West Midlands Academic Health Science Network

What West Midlands Academic Health Science Network does

West Midlands Academic Health Science Network, now operating as Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM), is one of 15 Health Innovation Networks established by NHS England across England. Founded in 2013 and headquartered within the Institute of Translational Medicine at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital campus in Edgbaston, Birmingham, HIWM connects NHS trusts, academic institutions, local authorities, third-sector organisations, healthcare industry partners, and citizens to accelerate the adoption of healthcare innovation across the West Midlands region. Its statutory mandate is to spread innovation at pace and scale, improving health outcomes and generating economic growth through the coordinated translation of medical discoveries into clinical practice.

HIWM's portfolio centres on programme delivery rather than commercial product sales. Core offerings include the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund, which provides investment capital to regional health-innovation projects; the Innovator Engagement programme, which supports companies in navigating NHS market access via the NHS Marketplace and value-proposition development; Active Programmes addressing specific health priorities such as obesity care transformation, MedTech adoption, and opioid harm reduction; and an annual Impact Report documenting measurable outcomes. In June 2026 the network helped secure a share of £85 million in national obesity-care funding, illustrating its role in channelling external capital into regional priorities.

As a publicly funded entity under NHS England, HIWM generates no commercial revenue through pricing models or product transactions. Its 11–50 staff deliver a regional coordination and convening function, distributing services through direct engagement with NHS trusts, healthcare innovators, and partner organisations. Distribution relies on field-based relationship management, programme-funded initiatives, and event-based engagement such as webinars and workshops targeting healthcare innovators, rather than transactional sales channels.

Name

West Midlands Academic Health Science Network

Legal name

Health Innovation West Midlands

Website

https://wmahsn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Health Innovation West Midlands (formerly West Midlands Academic Health Science Network) is an NHS England-established network connecting NHS trusts, academia, industry, and local authorities to spread healthcare innovation across the West Midlands region through funding, advisory, and programme delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Innovation Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Systems Strengthening & Global Health Technical Assistance (BPADAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health Workforce Development & Capacity-Building (HLAJAKAM)

Keywords

• Health innovation networks
• NHS innovation adoption
• MedTech market access
• Healthcare innovation funding
• Clinical innovation programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Edgbaston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM) operates a regional health innovation network that connects NHS trusts, healthcare providers, academic institutions, local authorities, third-sector organisations, industry partners and citizens to spread healthcare innovation across the West Midlands. It delivers the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund (investment support), an Innovator Engagement programme (NHS market access advisory), active programmes targeting specific clinical priorities (obesity care, MedTech adoption, opioid harm reduction), and Impact Reports documenting outcomes.

Product overview

Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM) operates as one of 15 Health Innovation Networks across England, established by NHS England to accelerate innovation in health and care. The organization functions as a coordination and support hub rather than a software product company, offering a portfolio of programmes including the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund (providing investment), the Innovator Engagement programme (connecting innovators to NHS Marketplace), Active Programmes addressing specific health challenges (obesity care, MedTech adoption, opioid harm reduction), and Impact Reports documenting outcomes. These offerings are interconnected: the Health Innovation Fund provides financial support to projects, Innovator Engagement provides advisory services and market access, Active Programmes deliver specific health interventions, and Impact Reports measure success across all initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• West Midlands Health Innovation Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped secure share of £85m national investment to transform obesity care

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NHS EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS England established the Health Innovation Network, including Health Innovation West Midlands, as one of 15 regional networks to connect health and care organizations and spread innovation at pace and scale across the NHS.
• Health Innovation Network (National)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth Innovation West Midlands is one of 15 Health Innovation Networks across England that form a national network for sharing innovation best practices and coordinating healthcare transformation initiatives.
• West Midlands Health and Care OrganisationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth Innovation West Midlands connects NHS trusts, hospitals, and healthcare providers across the West Midlands region to support innovation adoption and transformation of health and care.
• Academic Organisations (West Midlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with universities and academic institutions in the West Midlands to support research translation and development of healthcare innovations.
• Local Authorities (West Midlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with local authorities across the West Midlands to improve public health and social care through innovation.
• Third Sector (West Midlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngagement with charitable and non-profit organizations in the health and social care sector across the West Midlands.
• Healthcare Industry PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with MedTech, pharmaceutical, and healthcare technology companies to facilitate innovation development and NHS market access.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Imperial College Health Partners: Health innovation partnership covering North West London. Closely comparable to HIWM as an officially recognised health innovation network connecting NHS, academia and industry.
• Health Innovation South West: One of the 15 NHS Health Innovation Networks serving the South West of England. Functions as a direct structural peer to HIWM under the national Health Innovation Network model.
• Eastern Health Innovation Network: One of the 15 NHS Health Innovation Networks covering the East of England. Directly comparable as a regional innovation intermediary operating under the same NHS England framework.
• Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber: Another of the 15 NHS England Health Innovation Networks, covering Yorkshire and the Humber. Closely comparable in mandate, structure and stakeholder mix to HIWM.
• Health Innovation Manchester: One of the 15 NHS England Health Innovation Networks serving the North West. Directly comparable as a regional NHS-mandated network spreading innovation and supporting MedTech adoption across its geography.
• UCL Partners: An academic health science partnership covering North Thames and recognised as one of the NHS-recognised health innovation bodies. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder health innovation intermediary closely tied to a major university.
• Cambridge University Health Partners: NHS-recognised academic health science partnership anchored on the Cambridge biomedical cluster. Comparable in operating as a translational medicine intermediary between major research institutions and the NHS.
• Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network: Former AHSN in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex region that transitioned into the NHS Health Innovation Network. Comparable regional health innovation intermediary model to HIWM.
• Oxford Academic Health Partners: An NHS-recognised health science partnership for the Oxford region. Comparable to HIWM in acting as an intermediary between Oxford-based academic research and NHS adoption.

Regional players

• South West London Health Innovation Network: An NHS-recognised regional health innovation partnership serving South West London. Comparable in mandate and stakeholder mix, though operating in a different part of England than HIWM.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wmahsn
• Facebookfacebook.com/wmahsn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/west-midlands-academic-health-science-network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments4 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about West Midlands Academic Health Science Network