Our partners, networks and programmes are now starting to take on a life of their own, forming a flourishing pipeline of translation opportunities.

Over the past year in particular, we‘ ve seen early-stage ideas that were formed and developed in our partner programme, MeDe Innovation, carried forward into the Medical Technologies IKC, where they’ ve received proof of concept funding.

Even better, some of those researchers have successfully applied for our follow-on funding, bringing in commercial partners

and moving their technology even closer towards a commercial application.

At the same time, this process is growing and strengthening our partnerships both within the Medical Technology IKC’ s network of universities and beyond, as researchers move between institutions.

We’ re often asked about how we sustain our translation pipeline. The interaction between all these different programmes is absolutely key to that.

Another important aspect, which we’ ve been developing over the past year, is the HEFCE Catalyst funded Translate programme( p6), which develops projects to address unmet clinical needs and create

partnership opportunities between academics and colleagues working in healthcare, local authority or industry within the Leeds City Region.

For the Medical Technologies IKC, developing great ideas is obviously key, but we also want to develop capacity and good practice.

Our Translate workshops provide a fantastic way for researchers to make connections and get ideas flowing and we have plenty more of these planned. As well as the excitement of seeing innovative and imaginative ideas emerge from that process, these workshops are enabling people to develop new approaches to innovation.

Also important for developing capacity is our work with Leeds’ Centre for Doctoral

Training( CDT) in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, another vital part of our translation pipeline( p6). All doctoral students access innovation training as part of their professional development. This feeds into the Career Transition Programme that has been enormously valuable in supporting CDT graduates into employment.

Dr Jo Dixon-Hardy Director of Medical Technology Innovation