Last week we saw the annual Med-Tech Innovation Expo & Conference return to the NEC in Birmingham.
Part of the Medilink Midlands International Showcase week, the MTI Expo was designed to attract regional, national and overseas visitors from the Med-Tech community to the Midlands show.
A key highlight to the Medilink Midlands stand was the supporting international representatives from across the globe, keen to meet with the Medilink Midlands network.
“This year’s MTI Expo has been an excellent platform for Medilink Midlands, its members and patrons, offering a unique opportunity to sit down with overseas representatives to forge alliances and develop possible relationships with global partners,” said Melanie Davidson, Chief Executive Officer of Medilink Midlands.
As part of the 2-day event held at the NEC in Birmingham on the 5 and 6 June, Medilink Midlands hosted informative 1-to-1 discovery talks with representatives from Cluj-Napoca Romania, Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia and Excellence First Enterprise Consultancy, a highly respected expert in UK/China partnerships. In addition, the Global Trade Department was on hand to facilitate and answer any technical questions around import/export documentation.
The feedback from all those that participated in the 1-to-1 discovery talks was overwhelmingly positive. The international representatives were able to share the strength and depth of the med-tech market within their own countries and offer an insight as to how collaborations could be built.
With the largest cluster of medical technology companies in the UK and the second largest UK employer of medtech, the Midlands also offers an outstanding opportunity for investors and businesses to form alliances or locate to the area.
One company looking to locate to the UK and have recently chosen the West Midlands as their UK base is Nomics, a Belgian medtech company providing solutions for obstructive sleep apnea. Through their membership, Nomics were able to take advantage of Medilink Midlands’ presence at the event to exhibit at the show.
Other members took the opportunity to exhibit, present or simply join Medilink Midlands’ board and staff members on the stand to network with visitors and other exhibitors at the show.
Working hard to open doors, and help support the region’s med tech and life sciences companies gain a foothold in a global market is recently appointed Head of Partnerships, Jo Bekis.
“We are looking to offer an international support package to organisations in response to Medilink Midlands spotlighting global opportunities,” Jo comments.
“Once we have undertaken our full R&D of global activities that align to the Midlands and listened to what our member community needs are, our international strategy will be launched at our Innovation Day in October. As part of the Expo, and the 1-to-1 discovery talks which we’ve facilitated, we have an opportunity for Midlands based businesses to receive up to 70% funding for an upcoming multi city overseas trade mission in October for USA/Canada, courtesy of a collaboration between ourselves and Innovate UK Edge. This exciting opportunity will be launched at our next members benefits webinar on the 22 July with a call to action for Expressions of Interest.”
Jo adds: “We are currently exploring opportunities with a number of different countries including Canada, for whom we recently hosted a visit from the City of Brampton, and Spain where the focus is to work directly with Digital4Health across the globe, with 25 countries signed up to this initiative already it could be a fruitful opportunity for all our member community and it was an absolute pleasure to host the CEO Carlos Diaz during our welcome to the region event. As part of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office initiative, it is our role, as Voice of Industry, to ensure our Medilink Midlands community have access to connectivity globally, knowledge and the ability to share best practice in the digital space.”
Held annually, the MTI Expo is the UK and Ireland’s leading event for medical device manufacturing, bringing together leaders, engineers, innovators, and manufacturers, connecting them with technology and innovation to facilitate the design and manufacture of life changing medical devices.
“The event was such a huge success and provides such an incredible opportunity for all our members and patrons looking to make global connections, that we will definitely be looking to host this event again in 2025,” comments Mel Davidson.
To keep up-to-date with Medilink Midlands’ activities for MTI Expo 2025, register your interest at [email protected].