Working together with partners including Health Tech Enterprise, the University of East Anglia (UEA) has gained funding from Research England to set up a pilot programme to support staff and postgraduate researchers at UEA, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and across Norwich Research Park in maximising the impact of innovation and research by achieving business success.
The NR 4ward programme runs until 30 April 2025 and is about building on our track record of supporting researchers to translate their research and generating impact through setting up businesses to develop and commercialise the research outputs (commonly known as “spinouts”) across Norwich Research Park. As part of the programme, we are providing a range of free training sessions, expert guidance and mentoring opportunities to enable staff, clinicians and postgraduate researchers to develop skills and knowledge and network with successful entrepreneurs and peers. The project ends in April 2025 – so do not miss out….
Who is the training for?
The NR 4ward programme is to support staff (including academics, clinicians, technicians and support staff) and postgraduate researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), Anglia Innovation Partnership LLP (AIP), the Earlham Institute (EI), the John Innes Centre (JIC), Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NNUH), The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) and the Quadram Institute (QI).
Whether you’ve actively developing an idea that could have business potential, or it’s something that could be of interest in the future, there’s something for you. The training can also help you if you want to learn transferable skills that can help you in your career.
You can find out more about the training on offer from the UEA NR 4ward website.
Access Specialist Health Tech Innovation Support
As part of the “NR 4ward” pilot, HTE will be providing support to innovators, researchers and healthcare professionals in Norwich Research Park (including UEA and NNUH). If you’ve got an early-stage concept or business idea in healthcare or an aligned sector, don’t miss out on the programme, which includes:
Health Innovation Sprint – 19 February 2025 – apply now…
If you’ve got an idea that has the potential to impact healthcare – including (but not limited to) fields such as medical devices, equipment, diagnostics, health and well-being or digital health technologies – then apply now to take part in this one-day event. It will include:
- Creative group solving and brainstorming – with teams formed after participants explain their ideas, so you can turn a good idea into a strong business concept
- Expert support and advice from product development specialists, intellectual property attorneys, regulatory experts, health economists and commercialisation experts
- The chance to win a prize of up to three days consultancy support (capped at £2,000) in to further develop your idea after the event (funded by UEA’s MRC Impact Accelerator count)
To apply, just spend a few minutes filling in our online application form. If you have got any questions or need support with your application, please email NR4ward.TTO@uea.ac.uk. Alternatively, you can come along to our drop-in session on 16 January – any time between 10am and 4pm in MED 1.18 at UEA – to speak to Health Tech Enterprise and register in person for the Health Innovation Sprint.
Health Tech webinars and drop-in sessions
Health Tech Enterprise will also be holding a series of webinars and drop-in sessions – running until 30 April 2025. Details of these sessions (and the Health Sprint) will be uploaded on the NR 4ward website very soon. The webinars will be held from 1pm to 3pm and there are two scheduled for January 2025:
Intellectual Property (IP), User Insights and Real-world Evaluation – 15 January 2025
- Introduction to the basic concepts of intellectual property (IP), why it is important and an overview of different types of IP rights, their key features, and their likely uses.
- Real-world evaluation and how to gain evidence of benefits a technology provides.
- Register a place through our online booking form.
Essentials of Health Economics, 29 January 2025
- The basic concepts of Health Economics and how to use them to demonstrate the value of your innovation to decision makers.
- Register a place through our online booking form
We look forward to seeing you at one of the above events soon!
