Our Impact Report
A showcase of collaborative NHS-led innovation illustrating the impact of activity, initiatives and partnerships supported by InnoScot Health
InnoScot Health has been working in partnership with NHS Scotland for 22 years to support innovation as part of a strategic drive to improve patient care.
During that time, it has remained a knowledgeable catalyst for change, empowering and inspiring the country’s diverse, dedicated healthcare staff to develop groundbreaking ideas and drive a better future.
Our Impact Report is a showcase of collaborative NHS-led innovation and a celebration of activity, initiatives and partnerships supporting sustainable, inclusive innovation across Scotland.
A proud history
The effective management of intellectual property (IP) generated by NHS employees has long been recognised as crucial to advancing healthcare innovation. This led to the establishment of InnoScot Health (then known as Scottish Health Innovations Ltd) back in 2002, as a dedicated Technology Transfer Office (TTO), supporting NHS Boards across Scotland to protect, manage and commercialise IP.
Over the last 22 years, that support has extended to a range of additional innovation services including idea evaluation, regulatory support, funding and investment, and project development. It has led to the launch of products, services and successful spinouts which are improving patient care and generating income for NHS Scotland, and a portfolio of emerging innovations all originating from talented and committed NHS innovators.
Our strategic commitments
The report marks a midway point in the delivery of our strategy for 2021-26, Innovating Together. It mirrors the strategic commitments set out, detailing progress and collaborative impact achieved thus far.
Power of collaboration
At InnoScot Health our work is underpinned by partnerships — with innovators, licence partners and spinouts, NHS Boards, Universities, and Scottish Government. Sustaining these relationships and identifying fresh partnership opportunities has, and remains, a focus, to inspire future generations of innovators and maximise the innovation potential across Scotland.
Strategic partnerships across the sector build on successful long-standing relationships and bring together significant collective expertise to accelerate medical and healthcare opportunities. This includes work with Heriot Watt University, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, NHS Clinical Entrepreneurs and TayHealthTech — and combines with the ongoing provision of expertise and support to teams and initiatives across the country including contribution to grant applications, assessment of SBRI applications, training, education and participation in various working groups.
Our case studies
Case studies that bring to life the true value of InnoScot Health activity, and provide insight into the range of innovators and projects supported.
Empowering the NHS workforce with innovation learnings
Harnessing talent, expertise and commitment
Encouraging local innovation with NHS Grampian
Improving awareness, engagement and results
Global accreditation for Glasgow health-tech firm
Enabling SMEs to meet regulatory challenges
Revolutionary approach to weighing patients
The Patient Transfer Scale
Looking forward
As the model of innovation support from InnoScot Health transitions, our commitment to supporting dynamic NHS-led innovation endures. Healthcare is evolving at a rapid and exciting pace, and to fully embrace the opportunities, we must ensure each innovator, entrepreneur, NHS Board, and partner organisation holds a unique, valued place in the journey to a better healthcare future.
In setting the direction of travel for future years, continued close working with NHS Boards and partners across Scotland will be vital to maximise resources, strengthen collective endeavours and develop operational models that are best tailored to local needs.
As our operational model and ways of working with NHS Scotland change, our approach will be underpinned by a number of key principles.
Value Based Health and Care
InnoScot Health will remain a not-for-profit organisation, committed to supporting a sustainable health and care system that delivers high-value care while reducing financial burdens on patients and systems alike. This will be achieved by encouraging new innovations, and the provision of value for money expertise to accelerate promising innovations that can generate an income return to NHS Scotland.
Maximising entrepreneurial potential
At its core, InnoScot Health will remain focused on maximising the talent, expertise and entrepreneurial potential of innovators within the NHS, recognising that inspired health and social care staff want to play an active part in shaping a modern, innovative healthcare system. This will be achieved by supporting individual NHS innovators with ideas for new products or services, while operating in parallel with, and remaining reactive to, broader systemic innovation changes.
Tailored support packages
InnoScot Health will offer a whole-process support package spanning intellectual property, regulatory, project management, prototyping and commercialisation. This will be achieved by tailoring support packages to the needs of NHS Boards, ensuring the correct bespoke mix of services and support is available, and the administrative burden of contracting with multiple individual suppliers is removed.
On-Demand Consultancy Services
InnoScot Health will offer expert advice, guidance and solutions in bespoke areas (such as regulatory, grant applications, market analysis), supporting flexibility and efficient use of NHS resources. This will be achieved by offering access to trusted, skilled individuals in key innovation areas where the volume of activity across individual NHS Boards would not justify in-house recruitment.
Commitment to Collaboration
InnoScot Health will champion Scotland’s historic and growing reputation as a world-leading entrepreneurial and innovative nation, recognising that the whole is greater than the sum of our parts - that more can be achieved when invaluable knowledge and expertise is pooled. This will be achieved by maintaining and expanding relationships across the innovation community in Scotland, and beyond, including NHS, Government, academia, development agencies, innovation centres, manufacturers and investors, and working collaboratively in the best interests of NHS and of Scotland.
Speak to our team
The success of our strategy is built on our people — the committed enablers of innovation. We are passionate about what we do, because we know that when the ideas brought to us are successful, they make a real and lasting difference.
The strength of the organisation lies in bringing specialist skill sets together in a single place to complement clinical knowledge and ambition, and together unlock the true collective potential of Scotland's healthcare innovation opportunity.
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