Our National and International Partners
ABHI has 18 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and a number of formal partnerships with key UK regional organisations. These collaborations are designed to improve patient and population health by enabling better and faster HealthTech innovation and adoption at the regional level, with the potential to scale nationally.
In addition, ABHI has established partnerships within key global markets, allowing us to align on critical policy objectives and create opportunities for our respective business communities.
Our partnerships are detailed below.
UK (Regional)
Birmingham
Our Partners Include: Birmingham Health Partners
Opportunities: With expertise spanning multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology and trauma, the region has extensive experience of working in partnership with industry. It is also quickly becoming a hub of Regulatory Science across HealthTech, through real-world data collection and innovative trial design.
Cambridge
Our Partners Include: Cambridge University Health Partners
Opportunities: With one the world’s strongest research bases, Cambridge is home to global experts in translational medicine, developing new diagnostics and treatments. Its advanced engineering capabilities are also evident in the areas of artificial intelligence and medical robotics.
Leeds / West Yorkshire
Our Partners Include: West Yorkshire HealthTech Cluster (including Leeds Academic Health Partnership & West Yorkshire Combined Authority)
Opportunities: West Yorkshire boasts internationally recognised industrial pedigree in traditional medical devices and materials, orthopaedics and instrument manufacturing. Combined with this is an emerging strength in biologics and digital health. It is home to a various centres of excellence, including the Centre for Digital Innovations in Health & Social.
Manchester
Our Partners Include: Health Innovation Manchester & Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
Opportunities: Greater Manchester‘s strong digital and data assets are now globally important for analysing existing pathways and supporting pathway redesign to benefit citizens and the system.
Nottingham
Our Partners Include: University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University.
Opportunities: The East Midlands accounts for almost 10% of UK HealthTech employment. Home to key universities, local centres of excellence include the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre and NIHR Nottingham Clinical Research Facility, the Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre and the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF). Their close proximity to one another, and links into the local NHS, explain why the region is rapidly establishing itself as a HealthTech hub.
London
Our Partners Include: Barts Health NHS Trust.
Opportunities: Serving a diverse population of over 2.5 million people across East London, Barts Health is one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country. It has a strong track record of collaboration with academia and industry, particularly in areas such as genomics, cancer, and cardiovascular health. With its scale, research capability, and commitment to addressing health inequalities, Barts Health provides a unique environment to develop and adopt innovative technologies that can be tested in real-world settings and scaled across the NHS.
UK (National)
England
Our Partners Include: The Health Innovation Network & The Shelford Group
Opportunities: With 15 Health Innovation Networks across England, they operate as the key innovation arm of the NHS. Our partnership sees a joint commitment to supporting innovators navigate the NHS landscape.
The Shelford Group is a collaboration of ten of the largest research and teaching hospitals in England. Our partnership sees a programme of joint work, ranging from events held at Trusts, to collaboration on national policy,
Northern Ireland
Our Partners Include: Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland (HIRANI)
Opportunities: Northern Ireland is working to build a strong HealthTech ecosystem, with particular strengths in digital, diagnostics and cyber security.
Scotland
Our Partners Include: University of Strathclyde, University of Dundee & Heriot-Watt University
Opportunities: Central to our University of Strathclyde partnership is the role of the Strathclyde Institute of Medical Devices. As one of the UK’s key innovation hubs it offers research brokering, spin-in and spin-out information, support, and advice. Within Dundee, the Tay Cities Biomedical Cluster project is growing, and is striving to put health technology at its heart through partnership working. At Heriot-Watt University, collaboration is underpinned by its world-leading strengths in engineering and physical sciences, offering HealthTech innovators access to cutting-edge expertise, facilities, and interdisciplinary research opportunities.
Wales
Our Partners Include: Life Sciences Hub Wales
Opportunities: The HealthTech in Wales continues to mature, and has developed strong clusters in high-growth markets including in vitro diagnostics, single-use technology and wound care.
