A centrepiece event taking place in Aberdeen this week is set to inspire much-needed innovation, not only in the north-east but right across the country

That is the view of formal NHS Scotland partner InnoScot Health which will be attending the 10^th anniversary NHS Grampian Research Conference at P&J Live on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 June.

The event, incorporating the NHS Research Scotland (NRS) Reproductive Health and Childbirth Specialty Group, and the University of Aberdeen's Interdisciplinary Institute events, is themed ‘Breaking Traditional Disciplinary Boundaries'.

InnoScot Health believes that such an approach to healthcare is a vital way of driving innovation that is identified by the NHS Scotland workforce and then developed in close collaboration with others.

Innovation Commercialisation Manager Fiona Schaefer said: “Breaking down barriers to interdisciplinary innovation across Scotland is essential if we are to draw upon a wider spectrum of skills and expertise.

“We often find that the best ideas come from those who are empowered to collaborate with others who lie outside of their everyday branch of knowledge — the wider the pool of expertise involved, the better the chance of turning ideas into reality.

“That is the essence of good innovation — pushing boundaries by identifying sparks of inspiration and then taking them to exciting new places by seeking out fresh perspectives and the right collaborative support.”

She added: “I’ll be looking forward to hearing insightful, interactive presentations around the many groundbreaking RD&I projects already underway in Grampian and beyond, while networking with anyone interested in the innovation and commercialisation support we offer.”

This week’s event is set to showcase an exciting range of forward-thinking projects with a series of short presentations on ‘Innovations in Healthcare’, led by Professor Lesley Anderson and including:

• Project CAELUS, a ‘Once for Scotland’ innovation in using drones to equitably deliver medical supplies throughout the country, presented by Dr Karen Bell
• The GEMINI study for improved breast screening, presented by Professor Gerald Lip
• ASICA+, an AI-enabled app to assist with regular skin checks for melanoma survivors, presented by Dr David Howcroft

There will also be a series of ‘Enabling Health and Social Care Research’ sessions, chaired by Professor Nick Fyfe, ‘NHS Research Scotland current developments and directions of travel’, presented by Euan Dick, and an exploration of ‘Priorities for remote and rural Health Boards’, presented by Frances Hines.

The Reproductive Health and Childbirth Event on Saturday 28 is set to be equally as engaging for innovators with sessions including ‘Normalising mode of birth discussions in antenatal care; an interdisciplinary perspective’ presented by Dr Mairead Black, and ‘Cross-sector collaborative decision making to improve health and well-being of women/families’, presented by Manira Ahmad.

The Rowett Institute is also leading a session addressing nutritional inequalities.

The conference organisers said: “Time has gone where we work in silos and in our own speciality. In order to do research that improves care overall, we need to work across disciplines, across methodology, across groups to generate impactful research mobilise knowledge.

“This conference brings together experts from different backgrounds so we can all learn together. We look forward to seeing you all.”

Registration for the conference is now open. Contact the 2025 Grampian Conference team for further information.

InnoScot Health’s pregnancy and perinatal innovation call aligns with Reproductive Health and Childbirth Specialty Group aims. The call seeks forward-thinking ideas that can help support NHS Scotland to improve women’s health.

The organisation believes it is an important area with vast opportunities to improve the outcomes of maternity and neonatal care for all women, babies, and families and place more focus on mental health and inequalities.