As part of HLTH’s partner programme, the NHSA returned to the international conference in Amsterdam to deliver a session drawing on the talent and expertise across northern regions.

Titled ‘Northern Lights, Brighter Health’, the event offered delegates the opportunity to learn about the North of England as a global research and innovation hub, with speakers offering strategies for successful collaboration with NHS innovation teams.

Professor Louise Kenny, NHSA Chair and Chief Executive of Liverpool Health Partners, gave the keynote in which she spotlighted the North of England as a powerhouse for health and life sciences.

She outlined the NHSA’s work convening academic and clinical excellence through our established pan-northern expert networks and how this activity helping shape national policy, tackling health inequalities, and building a research ecosystem designed for long‑term impact.

Louise said: “With world‑class universities and hospitals, a highly skilled workforce and a stable population ideal for large‑scale research, the North presents a compelling proposition for industry. That is why we are here at HLTH Europe – to promote the North, create partnerships at scale and bring in new innovation projects for Northern Health Science Alliance members. The North is open for business.”

A deep dive fireside chat, chaired by the NHSA’s CEO Hannah Davies, gave a strategic view of how the North is responding to the Government’s 10 Year Plan for England’s health service.

Our speakers, Professor Terry Jones and James Thomson, cover research, innovation and commercial activity for NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group), which operates across six hospital sites with around 19,000 staff, and a huge amount of research and commercial activity.

The critical role of innovation as part of the government’s strategy was also made clear, alongside the value of collaboration and partnerships across NHS, academia and industry to have greater impact at scale.

Professor Terry Jones, Director of Research and Innovation, University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, and Executive Director for Research and Impact for Liverpool Health Partners, said: “The 10 Year Plan gives us the framework to align research and innovation across the whole system, linking the NHS, academia, industry and the combined authority so we can jointly solve problems and improve quality and safety at scale. Only when research and innovation run through every part of the system, can we deliver truly end-to-end improvements in care.

“Liverpool’s challenges and opportunities mirror those of every northern city, and that creates a huge opportunity for industry to get involved early and help shape solutions across the North.”

James Thomson, Group Chief Commercial Officer, University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, said: “In Liverpool, there is a window of opportunity to increase commercial profit in a way we couldn’t before. The new hospital group structure provides scale and specialism, enabling increased commercial activity, partnerships, and a redefinition of value beyond procurement to include joint problem-solving and industry engagement.

“That opportunity extends beyond the city and to the wider region. We have seen what can happen through effective and coordinated collaboration at a local level, and if we apply that to a greater scale across the North, we can unlock a level of growth and resilience that benefits our communities.”

The final session brought together perspectives from four leaders working across health and life sciences within the North for a panel discussion focusing on the support available to innovators to successfully engage with NHS trusts.

Speakers included: Thomas Bradley, Project Manager at NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Emergency and Acute Care; Rachel Dixon, Business Development and Innovation Manager at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Jane Green, Strategic Lead for Health Tech and Foreign Direct Investment at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and Michelle Duggan, Head of Inward Investment at the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.

HLTH Europe continues until Thursday this week. The NHSA has partnered with Liverpool Health Partners to lead a delegation including experts from some of the North’s world-leading institutions, including the University of Liverpool, University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.

The NHSA team will have a presence on the Yorkshire and the North East stand (C30) and the Liverpool Health Partners stand (A56).