opportunities to help shape the future of HealthTech research and innovation in Wessex.
We want to hear your voice. To get involved please complete the following survey.
All enquiries please to rachel.chappell@uhs.nhs.uk
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