Cogniss joins the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator as a tech partner
Cogniss and other experts from across the West Midlands region are joining the University of Birmingham in a project to drive new healthcare technologies toward commercialization.
Called the West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), the project has received £14 million in funding from the West Midlands Combined Authorities’ Innovation Accelerator which is part of an Innovate UK-funded program.
The project is focused on addressing the challenges of bringing new medical and healthcare technologies into the UK market. It aims to unite key players in universities, hospitals, industry and government-funded ‘Catapults’ for manufacturing innovation to help companies navigate ‘pinch-points’ in the commercialization process.
Together these approaches support the West Midlands Plan for Growth by aiming to create a cluster of commercial activity, helping drive economic growth and enhance resilience. They will also ensure that local patients will benefit first from new medical technologies targeted at reducing healthcare inequalities in the region.
Dr. Lloyd Humphreys, Managing Director of Cogniss, said: “As the technology partner selected for this program, we are glad to have the opportunity of empowering the next generation of healthcare innovators in creating digital health solutions that can reach underserved communities.
”We are excited to support the West Midlands region to become, not only a nationally recognized hub for med tech and clean tech, but a global leader in R&D.”
Earlier this year, Cogniss launched its headquarters in the UK with support from the UK Department for Business and Trade, Investment NSW and Austrade. Being a partner of this project is in line with Cogniss’s plans for international growth.
Project lead, Professor Liam Grover, of the University of Birmingham’s Healthcare Technologies Institute, said: “Commercializing new healthcare and medical technologies can be fraught with regulatory hurdles and big funding gaps. Our approach will help companies make sure they are taking the right steps, addressing a clearly defined healthcare need and working with the right partners to achieve success in the marketplace.”
Professor Rachel O’Reilly, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Birmingham, said: “The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator will not only generate commercial activity in the healthcare and medical technologies sector, it will supercharge a cluster of activity in the West Midlands, boosting the regional economy by attracting in excess of £80M in private investment over the next 2-3 years.”
The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator delivery organizations include:
University of Warwick (West Midlands Health and Wellbeing Innovation Network, Warwick Manufacturing Group), Aston University, Birmingham City University, Manufacturing Technology Centre, Medilink Midlands, Shoosmiths, Azets, Acuwomen, Smallfry Ltd, The Technology Supply Chain, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham Health Partners, Bruntwood SciTech, Precision Health Technologies Accelerator, Cogniss, Element Materials Technology, Plug and Play and the West Midlands Growth Company.
For more information, visit the WMHTIA website at www.wmhtia.com
—
About Cogniss
Cogniss has built the world’s first no-code ecosystem for creating patient-facing and consumer-facing digital health. The platform enables healthcare experts to innovate, making it simple, quick, and affordable to build the next generation of advanced solutions – without the need for any technical expertise. Its unique point-and-click interface and 80+ pre-built widgets specifically for digital health enable the solutions to be created in days and weeks, not months and years, and at a fraction of the cost – without a team of developers.
Cogniss’s no-code ecosystem currently powers the work of several digital healthcare innovators and researchers across the UK and Australia. Learn more about Cogniss here.