On the 3rd of October 2024, over 250 guests, presenters and exhibitors attended Medilink Midlands’ annual flagship event, Innovation Day 2024.
Held at Coventry Building Society Arena, the event saw innovators, businesses, academics and suppliers from the medtech and life sciences sector come together to expand their knowledge and identify new opportunities amongst the network of innovation-driven exhibitors and attendees.
The conference was hosted by Sue Saville, former medical correspondent for ITV News. Leading UK and international law firm Penningtons Manches Cooper was the Digital Sponsor for the event. Dr Lisa Page, a partner in the company’s intellectual property team, delivered a workshop on intellectual property and contracting, aimed at early-stage life sciences companies.
Media partner for the event was V Formation, a Nottingham-based PR and marketing agency with particular expertise within the life sciences sector. Jocelyn Braithwaite, Account Manager and Head of PR, led a session sharing marketing tips for life sciences companies.
Additional workshop sponsors included Tammy Holmes, Associate Director for Commercial and Business Development at Health Innovation West Midlands who discussed the West Midlands Health and Care Innovation Pathway and Clive Powell, Academy for Healthcare Science Advisor at the Life Science Industry, who delivered a workshop on the importance of the Life Science Industry Register and the benefits it can provide.
A highlight of the action-packed programme was Medilink Midlands’ Entrepreneur in Residence, Christian Kumar introducing the Medilink Midlands Innovation Builder. Christian also moderated the popular venture capital reverse pitching session.
The Innovation Builder will enable founders to gain valuable insights through workshops and mentorship, receive introductions to a broad network of investors, and grow and develop their innovation, as Christian explains: “The Medilink Midlands Innovation Builder is a long-term programme designed to ensure founders stay on a tactical roadmap to develop their ideas from start-up to scale. It is an amazing opportunity for innovators, and I am looking forward to this programme launching and developing over the next few months.”
The first workshops for the Medilink Midlands Innovation Builder will take place on the 7 November at Charnwood Campus and 8 November in Birmingham.
Outside of the conference, a dedicated exhibition area hosted 37 different organisations who work across the life sciences and medtech sector.
Of the event, Medilink Midlands’ CEO Melanie Davidson comments: “This year we celebrated 20 years of Medilink Midlands, and we are proud that our flagship Innovation Day has grown year on year and that 2024’s was bigger and better than ever. To keep up with the increasing number of visitors and demand for exhibition space, we secured a larger venue for this year’s event and were thrilled to be able to provide delegates with invaluable networking opportunities and expert insights from our range of guest speakers.”
Medilink Midlands is the Midlands life sciences industry association with a vision to stimulate the growth of the Midlands life science sector by helping companies establish, develop, and grow.
For more information, visit: https://www.medilinkmidlands.com/
To view the full gallery of photos taken at the Medilink Midlands Innovation Day 2024 by Peter Nutkins, click here.
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