Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, in partnership with Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, this month announced a significant new stage in the development of the city’s Innovation Village and new hospital.
To accelerate the delivery of the Innovation Village, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is supporting a market engagement exercise and masterplan. The market engagement exercise will engage and collaborate with potential investors, developers and occupiers, including leading suppliers to the Trust, on opportunities within the 12.5 hectare development site. This will be completed by the end of the year and the findings will support a masterplan to consider short and medium-term development opportunities. Leeds City Council, as the planning authority, will develop clear guidance for the Innovation Village site to support its future development.
With advice from professional services firm KPMG, the Trust is also pursuing alternative delivery models outside of NHS capital budgets to bring forward new, fit-for-purpose clinical buildings and further develop the Innovation Village.
The announcement comes as a new report from global commercial property firm CBRE describes Leeds as “a prime opportunity for open innovation and clustering” with increasing venture capital activity within the region’s life sciences sector. The report found that Leeds was “the best-positioned location” in West Yorkshire to develop a robust life sciences cluster with momentum driven by strengths in medtech – especially digital health and biotech.
The newly announced plans will offer more vital “grow-on” space to support scalability, collaboration, talent attraction, and economic growth in Leeds.
The CBRE report reinforces Leeds’ global standing in healthtech. Ranked third internationally as a healthtech hub – a critical part of the life sciences sector – the city is home to 144 healthtech companies with combined turnover of £1.6 billion and a headcount of 11,400 people, according to a report commissioned by Leeds Academic Health Partnership [1].
The Trust’s announcement supports the government’s forthcoming 10-year plan for the NHS – which will focus on “three big shifts” to digital, community-based, and preventative care – while aiming to deliver early economic benefits through the creation of highly skilled jobs and a pipeline of life sciences companies for the Innovation Village. The initiatives also maintain momentum for the new hospital and regeneration of Leeds city centre after national funding was delayed until 2030.
The Innovation Village will be a go-to destination for science, research, technology and innovation and is planned for a five-hectare site owned by the Trust. It forms the centrepiece of the wider Leeds Innovation Arc – a 150-hectare area with anchor institutions including the Trust, which is one of the largest NHS trusts in the UK, the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University and private sector employers. The Innovation Village is expected to create 4,000 jobs and £13 billion in economic benefits and development potential of 1.5 million square feet.
Work is already underway on the first phase with the transformation of the historic Old Medical School into a cutting-edge healthtech innovation hub in partnership with Scarborough Group International, one of the UK’s most active, privately-owned regeneration specialists. The Leeds Innovation Village is being supported by funding from the West Yorkshire HealthTech and Digital Tech Investment Zone and the Old Medical School will create 75,000 square feet of innovation space by 2027.
Professor Phil Wood, chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Leeds is transforming ageing healthcare infrastructure into opportunity through our exceptionally strong partnerships across the region. With the invaluable support of Leeds City Council and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, we’re excited to be driving forward the Innovation Village at this pivotal time.
“Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to delivering world-class healthcare and our approach to harnessing innovation means we can bring clinicians, academics and private sector partners together to introduce the latest medical advancements to patients and address health inequalities. By pursuing alternative delivery models, we’re seeking to bring forward urgent healthcare improvements while creating significant social and economic benefits, which aligns perfectly with the government’s vision for our NHS and the UK’s future health and prosperity.”
West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin said: “The Leeds Innovation Arc is central to West Yorkshire’s Local Growth Plan and our ambitions to create a more prosperous region that works for all. Our Investment Zone will help to advance our innovative healthtech sector, which continues to produce world-leading medical and technological advancements. Working with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and partners, we are determined to unlock the immense potential within our life sciences sector and deliver projects that improve lives and drive economic prosperity across West Yorkshire.”
Ed Whiting, chief executive of Leeds City Council said: “Our ambition remains clear: to make Leeds a globally recognised centre for innovation, one that not only drives economic prosperity but also delivers measurable and meaningful impact towards a healthier, greener, and more inclusive future for all. Leeds is already a major force in powering Yorkshire’s health tech revolution, and this commitment from key partners in the city, along with ourselves to exploring innovative funding alongside the market engagement exercise for the Innovation Village, signals a further dynamic approach to strengthening our healthcare infrastructure and driving economic growth.”
Discover how Leeds is taking its offer to innovators to the next level, as partners shape a globally-leading approach to supporting businesses at the soon-to-be transformed historic Old Medical School: https://healthinnovationleeds.com/latest/spotlight/health-innovators-eye-fast-track-growth-as-leeds-transforms-historic-medical-school/
[1] Leeds Academic Health Partnership is one of the biggest of its kind in the UK, and brings together the city’s internationally-renowned ecosystem under the banner of Health Innovation Leeds.
