Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network

What Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network does

Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber (operating name; legal entity Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network) is one of 15 Health Innovation Networks established by NHS England to act as the innovation arm of the NHS across the Yorkshire and Humber region. Founded in 2013 and rebranded in 2022, the organisation functions as an innovation broker and consultancy rather than a product developer: it connects NHS healthcare providers, commissioners, academia, and industry to build a pipeline of solutions from research through to commercialisation, with embedded Innovation Hubs within three Integrated Care Systems (South Yorkshire since 2019, West Yorkshire since 2021, and Humber and North Yorkshire). It supports over 350 companies annually, delivers the flagship Propel@YH/Propel Healthtech accelerator programme, and operates the Pathway Navigator digital ecosystem connector for West Yorkshire's Health and Life Sciences sector.

Its portfolio comprises structured consultancy services (Adoption & Optimisation, Evaluation, Patient & Public Involvement, Advisory), accelerator cohorts including Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire and international variants, the Patient Safety Collaborative delivered with the Improvement Academy, the WHIT Springboard Programme for female innovators, and remote monitoring/virtual wards implementations (TytoCare, HealthCall, Docobo). The organisation does not develop proprietary AI or software products but facilitates adoption of partner technologies including AI scribes, computer vision diagnostics, predictive triage, and digital therapeutics (e.g., Big Health's Daylight).

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: NHS England commissioning as one of 15 mandated Health Innovation Networks (core subscription-style funding), industry partnerships and collaborative project funding (e.g., £7,000 from Pfizer for Propel@YH in 2021–22; £50,413 from Bayer for AF Quality Improvement in 2018–19), and consultancy services that leveraged £28M investment, £5.1M grant funding and £11M international investment in 2024/25. Customers span 15 NHS Trusts across the region, three Integrated Care Systems, over 350 healthtech companies annually, academic and research institutions including NIHR infrastructure, and named industry partners such as AstraZeneca, Bayer, Pfizer, AWS, Big Health, PocDoc, and Primary Care Sheffield.

Name

Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network

Legal name

Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber

Website

https://healthinnovationyh.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Innovation Services

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Health Access & Social Care Innovations (Community Health, Telehealth for Underserved) (BPAGALAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patient Education, Content & Personalized Journey Orchestration (HLACAEAE), Oncology Remote Symptom Monitoring & Care Navigation (HLALAFAD), Public Health Workforce, Training & Capacity Building (HLAJAMAF)

Keywords

• Health innovation network
• NHS innovation adoption
• Healthtech accelerator programme
• Healthcare consultancy services
• Patient safety collaborative

Headquarters

HQ city

Wakefield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NHS England Commissioning: Funded by NHS England as one of 15 Health Innovation Networks to operate as the key innovation arm of the NHS, supporting the adoption and spread of innovations across the healthcare system.
2. Industry Partnerships and Collaborative Projects: Works collaboratively with commercial partners on projects introducing or evaluating new technologies or ways of working. Funding examples include £7,000 from Pfizer for digital accelerator programme Propel@YH and £50,413 from Bayer for AF Quality Improvement Project with GP practices.
3. Consultancy Services: Provides consultancy services to NHS partners, universities, local government, and industry. Reported delivering £28 million investment secured with support, £5.1 million grant funding leveraged for innovators, and £11 million investment leveraged for international companies in the Propel programme in 2024/25.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber operates as one of 15 Health Innovation Networks established by NHS England, functioning as a regional innovation broker and consultancy. It connects healthcare providers, commissioners, academia and industry to build a pipeline of innovations from research through to NHS implementation and commercialisation, delivered through embedded Innovation Hubs within Integrated Care Systems, the flagship Propel@YH/Propel Healthtech accelerator, and tailored consultancy services covering adoption support, evaluation, and patient and public involvement.

