• The Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) has been named as Government’s delivery partner for the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy sector deal in the North of England.
• The organisation has identified £1bn of investments to be made into the North economy over next five to seven years
• Through working with Government to identify areas of strength the NHSA aims to increase health research and innovation funding to over £400m per year
• The NHSA will work with partners from across the North, including its member universities, hospitals, AHSNs and other commercial organisations such as BioNow in the delivery of the next sector deal in life sciences.

THE Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) has been named as Government’s delivery partner for the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Sector Deal across the North of England.

The NHSA, a partnership of leading universities, NHS hospital Trusts and four Academic Health Science Networks across the North of England, has worked with a number of companies to identify planned investments of £1bn in life sciences, across the Northern Powerhouse, in the next five years.

The NHSA will begin working with Government on the next stage of the sector deal in early 2018 to make sure the Industrial Strategy in life sciences is place-based.

Dr Hakim Yadi OBE, CEO of the NHSA said: “We are thrilled to be working with the Government to deliver a life sciences sector deal that delivers for the North.

“The NHSA is partnering with the Government to make sure that the Life Science’s Industrial Strategy plays to the region’s specific strengths, making the most of its considerable assets, and building towards a healthier and wealthier Northern Powerhouse.

“Our work with industry and leading health partners has identified this vibrant sector already has £1bn of investment planned in Life Sciences over the next five years.

“Through this announcement we now have the opportunity to galvanise the North’s health innovation economy by working as a partner with Government. We will make sure investments made as part of the Life Science Industrial Strategy sector deals are made in the right areas that increase our infrastructure capacity while supporting the growth of life science business across the North.”

The NHSA identified seven areas of Life Sciences Industrial Strategy where the North both has strengths but is also best placed to support delivery of the strategy in data, increasing NHS collaboration, skills, growth and infrastructure, delivering components of the newly created Healthcare Advanced Research Partnership (HARP), manufacturing and in reinforcing the UK’s science offer.

The North’s strengths in health research were also identified earlier this year through the Northern Independent Economic Review which identified Health Innovation as one of the North’s four prime sectors ripe for development and growth. The awarding of a Northern Powerhouse in Health Research Science Innovation Audit in the autumn by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the NHSA supports the recognition by government that the North is a powerhouse in life sciences and health innovation.

Currently 13.5% of Government, and third sector funding into health research goes to the North. If this matched that of the current levels invested by private industry at 20% then an extra £200m could be realised for the North’s economy each year raising levels over £400m a year.

According to the MRC it is estimated that for every £1 invested in medical research, there is a 17% annual return to the UK economy, indefinitely. Taking into account the monetised benefits of a healthier population the rate of return rises to between 24% and 28%.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT
For more interviews, comment etc. contact Hannah.Davies@theNHSA.co.uk, 07342882383.

EDITORS NOTES
The NHSA ltd is a partnership established by the leading Universities and NHS Hospital Trusts in the North of England to improve the health and wealth of the region by creating an internationally recognised life science and healthcare system. It links eight universities and eight research-intensive NHS Teaching Trusts with four Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) covering a population of over 15 million.

The NHSA’s members include: Newcastle University, Durham University, University of York, University of Liverpool, University of Manchester, Lancaster University, University of Sheffield, University of Leeds, The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, Innovation Agency AHSN, Yorkshire and Humber AHSN, North East North Cumbria AHSN, Greater Manchester AHSN.

For more information on the NHSA visit www.theNHSA.co.uk