University of Birmingham-led Health Tech Accelerator Secures £4m to Extend Innovation Support in the West Midlands

By Anushka Malhotra

1 minute 25 seconds

Investment

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Quick Read: The University of Birmingham-led WMHTIA has secured £4m to extend its support for health tech innovators across the West Midlands, building on strong job creation, investment, and business growth.

The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), led by the University of Birmingham, has secured an additional £4 million in public funding to continue its work into 2025/26, further strengthening the region's position as a UK leader in health tech innovation.

The funding forms part of a wider £30 million extension of the national Innovation Accelerator (IA) programme, which supports high-growth sectors through locally driven innovation. The West Midlands, along with Greater Manchester and the Glasgow City Region, will each receive an equal £10 million share to help fuel regional economic development and technological advancement.

The WMHTIA, a flagship initiative within the West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) IA programme, has already demonstrated strong results since launching in 2022, including:

- 110 jobs created or safeguarded

- Support provided to 105 health tech companies and research teams

- £2.48m in additional grant funding awarded

- £28.4m in private co-investment secured in the first year

- 269 health tech organisations engaged in its support network

Professor Liam Grover, WMHTIA Lead, commented:

“This funding extension gives us the momentum to build a truly thriving cluster in the West Midlands. The results from the past two years show just how deep the region’s health tech potential runs.”

The programme has played a key role in connecting academia, industry, and healthcare, with strategic partnerships involving the NHS, universities, and private sector innovators.

Dean Cook, Executive Director of Place and Global at Innovate UK, said:

“The WMHTIA is a key part of connecting local talent and technologies to national healthcare challenges. This continued investment will help bring ground-breaking innovations to market and support the NHS.”

The WMHTIA includes partners from Aston University, Birmingham City University, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, and other regional institutions. The extension ensures continued support for a pipeline of promising companies developing transformative healthcare products and services.

As the programme enters its third year, the University of Birmingham and its partners are poised to deepen their impact—supporting start-ups, accelerating R&D, and driving economic growth in health and life sciences across the West Midlands.

What's new

West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator Unlocks Nearly £50M in Private Investment

The West Midlands Health Tech Innovation Accelerator (WMHTIA), led by the University of Birmingham, has generated an impressive £49.4 million in private co-investment within its first two years, significantly surpassing its original £14.5 million public funding allocation.

Funded through the Innovation Accelerator programme, coordinated by Innovate UK, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and UK Research and Innovation, WMHTIA has become a leading force in advancing health technology innovation across the region.

The majority of the private investment—£36.3 million—was directly committed by investors to enterprises supported by the Accelerator. This achievement represents a threefold return on the initial public investment, demonstrating the strong investor confidence in the region’s health tech sector.

Powering Health Innovation Through Collaboration

The WMHTIA brings together 21 partners from academia, industry, and the NHS to help healthtech companies develop, validate, and commercialise cutting-edge medical technologies. So far, companies supported through the programme have also secured an additional £10 million in national public grants from agencies including NIHR, Eureka, and Innovate UK.

Including both public and private contributions, the total investment leveraged by WMHTIA now stands at £67.3 million.

Professor Adam Tickell, Vice-Chancellor, University of Birmingham:

We’re proud to support startups through the riskiest stages of innovation so more life-saving technologies reach patients. This exceptional investment proves what’s possible when academia, the NHS, and industry work together to drive economic growth and better health outcomes.

In March 2025, the Innovation Accelerator programme was extended with a further £30 million, including £4 million for the WMHTIA to continue supporting the region’s innovators in 2025/26.

Backing the Future of Health Tech

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands:

The West Midlands is leading medical tech innovation—from faster diagnoses to shorter hospital stays. Healthtech isn’t just improving lives; it’s creating secure, high-value jobs that drive inclusive growth.

Dean Cook, Executive Director of Place and Global, Innovate UK:

This programme shows how place-based innovation can unlock greater business investment in R&D. By connecting the region’s strengths, we’re creating high-value jobs and building globally significant innovation capability.

The WMHTIA continues to strengthen the region’s reputation as a national hub for health technology, with far-reaching benefits for patient care, job creation, and regional economic development.

By Anushka Malhotra

24 Jun