Scottish healthcare innovators are being urged to apply now to be part of the unique NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme (CEP) with webinar guidance available to help them through the process

Formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health is delighted to be supporting CEP for a third year and is encouraging the country’s progressive-minded health service staff and medical students to take advantage of its tailored learning benefits aimed at catalysing their ambitions.

The window for applying to cohort 9 is open up until Tuesday 29 October with the programme commencing in late February/early March next year.

In the run-up to the window closing, an application-focused webinar is planned, aimed specifically at ensuring NHS entrepreneurs are fully prepared for the process.

The informative session on Wednesday 9 October – delivered via Zoom – will take place from 6-7.30pm, and will allow any questions to be asked, from what needs to be included in pitches to what supporting documents are required.

Organisers would like to further encourage budding Scottish innovators to familiarise themselves with the application process.

Head of Project Management at InnoScot Health, Gillian Henderson says the webinar and online guidance is “a great way to ensure the best possible preparation for applying to be part of the incredible developmental opportunity that is Scotland’s next CEP cohort”.

She added: “If you have fresh, innovative ideas and startup ambitions, and are keen to hone your entrepreneurial skills without having to leave the health service, then I would urge you to apply to the entrepreneurial workforce development programme.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced entrepreneur or just starting out – CEP offers a wide range of know-how to all NHS Scotland workers who aspire to positive transformation through creative solutions, while allowing them to discover the innovative startup world of healthcare.”

InnoScot Health is proud to be part of a collaborative group of organisations – alongside The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Scottish Enterprise, and Chief Scientist Office (CSO) – supporting Scottish innovators taking part in CEP which is delivered by Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and part of the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC).

Gillian continued: “At a challenging time for NHS Scotland, CEP is providing inspirational support to the Scottish healthcare workforce in developing the kind of skillsets needed to accelerate important breakthroughs for smarter, more efficient and sustainable ways of working that ultimately benefit patient outcomes.

“Hand-in-hand with the programme’s other key partners, InnoScot Health will be aiming to make a valuable contribution by lending our own innovation expertise and insights, helping Scotland’s participants to identify channels of support while providing networking and collaboration opportunities.

“CEP, the biggest entrepreneurial workforce development programme of its kind, is all about empowering the NHS workforce – taking their learning to the next level and giving them the confidence to make an impact. We look forward to meeting the next Scottish cohort.”

Potential participants are encouraged to reach out to the InnoScot Health team if they would like to discuss their CEP eligibility.