The University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s (UWTSD) Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre (ATiC) held its second symposium in October, on the theme of Accelerating Innovation in Health and Wellbeing.
The free event took place from 9:30am until 5pm in-person at Swansea’s Dylan Thomas Centre and was also live-streamed.
The ATiC Symposium 2022 reflected on the impact and legacy of the ground-breaking Accelerate Wales programme, showcasing how Wales is accelerating innovation through NHS and academic collaboration, and empowering patients through user-centred research and technology innovation.
ATiC’s partners in Accelerate, which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through Welsh Government, are Cardiff University’s Clinical Innovation Accelerator (CIA), Swansea University’s Healthcare Technology Centre (HTC), and Life Sciences Hub Wales, which leads the programme. Hywel Dda University Health Board and its TriTech Institute, of which ATiC and HTC are key academic partners, also joined with Accelerate for the Symposium.
The event highlighted how Accelerate has generated new collaborative opportunities and partnerships across sectors and institutions. It also looked to the future, as this phase of the Accelerate programme draws to a close at the end of December 2022.
Keynote speakers opening the event included Professor Philip Kloer, Executive Medical Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Hywel Dda University Health Board.
Session One included joint presentations from leaders of the four Accelerate partner organisations and their respective case study enterprises.
Sessions Two and Three included presentations from Professor Chris Hopkins, Head of Innovation and the TriTech Institute, Hywel Dda University Health Board, and Clinical (Science) Director, ATIC, UWTSD; Professor Alka S Ahuja, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, and National Clinical Lead, TEC Cymru; Dr Lorna Tasker, Head of Rehabilitation Engineering, Swansea Bay University Health Board; and from industry, Marcus Ineson, Chief Marketing Officer of NGPOD Global, and Jackie Crooks, Chief Commercial Officer of Kinsetsu Ltd.
Session Four was an open discussion on next steps from a UK and international context for future healthcare challenges and working with commercial partners.
The discussion was chaired by Cari-Anne Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of Life Sciences Hub Wales; with Dafydd Evans, Deputy Director of Life Sciences and Innovation, Health and Social Services Group, Welsh Government; and Professor Keir Lewis, Clinical Lead, TriTech Institute, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Medical Director, Respiratory Innovation Wales.
Professor Medwin Hughes, DL, Vice-Chancellor of UWTSD, said:
“The University was delighted to host this prestigious conference, which aimed to showcase the cutting-edge innovation and research which has been achieved via the Accelerate programme.
“It is an example of how collaboration between the university and healthcare sectors can deliver real benefits and better outcomes for patients as well as drive economic growth. This collaborative and applied approach is central to the University’s research and innovation strategy.”
Professor Ian Walsh, UWTSD Provost Swansea and Cardiff, and ATiC Director, said:
“The real-world impact of ATiC and its Accelerate partners can be seen in the sheer number of enterprises supported to grow and develop their businesses. It highlights the vital role that universities play in driving innovation in Wales and in securing our future prosperity.”
Dr Sean Jenkins, UWTSD Associate Professor and ATiC Research Director, said:
“This second ATiC symposium built on the success of our inaugural event in 2019, and reflected on the impact and legacy of Accelerate and celebrated the new and emerging partnerships and collaborations we are forging to drive forward research, development and innovation in health and wellbeing.
“We were delighted to welcome delegates from Welsh Government, health boards, enterprise, and academia, for what was an exciting, thought-provoking event – reflecting on what has already been achieved and what is yet to come.”
Cari-Anne Quinn, Chief Executive Officer of Life Sciences Hub Wales, which leads the Accelerate programme, said:
“The Accelerate programme has been an important part of Life Sciences Hub Wales' mission to make Wales the place of choice for healthcare innovation. The partnerships developed between academia, industry, and health and social care through this programme will continue to deliver benefits for many years to come.
“Life Sciences Hub Wales recently published an Impact Report that celebrates the success of the Accelerate programme. The report highlights how Accelerate has supported start-ups and SMEs in accelerating the development and adoption of new technology, products and services in health and social care systems across Wales.”
Professor Chris Hopkins, Head of Innovation and the TriTech Institute, Hywel Dda University Health Board, and ATiC Clinical (Science) Director, UWTSD, said:
“Several developments over recent years demonstrate what true collaboration can deliver across the region and across Wales. An example of this is the close partnership we have developed with the Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre (ATiC) and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), together with the Healthcare Technology Centre (HTC) within Swansea University.
“We presented a number of case studies at the Symposium where the NHS, commercial partners and academia have worked together to develop new and novel technologies and innovations. These partnerships exemplify how health boards, academia and industry can work in partnership to develop and test innovations for improved patient outcomes. These partnerships are one of equals that focus entirely on contributing and improving the health and wellbeing of the people in Wales.”
Accelerate is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Welsh Funding Office (WEFO), Welsh Government’s Health and Social Services group, universities, Life Science Hub Wales, and the health boards; the ultimate aim of Accelerate is to create lasting economic value for Wales.
