InnoScot Health will be speaking at an annual showcase from one of its key partners, bringing together experts who are working collaboratively to drive life sciences and healthcare innovation.

Billed as “Scotland’s central hub for networking and innovation,” the Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) Conference will be taking place on Wednesday 27 May at Heriot-Watt University’s James Watt Centre.

Amid a diverse programme, the event’s fifth year will “unite leaders from industry, the NHS, and academia to explore the groundbreaking advancements driving the life sciences and healthcare sectors forward”.

It is set to spotlight the latest MedTech developments, while supporting those seeking strategies to scale their business, and aiming to navigate regulatory pathways.

Professor Elaine Gemmell, Head of Regulatory Affairs at InnoScot Health will be delivering a keynote speech on medical device regulation from 11.10am alongside Jason White, National Head of Innovation at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, who will be discussing the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) pathway.

Elaine – awarded the title of Honorary Professor in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in 2023 – said: “I’m looking forward to contributing regulatory learnings to such a vibrant, pioneering event.

“I believe this will be an essential session for those who are keen to better understand the current regulatory landscape and how best to exploit its opportunities while navigating its challenges.

“Every year, I see the conference widen its scope and I’m in no doubt that 2026 will be no different.

“InnoScot Health is also proud to be a sponsor of this gathering of the like-minded within the life sciences and healthcare community, including NHS Scotland innovators, MedTech companies, medical device engineers and manufacturers, as well as academics and researchers.

“The MDMC Conference is the perfect platform for not only underlining its key aim of helping Scotland's SMEs translate medical device concepts into commercial products, but also showcasing the country’s deep expertise and forging the collaborative ties needed to progress its ambitions.”

• Register to attend

Other conference highlights announced so far include ‘The Scottish MedTech Ecosystem in Figures’ from 9.40am presented by Dr Jolanta Beinarovica Senior Business Strategy Consultant at Optimat, and Marc Desmulliez, Manager of MDMC.

From 10am, ‘SME Experience with MDMC’ will further see a panel of innovators discuss the journey from concept to manufacture within the MedTech sector, touching on how to overcome regulatory and technical hurdles.

Conference delegates can expect opportunities to:

• Connect with leaders from academics, NHS and industry
• Discover the latest in medical device manufacturing
• Showcase cutting-edge research during poster sessions with prizes to be won for the best submissions, including a £100 Amazon voucher for first place

MDMC is an award-winning collaboration between Heriot-Watt University, the University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Dundee, and Robert Gordon University, all supported by Scottish Enterprise.

InnoScot Health signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MDMC in 2022, leveraging significant expertise to accelerate medical and healthcare opportunities as part of a five-year agreement.

Announcing the MoU, Dr Gillian Murray, deputy principal for business and enterprise at Heriot-Watt University, said that “combining InnoScot Health's extensive background in commercialisation and regulation with the expert manufacturing engineering guidance of the MDMC will allow us to accelerate medical device innovation across Scotland and beyond”.