Back to Contents the first wave of COVID-19 , we put the call out for solutions that would help our health and care systems recover in the aftermath of a global pandemic with an additional emphasis on addressing health inequalities .
In response , we saw a range of health innovations designed to ease pressures on NHS resources , including : a platform that supports early fracture diagnosis through X-Ray images , an online food diary system which automates food tracking and analysis and an AI enabled clinical assistant called Dora .
One difference for year two of Propel @ YH was the recruitment of commercial partners for the programme . The University of Leeds ’ Innovation Hub , Nexus , came onboard to support the programme with their research and innovation expertise and they also provided our cohort with membership to their community of high-growth tech startups and SMEs .
Barclays Eagle Labs were signed up to provide business support through their national incubator network and leading health law firm Hill Dickinson LLP returned as legal partners . Leeds City Council also supported the programme . Without their active support both in terms of practical content and investment , we could not deliver this successful program and we thank them for that .
Our partners were selected based on the value they could bring to the programme to help the innovators meet the specific demands of the NHS . It was also important that they could provide support on all aspects of building a successful and sustainable business and were either local to the region or were national companies that have a strong footprint here .
After a rigorous application process and selection day , the 10 companies chosen for our second cohort were :
• Liria Digital Health
At the end of the year , we assessed the impact of the accelerator which included :
• Over 42 hours of high-quality support delivered virtually to 10 companies over six months
• One company relocated to Nexus in Leeds as a result of the programme partnership
• Six collaborations facilitated with the University of Leeds
• Creation of three new jobs
• 12 months co-working space provided for each of the 10 companies
• Significant commercial engagement generated between the companies , programme partners and subject matter experts .
• Nominated for two awards at Leeds Digital Festival : Facilitator of the Year and Tech4Good
• Generated active engagement from two investors and three NHS Trusts
In January this year , we were commissioned by West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership to launch a new pilot programme , Propel @ YH NetZero . This sustainable health accelerator is aimed at SMEs with sustainable innovations that can be used in the NHS to support its ambition to reach net zero by 2040 . We are now recruiting applicants for this programme and look forward to working with the successful innovators .
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