Product overview

Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber operates as a regional health innovation network (one of 15 established by NHS England) rather than a single product company. The organization offers a portfolio of consultancy and support services including Propel@YH/Propel Healthtech (flagship accelerator programme), advisory services, evaluation services, patient and public involvement services, and adoption/optimisation support. Key platforms include the Pathway Navigator (a virtual ecosystem connector) and Innovation Hubs embedded within ICSs. The organisation facilitates health innovation adoption across the NHS through programmes such as remote monitoring/virtual wards and the Patient Safety Collaborative. Services are delivered through expert consultancy engagements rather than a unified software platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Propel@YH / Propel Healthtech Digital Accelerator Flagship accelerator programme providing tailored support and expert guidance to healthtech companies looking to enter new markets and accelerate growth, including digital health accelerator streams, Propel International Boot Camp, and regional variants such as Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire.
• Adoption and Optimisation Services Strategic and hands-on consultancy support to embed, optimise and scale innovation in health and care settings, including service and pathway design, workforce transformation, digital implementation, and innovation-enabled improvement for NHS partners, academia, and industry.
• Evaluation Services Real-world evidence generation consultancy to demonstrate impact for innovations or transformation projects, including evaluation design, delivery, data collection and analysis, and communication of evaluation outputs.
• Patient and Public Involvement (PPIE) Services Strategies and practical support for implementing meaningful patient and public involvement and engagement in health service improvement and innovation, including advisory groups, involvement strategies, methodology design, and frameworks and toolkits.
• Advisory Services Tailored commercial, clinical, policy and regulatory insight grounded in real-world experience, including strategic and commercial advisory, executive support, health system navigation, and insight and intelligence.
• West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire Innovation Hubs Embedded innovation support hubs integrated within Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), providing a conduit through which innovators and NHS stakeholders can collaborate on innovation adoption, pathway redesign and improvement programmes.
• Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Collaborative One of 15 Patient Safety Collaboratives in England, delivered in partnership with the Improvement Academy, focusing on managing deterioration, maternity and neonatal safety, medicines safety, and patient safety incident response across the region.
• Pathway Navigator Digital virtual front door tool connecting HealthTech innovators and SMEs with the West Yorkshire Health and Life Sciences ecosystem, signposting organisations for academic collaboration, proof of concept, prototyping, clinical trials, regulation, NHS engagement, and funding.
• International Trade Missions and UK-India Diagnostics Cohort International market access support for UK healthtech innovators, including trade missions to USA, Middle East and China delivered with ABHI, and the UK-India Diagnostics Cohort 2026 supporting diagnostic innovators entering the Indian market.

