Health Innovation West Midlands

What Health Innovation West Midlands does

Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM) is one of 15 regional Health Innovation Networks established by NHS England in 2013, formerly operating as the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network before rebranding in October 2023. The organisation serves the West Midlands region (approximately 13,000 square kilometres) and acts as the innovation arm of the NHS, connecting NHS trusts, integrated care boards, primary care, social care, academia, industry, and citizens to accelerate the adoption and spread of evidence-based innovations. HIWM is hosted by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and funded primarily through NHS England as part of the national Health Innovation Network; it does not charge for its core innovation support services.

HIWM's product and service portfolio centres on the Meridian Innovation Exchange platform, an online exchange connecting innovators with healthcare challenges, alongside structured programmes including the Health and Social Care Entrepreneur Academy, NHS Intellectual Property Service (delivered via MidTECH), Industry Gateway, Incubator and Accelerator, and Horizon Scanning. It administers the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund (grants up to £50,000 per project) and supports the deployment of digital health tools such as Phio Access (an AI-powered MSK triage tool covering over 3,000 decision scenarios) and Phio Engage. Operational programmes span cardiovascular disease, patient safety (PSIRF, Martha's Rule, Managing Deterioration), medicines optimisation, MedTech adoption, human factors, and health inequalities.

Commercially, HIWM operates as a publicly funded managed-services body rather than a revenue-generating enterprise. Its GTM is hybrid: a sales-led 'honest broker' model directly engaging NHS trusts and ICBs, overlaid with a community-led convening model deploying Communities of Practice, collaboratives, and the Grow Digital Health Midlands accelerator. The organisation is regionally anchored, competes against no private-sector equivalent in its core broker role, and supplements its NHS grant with co-managed funding streams such as Innovate UK Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme awards facilitated for Midlands organisations.

Name

Health Innovation West Midlands

Legal name

Health Innovation West Midlands

Website

https://healthinnovationwestmidlands.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Health Innovation West Midlands is one of 15 NHS England-funded regional innovation networks, serving West Midlands NHS trusts, ICBs, and innovators by brokering the adoption and spread of evidence-based health and care innovations, operating programmes, and innovation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Innovation Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health Workforce, Training & Capacity Building (HLAJAMAF), Digital Health, Health Information Systems & Data Programs (BPADAIAJ), Data, Surveillance & Digital Public Goods Partnerships for Global Health (HLAJAOAN)

Keywords

• Health innovation network
• NHS innovation support
• Healthcare innovation adoption
• Medtech adoption services
• Health innovation funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

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 Funding: HIWM is part of the national Health Innovation Network, established and funded by NHS England to spread innovation at pace and scale, improving health and generating economic growth

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Health Innovation West Midlands operates as the regional innovation arm of the NHS for the West Midlands, funded by NHS England to identify, test, and accelerate the adoption of proven health innovations. It provides innovation support services, grant funding up to £50,000 per project, innovator development programmes (Entrepreneur Academy, Incubator/Accelerator), IP and commercialisation guidance, and brokers partnerships between NHS, academia, and industry to spread evidence-based innovations across the regional health and care system.

Product overview

Health Innovation West Midlands (HIWM) operates as a regional health innovation network (one of 15 across England) focused on connecting health and care organisations, academia, industry, and citizens to spread innovation at pace and scale. Formerly known as the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network, HIWM offers a portfolio of innovation support services through its Innovation Exchange Platform. Key offerings include the Health and Social Care Entrepreneur Academy for innovator development, the NHS Intellectual Property Service for IP management, the Industry Gateway for commercial enquiries, and an Incubator and Accelerator Programme. HIWM supports various digital health tools including Phio Access (AI-powered MSK triage) and Phio Engage (digital self-management platform), and administers funding programmes including the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund (up to £50,000 grants). The organisation runs multiple national and regional programmes spanning cardiovascular disease, patient safety, medicines optimisation, human factors, and MedTech adoption.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Innovation Exchange Platform (Meridian) An online innovation exchange platform enabling health and care innovators and local entrepreneurs to access a comprehensive set of innovator support services aligned to the national network, connecting healthcare challenges with solution developers.
• West Midlands Health Innovation Fund

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner in delivery of the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund, providing grant-based funding to support adoption and spread of innovation across the region
• Aston UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund, contributing to innovation support and evaluation in the region
• Keele UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the West Midlands Health Innovation Fund and Management Board member, supporting innovation development and adoption
• MidTECH InnovationscoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides intellectual property (IP) management, exploitation, strategy, policy and process advice, IP awareness and training, access to specialist services and networks including patent attorneys, solicitors, design development and prototyping, and assistance with funding bids and project management on behalf of HIWM
• BidShaper LtdmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSupported HIWM in opportunity identification, early mobilisation, and development of collaborative bids for Innovate UK's Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme
• NIHR Applied Research Centre (ARC) WMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional research partnership providing opportunities to link with applied health research and implementation into NHS and social care
• Midlands Patient Safety CollaborativesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partnership supporting patient safety improvement programmes and implementation across the Midlands
• WM Clinical Research Network (WM Research Delivery Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional research network partnership providing opportunities for clinical research collaboration and evidence generation
• Health Innovation East MidlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Grow Digital Health Midlands programme and joint implementation of Martha's Rule across the Midlands region

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Innovate UK: UK innovation agency that funds business-led R&D and is a confirmed HIWM funding partner (Obesity Pathway Innovation Programme). A larger incumbent in the same innovation-ecosystem space.
• Health Data Research UK (HDR UK): National institute uniting the UK's health data to enable discoveries and improve patient outcomes. Operates at a broader national scale than HIWM but in an adjacent health-innovation-enabling space.
• NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research): UK government agency funding and supporting health and care research, including the NIHR Applied Research Collaborations that HIWM partners with. Operates at significantly larger scale across the same NHS translational ecosystem.

Regional players

• MedCity: Life sciences cluster organisation for London and the greater south east that promotes collaboration between academia, industry, and the NHS. Comparable convening role across a different UK geography.

Direct peers

• Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber: Another of the 15 NHS England-commissioned Health Innovation Networks, performing identical innovator brokerage and adoption functions for the Yorkshire & Humber region. Directly comparable mandate, funding model, and stakeholder mix.
• UCLPartners: An Academic Health Science Network covering North London. Performs a closely analogous role of brokering health innovation between academia, the NHS, and industry — making it a direct functional peer despite differing governance.
• Imperial College Health Partners: Academic Health Science Network for North West London with a near-identical mission of accelerating the adoption of evidence-based innovation across NHS partners. Highly comparable function and stakeholder base.
• Health Innovation Manchester: One of the other 15 Health Innovation Networks funded by NHS England. Operates the same model — spreading innovation across the NHS in its region — making it the most structurally comparable peer to HIWM.
• Oxford Academic Health Partners: A regional health innovation and research translation partnership operating across the Thames Valley and surrounding NHS systems. Comparable in operating model to HIWM and serves the same innovator-to-NHS pipeline function.
• Health Innovation East Midlands: A 15-network peer of HIWM (and a confirmed HIWM collaboration partner on Grow Digital Health Midlands and Martha's Rule). Same NHS England mandate, structurally identical operating model across the East Midlands region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/health-innovation-west-midlands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Health Innovation West Midlands