Delegation set to raise city’s global ambition in health and innovation
LEEDS will be taking another step forward in its ambition to become the UK’s first city for health and innovation when it joins a UKTI delegation to a leading international medical technologies conference in Washington this week.
Leeds and Partners, the strategic organisation for inward investment in Leeds, will join Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS medical director and Miles Ayling, NHS director of innovation, as part of a UKTI delegation to AdvaMed 2013.
As part of the continuing work stream to drive investment in the healthcare and medical technologies sector, the organisation will showcase the city’s health and innovation proposition to more than 1,000 companies, investors, policy-makers and global experts.
UKTI regional director for Yorkshire & Humberside, Mark Robson, said: “Thanks to the NHS the UK has a global reputation for providing excellent treatment. Our healthcare industries include innovators and manufacturers of revolutionary medical devices and healthcare consultants who are exporting British expertise across the globe.
“The UKTI delegation to AdvaMed offers an ideal opportunity for UK healthcare companies to find out about the many opportunities available in overseas markets, forthcoming trade events and the wide range of support that is on offer and I would urge any company, whether an experienced or novice exporter, to find out more about how exports can help their business grow.”
The delegation will provide an international platform for Leeds to outline the strengths of its dynamic medtech cluster. The city is home to more than 100 companies specialising in medical devices, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, together employing over 3,500 people.
Award-winning firms in the city exporting to a range of overseas markets include RSL Steeper, Surgical Innovations, Brandon Medical, TissueMed and Kirkstall Precision.
The mission builds on a pipeline of investor interest already established in the US marketplace and will enable Leeds to further exploit opportunities in the US to grow this sector. It will present the city with an opportunity to identify partners in the US to unlock value in their rich healthcare ecosystems, present and test the sector proposition to experts and raise the profile of their regional capabilities within the sector.
Lurene Joseph, chief executive of Leeds and Partners, said: “The UKTI delegation helps to endorse the city’s health and innovation proposition and we will use this opportunity as a vehicle to illustrate the points of differentiation that Leeds has to offer in the medical technologies field.
“As part of our inward investment ambition, Leeds and Partners will nurture relationships with US investors and institutions in order to position the city as a prime entry point for companies looking to expand into European markets.”