Innovation Catalyst
Our Partners Include: CPI
Opportunities: CPI, which is part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, is a leading technology innovation centre, working with a range of clients to translate research into the marketplace. Our joint work is explicitly designed to support SMEs, and the £7m Health Technology Regulatory and Innovation Programme is a prime example of this.
Private Equity and Venture Capital
Our Partners Include: BVCA
Opportunities: This partnership provides the opportunity for ABHI and the HealthTech industry to collaborate with the finance community, to share intelligence through engagement forums and crucially, to support the growth of our sector by ensuring better access to finance as this joint report outlines.
We also have also developed an investor network. This group of finance professionals are actively involved in HealthTech investment, and we are working together to better connect our membership to this community.
Manufacturing
Our Partners Include: Make UK
Opportunities: This partnership provides reciprocal benefits to our respective membership communities, and is designed to create a favourable environment for manufacturing, at a local, regional, national and international level. It also entitles ABHI membership to complimentary Affiliate Membership of Make UK. Click here to take advantage of this offer.
Regulation
Our Partners Include: TOPRA
Opportunities: This agreement is designed to improve the understanding and commitment to excellence in HealthTech regulation in the UK and globally, and paves the way for further collaborative working between our organisations on a range of subjects related to regulatory science.
We are also supporting the emerging network of Centres of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation.
Skills
Our Partners Include: Cogent Skills
Opportunities: Cogent Skills is the skills specialist for the UK science and technology sectors. Their purpose is to make sure your business, your people and our industry are future-ready. Their Not Just Lab Coats initiative is an exciting new website for young people looking at careers in science, manufacturing, and technology. Built by Cogent Skills, the platform is designed for bright young minds that are curious about science-related jobs. Not Just Lab Coats provides practical guidance, job profiles as well as live vacancies and a careers quiz. ABHI members can post their early career vacancies at no cost.
International
Australia
Our Partners Include: Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA)
Opportunities: Our partnership with MTAA strengthens collaboration between the UK and Australia’s HealthTech sectors, focusing on shared priorities such as regulatory alignment, sustainability, and market access to support innovation and trade growth.
Brazil
Our Partners Include: ABIMED
Opportunities: ABIMED represent the HealthTech industry in Brazil. By bringing the work of the associations closer together, this partnership is designed to enhance trade opportunities, and to focus on key areas of alignment, including global regulations and environmental sustainability.
Europe
Our Partners Include: MedTech Europe & Swiss Medtech
Opportunities: ABHI is a longstanding member of the the European HealthTech trade association, MedTech Europe, and our work has seen us collaborate on key issues pertaining to the industry, none more so than regulation.
Representing more than 700 companies, Swiss Medtech is the national industry association for the medical technology sector in Switzerland. Our partnership enables joint advocacy on critical regulatory and trade issues, aligning positions across Europe and globally. It also provides opportunities to connect UK and Swiss businesses, fostering collaboration in innovation, manufacturing, and market access.
India
Our Partners Include: Indo British Business Forum
Opportunities: The IBBF is an organisation dedicated to strengthening business, trade and investment relationships between the UK and India. This partnership is focussed on supporting smoother market access for HealthTech companies through joint advocacy on trade issues, exploring opportunities for greater regulatory convergence by sharing best practice, and delivering joint member services including market insights, collaborative events and networking.
USA
Our Partners Include: AdvaMed & the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (MDMA)
Opportunities: AdvaMed are a leading US HealthTech Association. Our partnership sees a commitment to aligning on key work areas such global trade, regulation, technology adoption and ethics. We also support the work of MDMA, who provide educational and advocacy assistance to innovative and entrepreneurial medical technology companies.
Our US Accelerator programme, designed to help UK companies grow their business within the US, has also led to deep connections across key states, including Texas, Tennessee, California, Maryland, Minnesota and Florida.
Global Medical Technology Alliance (GMTA)
ABHI is a member of the Global Medical Technology Alliance (GMTA), a collective of global Trade Associations, representing HealthTech. The GMTA provides a strong community for advocating industry-critical policies, at an international level, that support the development and adoption of technology, and the harmonisation of requirements.