The University of Warwick backs Arden Cross HealthTech campus
The University of Warwick is teaming up with Arden Cross to establish a HealthTech Campus.
Forming part of a wider “Innovation District” £3.2bn regeneration scheme, the new campus is facilitated by the HS2 Interchange station in Solihull.
First signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Arden Cross Ltd in 2022, the team then went on to sign a Statement of Intent with the Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council.
This sets out how the partnership will maximise investment at Arden Cross and spread the benefits of the new Campus across Solihull and the West Midlands.
The HealthTech Campus will unite public, private, and academic sectors to advance life sciences, with a focus on partnering with industry, clinicians, the NHS, and researchers to develop and deploy new health technologies, benefitting the UK’s healthcare system.
Stuart Croft, vice-chancellor at the University of Warwick, said: “The HealthTech Campus will help the Life Sciences and Medical Technology sector in the West Midlands to grow. It will also add value to the NHS and UK healthcare sector. The University of Warwick is already recognised for driving innovation in life sciences. The new Campus will strengthen our world-leading education and research work. It will also help us leverage investment from the public and private sectors and build academic partnerships. Arden Cross is one of the best-connected locations in the UK and a great opportunity to create positive change. It will also play a key role in boosting inclusive and sustainable economic growth regionally and nationally”.
Within the campus, there will be a Digital Health Innovation Hub, which will provide start-ups and SMEs with access to the NHS and other healthcare providers for early-stage development and testing, trials, and evaluation.
A Medical Technology Evaluation Centre will support the introduction of new devices and technologies into medical practice.
Muse, the national placemaker, has been named as the preferred regeneration partner by Arden Cross Ltd.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Arden Cross is set to become a global business destination which is why the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is investing in the infrastructure needed to support the wider location. As one of our region’s most valuable partners, the University of Warwick has been quick to recognise the enormous potential of working together at Arden Cross, demonstrating our strength as an innovation-led economy, alongside the ability of HS2 to attract and enable major investment.
“The HealthTech Campus at Arden Cross will be at the very centre of an innovation network – not just in life sciences, but in many of the UK’s most important and exciting sectors. That network will also help grow the region’s industries of the future to create a low carbon, high tech economy capable of offering well-paid jobs and valuable opportunities to local people in the months and years ahead.”
