Invest in healthcare technologies in Yorkshire & Humber

Yorkshire & Humber is at the forefront of the latest advances in healthcare technology, making it one of the most important European regions for the sector. Our region provides the ideal base for your business to access this booming market, offering exceptional access to end users and clinical trials, plus a variety of opportunities for product development, improvement and validation.

For more information, visit the Invest in Yorkshire website.

Size and scope

Our region contributes significantly to serving a growing worldwide medical device market currently worth £175 billion. There are over 10,000 employees in the healthcare technologies sector here, working in over 300 companies and generating £500m in GVA. Employment in healthcare technologies in Yorkshire & Humber is growing four times faster than the national trend.

Our strengths

We have the UK’s largest concentration of orthopaedic companies: one of the fastest-growing and most profitable sectors within healthcare technology. We also have one of the largest concentrations of wound-care companies in the UK (including global manufacturers such as Smith & Nephew and DePuy International), and we’re strong on surgical-instrument manufacturing. Additionally, we have significant strengths in assistive technologies (including aids for the disabled, aids for daily living and community equipment) and diagnostics (including imaging).

Major opportunities

  • Assistive technologies, diagnostics and dental equipment manufacture offer strong potential growth opportunities here, particularly when linked to the region’s engineering and metals/materials industries.
  • Our strengths in the pharmaceutical industry are in novel drug development and biotechnology, as well as manufacturing, which in turn are linked to the strength of the chemicals industry in West Yorkshire and the Humber area.

We’re investing in this sector

We’ve made healthcare technologies a priority sector for support and investment. We employ a sector manager and ‘strategic sector champion’ for healthcare technologies, helping to identify opportunities for innovation through collaboration, and brokering relationships between businesses and the science base. Call Yorkshire Forward on 0113 394 9600 to find out how Yorkshire Forward can help.

Sites and premises

The region has seen major investments in large scientific technology parks (such as the 500,000 sq ft of office and incubation space at the Vangarde Science Park, York), plus a high number of specialist research units and institutes with world-renowned expertise.

Skills

Within our region there are 3 medical schools, with strong academic research in medical disciplines (many rated 5 or 5* for research). There are 4 teaching hospital NHS trusts here which, together with the universities, produce 4,000 medical/dentistry undergraduates, around 1,000 post-graduates, and 9,350 undergraduates in medicine-related subjects every year.

NHS & hospital presence

Leeds is home to the Department of Health headquarters. Leeds NHS Teaching Hospitals Trust is the largest NHS trust in the UK, and includes the largest teaching hospital in Europe (whose annual budget is £540m), and Sheffield also has one of Europe’s largest teaching hospitals. There are 17 private hospitals here.

Yorkshire & Humber also has one of the UK’s highest concentrations of cancer research organisations—including Europe’s largest cancer treatment centre, built by Leeds University Trust. The region has several dedicated cancer research units, with other facilities supporting clinical trials throughout the region, including a number of university departments.

Working with the universities

Strong relationships exist in our region between the research institutes and the healthcare technology sector. Yorkshire Forward has also set up Centres of Industrial Collaboration to foster partnership working between the healthcare industry and the region’s universities. The CICs have collaborated on 1,700 projects and grossed £40m of income. They can unlock cutting-edge technical expertise or the specialist resources the industry needs:

Find out more about collaborating with our universities.

Funding & support

We welcome investment enquiries from UK and overseas companies. Find out about potential funding support, our business support, and our priority sectors section. If you’re an overseas business interested in investing in Yorkshire & Humber, please also read our inward investment page.

The Facts

This sector in our region:

  • Employs more than 10,000 people
  • Supports over 300 companies
  • Generates £500m in GVA.