The team behind Lancaster University’s £41m Health Innovation Campus has launched an exciting new leadership programme to give people the skills to drive forward groundbreaking products and services.

The Health Innovation Leadership Programme was designed with the University’s illustrious Management School to encourage leaders from small and medium enterprises to develop bold new ideas, and ensure they have the capacity to drive them forward.

The leadership programme’s first cohort will begin work in spring 2020.

Dr Sherry Kothari, Director of the Health Innovation Campus, said: “The HIC will act as a catalyst, bringing together diverse stakeholders – including entrepreneurs and small businesses – to lead change.

“People often have great ideas about on implementing positive change in healthcare, but may not have the skills to take those ideas forward. In some circumstances, entrepreneurs can be so consumed by the day-to-day running of their business they don’t feel they have the capacity to work on new products or ideas.

“As well as providing expert guidance from people who have been in their shoes, the leadership programme will offer a trusted peer network where people are able to share challenges with people who have overcome similar experiences.”

The new programme was launched during the Health Innovation Campus’ recent Re-imaging Health and Wellbeing event at Brockholes Nature Reserve in Preston.

The event featured a panel of experts from the private, public and voluntary sectors sharing their experiences around new innovations with their health-related products and services.

The keynote speaker was Lee Omar, CEO of Red Ninja Studios, a design-led technology company which works on large-scale health projects.

He said: “The UK is a massive buyer of health and social care - but we’re not as innovative as we could be. The NHS is a national treasure, but its business is treating people in hospital.

“As people want more say over their own care, innovative leaders in health are required to come up with groundbreaking new products and services for more savvy consumers.”

The leadership programme is fully-funded and is available to European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) eligible companies.

For those who do not meet the requirements of the leadership programme, regular innovation workshops are on offer to help develop products and services.

Find out more by visiting lancaster.ac.uk/health-innovation/business/ or by contacting business.healthinnovation@lancaster.ac.uk