UK HEALTHTECH PIONEERS HEAD TO TEXAS TO ENHANCE DEMAND FOR UK-DEVELOPED INNOVATION

Twenty eight of the UK’s most pioneering HealthTech companies are set to visit Texas as part of one of the first major US trade missions since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organised by the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI), it marks the launch of a series of ABHI-led trade missions across the US as part of its 12-month programme of support.

The missions – exclusive to members of the ABHI US Accelerator – aim to provide participants with access to senior leaders, clinicians and procurement teams from world-class hospital systems in the US, supporting them in engaging the right stakeholders and gaining valuable market insight.

Taking place from 27 March to 1 April, the Texas visit will provide a prime opportunity for participants to forge more personal and lasting ties with the network of leaders and hospital systems ABHI has cultivated in Texas over the years. Ideal for UK HealthTech companies that are keen to develop and strengthen partnerships across the State, the mission aims to generate further demand for UK-developed products.

The cohort of companies will be showcasing a range of UK HealthTech products and solutions as part of the mission, and to further demonstrate the strengths of the UK, a number of key clinical and academic figures will be joining the mission.

To enhance peer-to-peer learning and further strengthen international collaboration between respective health systems, UK leaders joining the delegation include Professor Tony Young, National Clinical Lead for Innovation at NHS England, Professor David Jayne, Professor of Surgery at the University of Leeds & Co-Director of the Leeds Centre for HealthTech Innovation (CHTI), and Dr Neville Young, Director of Enterprise & Innovation at the Academic Health Science Network.

Throughout the week, meetings will take place with senior leadership from hospital systems, group purchasing organizations (GPOs), distributors, investors and procurement teams across Austin, Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston – four of the biggest cities in Texas. The mission will incorporate a series of group meetings, networking events, working groups and introductions to a range of supporting organisations.

Paul Benton, Managing Director, International, ABHI commented: “With regional headquarters of some of the country’s largest healthcare providers located in the State, Texas provides tangible opportunities to UK companies and acts as the perfect springboard for them to access the wider United States. Our mission targets senior leaders across many of the main hospital systems in the State and offers unprecedented access to key decision makers and leaders. We are keen to be heading back to Texas following a brief hiatus, and we look forward to supporting our companies in exploring collaborative opportunities in the US and strengthening their partnerships.”

Centred in Texas, the ABHI US Accelerator is delivered in partnership with the Dell Medical School, one of the United States’ most pioneering academic institutions, based at the University of Texas, in Austin.

Texas is renowned as an economic powerhouse. It has the second largest GDP of any US State at 1.7 trillion dollars and were it a sovereign country, would be ranked as the 12^th largest economy in the world by GDP.

Throughout the year, companies will also take part in missions to other key states in the US, taking them as far wide as California, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Florida – a major state for HealthTech companies entering the US Market – and New York, another East Coast powerhouse.

Alan Finnerty, Technology Director at Medovate who are taking part in the mission said: “We are very excited to be part of this delegation and visit key clinical opinion leaders across Texas face-to-face again. The ABHI US Accelerator provides UK companies like Medovate the opportunity to define and strengthen their US strategy, de-risk market entry and grow their business stateside. We cannot wait to get out there!”

The programme offers nationwide support, drawing on the relationships and connections ABHI has built up across the US. Companies have the opportunity to raise their profile through multiple ABHI coordinated events, including partnering opportunities, thought leadership panels and networking receptions, and its comprehensive trade missions programme.

Ruben Rathnasingham, Assistant Dean for Health Product Innovation at Dell Medical School added: “We are delighted to partner with the ABHI, whose US Accelerator members are also ready to rethink innovation, with a focus on health, not just healthcare. These companies have an opportunity to work directly with our physicians and researchers to develop solutions to real unmet health needs, all in one of the world’s hottest cities for innovation. Utilising academic programmes to leverage private-public partnerships and translate promising technologies is not a new idea, but Dell Medical School and partners such as ABHI are uniquely positioned to create a valuable pipeline of healthcare innovation that help people get and stay healthy. We love having the ABHI companies as part of our ecosystem.”

All the UK companies that are taking part in the mission can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXlCzcALQ3dgUxW857tfBKg

For more information, visit: https://www.abhi.org.uk/international/abhi-us-accelerator/