Digital Catalyst 2019

23rd April 2019 - By Dr Richard Brady

We recently announced the launch of Digital Catalyst 2019 – a new regional event bringing together healthcare, academia, industry and third sector to share healthcare digital innovation success stories and to stimulate collaborations that could help solve challenges experienced in the NHS.

Here, Mr Richard Brady, consultant colorectal surgeon at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust / Newcastle University, and also the digital strategy lead for a number of organisations, explains more about the Digital Catalyst 2019 event, how it came about and its aim to shape the region’s digital agenda.

“Across the entire spectrum of technology, there are constantly evolving advances and innovations which are changing the way we think about disease, diagnosis and how to deliver healthcare.

It’s an exciting time and it is crucial that innovation is embraced across the whole healthcare system if we are to remain globally competitive, sustainable and, most importantly, that we deliver the highest possible quality and safety of care to our patients.

The current climate of innovation in the UK is supercharged with unprecedented encouragement and support. From a personal perspective, I feel very passionately about healthcare technology and its potential to improve our healthcare system and the lives of citizens.

I believe the North East and North Cumbria has all the ingredients of a major global tech hub, but the region needs to find its international and competitive mojo! Companies want to invest, people want to innovate, the systems are ready and we just need to get things happening and push things forward.

This is why, with our partners the Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria and NIHR Clinical Research Network North East and North Cumbria, we have launched the Digital Catalyst event. We hope it will literally catalyse all key elements to create new and meaningful connections, product and partnerships and deliver the real potential of this region and its talent.

By bringing together healthcare, academia and industry, we want to create a platform to showcase lessons from successful patient, businesses and clinical entrepreneurs. There is a wealth of innovative healthcare work already taking place and it’s important we share these success stories to help encourage and inspire continued improvement of our healthcare technology ecosystem.

In addition, the event will provide direct funding and business support opportunities for those with the best bright ideas and enable businesses with new technologies to access key opinion leaders as well as the local academic and healthcare systems.

We’re currently asking all those who work within health and social care to share their best proposals and most pressing challenges with us by 29th April. The aim is to match them with a high quality tech or academic partner to deliver success.  We would also like to hear from digital companies with innovative technologies or capabilities who are keen to access the NHS market and who would like the chance to pitch to an audience of healthcare influencers at Digital Catalyst with a view to developing digital solutions to address the identified needs.

This inaugural event is aimed at inventors, innovators and healthcare pioneers who want to deliver technological products, solutions and advances. We expect, as the name suggests, that this event will catalyse cooperation, collaboration, funding and support for all those involved. Listen to this video to hear more:

If you would like to sponsor Digital Catalyst please have a look at our Sponsorship Packages.