Quantifiable outcome

• £28 million investment secured with support in 2024/25
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK Department for Business and TradecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership to deliver the UK-India Diagnostics Cohort 2026, supporting UK diagnostic innovators to enter the Indian market with visits to Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi.
• NHS EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS England established 15 Health Innovation Networks across England to operate as the key innovation arm of the NHS. Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber is one of these 15 organisations, receiving core funding and mandate to accelerate innovation adoption across the NHS.
• Health Innovation Network (national)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe national Health Innovation Network links all 15 local networks into a unique collaboration of expertise and experience, sharing learning, pooling intelligence, and benefitting from a pipeline of emerging and proven solutions from around the country.
• West Yorkshire Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers the Propel Healthtech West Yorkshire accelerator programme in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority, supporting healthtech innovators to navigate the NHS and accelerate growth.
• Improvement AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Yorkshire and Humber Patient Safety Collaborative is delivered in partnership with the Improvement Academy, led by a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians, patient safety and quality improvement experts.
• South Yorkshire Integrated Care SystemcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Yorkshire Innovation Hub embedded within South Yorkshire ICS, supporting adoption and spread of research and innovation across South Yorkshire.
• West Yorkshire Health and Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWest Yorkshire Innovation Hub embedded within West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, providing integrated support for innovation and improvement.
• Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership for innovation hub activities and regional health initiatives.
• Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering to provide trade missions to USA, Middle East, and China for UK healthtech companies ready for export, and supporting the health innovation ecosystem.
• National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with NIHR including Medical Technology and In Vitro Co-operatives (MICs), Clinical Research Networks, Applied Research Collaboratives, and the NIHR HRC in Paediatrics and Child Health.
• Leeds Academic Health PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic health partnership for research collaboration and knowledge exchange in health innovation.
• Yorkshire UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Yorkshire Universities for academic collaboration and research in health innovation.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWS sponsors the WHIT Springboard Programme for Female Innovators in Health, supporting early-stage female innovators in health and care.
• Nexus at University of LeedsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the WHIT Springboard Programme for Female Innovators in Health alongside AWS.
• Big HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with mental health app provider for Daylight digital anxiety app deployment in South Yorkshire ICB.
• The Sleep CharityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Sleep Charity and Levitex for improving sleep quality for health and care staff.
• PocDocminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with PocDoc alongside Health Innovation North East North Cumbria to help identify people at risk of heart attacks and strokes using finger prick blood tests.
• Virgin Media O2 BusinessminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for HSJ Digital Awards submission on helping members of the public across West Yorkshire get the most out of the NHS App.
• Accelerated Access CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS England's Accelerated Access Collaborative brings together industry, health bodies, and government to accelerate the adoption of innovative medicines, medical devices, and diagnostics.
• Office for Life SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment office that leads on the strategic development of the life sciences sector in the UK, with collaborative programmes on digital transformation and service redesign.
• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK government body supporting business innovation, with collaboration on the Pathway Navigator and innovator support programmes.
• SBRI HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall Business Research Initiative bringing together NHS and government to support innovative companies.
• Northern Health Science AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Northern Health Science Alliance for northern collaboration and health innovation.
• AstraZenecaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the SENTINEL programme with Hull University Teaching Hospitals for environmental sustainability in healthcare.
• Primary Care SheffieldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Primary Care Sheffield for Daylight digital anxiety app deployment.
• West Yorkshire Combined AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on the Pathway Navigator tool and co-funder of innovation ecosystem development.
• Innovate UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUKRI/Innovate UK collaborator on the Pathway Navigator for the West Yorkshire HealthTech ecosystem.
• Propel HealthtechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship accelerator programme hosted by Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and delivered in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority. Provides expert-led masterclasses, tailored mentoring, peer-to-peer learning, and access to NHS and academic networks for healthtech companies.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Health Data Research UK: National institute for health data science, working with NHS, academia, and industry to enable data-driven research and innovation. Broader in scope geographically and data-centric, but complementary to Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber's data and digital health work.
• MedCity: London-life sciences cluster organisation promoting investment, collaboration, and innovation across the golden triangle. Similar mission of supporting healthtech companies and convening NHS, academia, and industry, but London-focused and more cluster-development oriented.
• Northern Health Science Alliance: Collaborative of leading NHS trusts, universities, and Academic Health Science Networks across the North of England. Overlapping regional footprint and mission of driving health innovation and economic growth in the North.
• Catapult Network (e.g., Cell and Gene Therapy, Digital): UK network of technology and innovation Catapults (including Digital Catapult) with similar mission of accelerating commercialisation of innovation. Broader in scope (multiple sectors), but comparable in providing accelerator infrastructure, partnerships, and innovation adoption support.

Direct peers

• NHS Innovation Accelerator: National NHS England programme that supports adoption of proven innovations across the NHS. Highly comparable in mission (scaling innovation in the NHS), though more programme-focused than regionally embedded; some of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber's leadership sit on its board.
• UCLPartners: One of the 15 Health Innovation Networks covering North Thames, with a similar mandate of accelerating health innovation adoption across NHS providers and academic partners. Directly comparable operating model, funding structure, and service portfolio (adoption, evaluation, accelerator).
• SBRI Healthcare: NHS-funded small business research initiative that supports development and adoption of innovative health technologies. Overlapping remit in funding, evaluating, and accelerating healthtech companies into the NHS market.
• Imperial College Health Partners: Another Health Innovation Network covering North West London, operating as an NHS-affiliated innovation accelerator with embedded access to ICSs and academic partners. Direct peer in scale, mandate, and service mix.
• Health Innovation Network (South London): Sister Health Innovation Network covering South London. Direct peer in NHS England commissioning, programme portfolio (e.g., patient safety collaboratives, innovation adoption), and accelerator offerings.

Emerging players

• Digital Health London: Healthtech accelerator programme connecting innovators with NHS providers in London. Similar accelerator model to Propel Healthtech and partially overlapping innovator support, though geographically focused on London.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzZVCCNHMVDO3pL7p0R8XJQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yorkshire-and-humber-ahsn
• Xx.com/yhahsn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network