In Leeds, we’re taking support for innovators to the next level with a new £2 million Health Innovation Leeds Incubator, led by Nexus at the University of Leeds together with Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, working closely with Leeds City Council.
If you’re a healthtech start-up, SME or growing business based in West Yorkshire, the Incubator could help you overcome barriers to growth, access the right expertise, and scale successfully.
Whether you’re developing a new digital health product, testing a breakthrough idea, or trying to navigate regulation and NHS adoption, the Incubator connects you with the people, resources and opportunities that move innovation forward.
The Health Innovation Leeds Incubator supports regional healthtech companies at every stage of growth, including start-ups and early-stage innovators, SMEs ready to scale and high-growth companies.
From ideation and prototyping, to transformational change projects, the Health Innovation Leeds Incubator will offer bespoke support matched to company’s specific needs and the stage of their growth journey.
If you’re facing a specific challenge or barrier to growth, the Incubator works with you to identify and understand obstacles and provide tailored support and guidance on your next steps.
If your business is facing a challenge – whether that’s regulation, market access, product development, investment readiness or NHS adoption – the Incubator will work with you to understand the issue and provide tailored support and guidance on your next steps.
This may include:
Rather than a fixed programme, support is tailored to your business, with connections and support provided by the right partners across the Leeds innovation ecosystem.
These sessions will provide practical insights and opportunities to connect with peers, covering topics such as:
This allows many more businesses to build knowledge, strengthen networks and access the expertise available across the Leeds health innovation ecosystem.
We’re proud to have one of the most interconnected ecosystems in the UK – which means we get the right team around the table – from the word go.
The Health Innovation Leeds Incubator is an example of this in action, delivered by a powerful partnership of some of the city’s leading organisations.
Innovators supported by the Health Innovation Leeds Incubator will benefit from expertise from:
Follow Health Innovation Leeds on LinkedIn and sign up for updates to be first in the queue when applications open, and as the wider programme of events is announced.
If you’re a healthtech innovator ready to unlock your next level of growth, join us this April for the launch of the Health Innovation Leeds.
🗓️ As well as powerful networking opportunities, this April’s business breakfast launch event will offer insights from high-profile regional leaders, including a welcome from Richard Paxman, Paxman CEO and West Yorkshire Combined Authority HealthTech cluster chair, and a fireside chat with Chief Executive of Leeds City Council, Ed Whiting.Attendees will hear from a panel of experts, and have the chance to shape the Incubator programme of support by sharing their top priorities and biggest business needs.
A. Funding from the £160 million West Yorkshire Investment Zone is fuelling a growing range of programmes designed to support health innovators. Each one focuses on a slightly different type of support – but the good news is that, as a region, we work closely together, so there’s no ‘wrong front door’. If you approach one programme but another would better suit your needs, you’ll be connected to the right place.
The Health Innovation Leeds Incubator is designed for businesses facing specific barriers to growth – whether that’s regulation, NHS adoption, investment, or scaling your product. Support is bespoke and flexible, open to companies of any size, and connects you with the right partners across the ecosystem to solve challenges and unlock growth.
If your innovation sits at the intersection of sport, physical activity and health, the Leeds Beckett Sport HealthTech Incubator may be a good fit. It provides specialist support and access to expertise and facilities at Leeds Beckett University’s Carnegie School of Sport.
If you’re looking to collaborate with academic researchers or access university expertise, InPath could be the right route. Delivered by Leeds Beckett University with the University of Leeds, University of Huddersfield and University of Bradford, it connects businesses with research teams, funding opportunities and innovation programmes.
Other initiatives, such as incubator support linked to the University of Huddersfield, offer access to facilities and expertise aligned with the university’s strengths.
Whichever door you come through, the goal is simple: to help innovators find the right support quickly and accelerate their journey to impact.