Health Innovation Leeds

Introduction

Transforming health and care through data-driven research, LIDA plays a central role in the city’s internationally-renowned ecosystem, represented by Health Innovation Leeds.

Health Innovation Leeds brings together an outstanding industry cluster, research excellence and a single, unified healthcare system, showcasing the city’s world-leading strengths in data, digital and AI. With state-of-the-art facilities, a densely-connected and fast-growing innovation infrastructure and an unrivalled approach to collaboration, the future of health innovation is here.

Leeds - The Healthcare Innovation Powerhouse

In 2025, the city has taken powerful partnership working to the next level across the Health Innovation Leeds ecosystem.

In June, a partnership of senior leaders welcomed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting – who hailed Leeds as a “healthcare innovation powerhouse”.

As part of the visit, the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced that the city will be home to the Government’s new Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) digital hub.

One of the most interconnected ecosystems in the UK, Leeds was selected due to its expertise in digital health and strong academic base. LIDA’s work to link academic data science and AI research with business, government and the third sector is at the heart of this, fuelling a city that is, according to national Government, “already leading the way in digital health.”

The UK’s third largest and fastest-growing city, Leeds has the size, energy and ambition to make national change happen at pace. That’s why it has been named as the government's go-to location to lead the flagship health mission.

This new national pilot programme is designed to transform public services and shape future policy, and means more of the groundbreaking solutions developed in Leeds through the work of institutions like LIDA will not only benefit and be shaped by local people, but will extend further – revolutionising care nationally and globally.

Leeds Health and Care Partnership

Linking national and local priorities, the Leeds Health and Care Partnership has made strides in priority areas, including bringing intermediate care closer to home through the exemplary HomeFirst programme. Combining rich data, innovative digital health technologies and strong partnership working, the initiative has reduced hospital admissions by more than 1,000 each year, and helped people spend 40% less time in hospital.

As this highly successful initiative enters its second phase, it will extend its focus to transform care for people living with long term conditions. This builds on and incorporates groundbreaking work from LIDA and city experts as part of a revolutionary research project, the first phase of which was known as SEISMIC.

Taking place between July 2023 – August 2025, this brought applied health research, systems design and engineering together with the city’s healthcare system to transform the quality of life for people who have multiple long-term health conditions, especially those living in the most deprived areas of Leeds.

Now, the nationally-significant prototype for health system transformation is being harnessed as part of HomeFirst as it develops to support people to stay well for as long as possible.

National Neighbourhood Health

Signalling further confidence in the city as a driving force for local and national change, Leeds has been selected as part of the first wave of the Government’s National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme.

As part of this, Leeds Academic Health Partnership (LAHP) is developing a community of practice for neighbourhood health involving the city’s three universities, and LIDA's health researchers will be among the leading academics instrumental to its success.

One of the largest partnerships of its kind in the UK, LAHP brings together the city’s three major universities, local NHS Trusts, Leeds City Council, Leeds City College and local and regional partners including third sector organisations – united by a mission to solve some of the hardest health challenges and tackle inequalities.

Among its core focus areas, the LAHP is connecting research and innovation with the wider health and care system across the city and region. This includes leading the Technology Enabled Care (TEC) working group, and developing a citywide strategy to embed a joined up, person-centred approach to using technology to support our community’s health and wellbeing.

Reflecting focus areas, LAHP introduced two new posts as part of its small and dynamic team in 2025, welcoming Stephen Blackburn in the role of Innovation Specialist (and chair of the TEC working group) and Sarah Holbrey as Research Collaboration Manager.

If you have any questions, or would like to explore ways to increase collaboration and connectivity across academia, industry, health and care and local government, please get in touch with Stephen or Sarah:

Stephen Blackburn: [email protected]
Sarah Holbrey: [email protected]

New Health Innovation Leeds Incubator

As the year comes to a close, this unprecedented level of citywide collaboration shows no sign of slowing down, with the news of a new £2m Health Innovation Leeds Incubator.

Leeds is one of the top three global locations for healthtech companies –  a place where businesses don’t just launch, they really take off.

Funded through the West Yorkshire Healthtech Investment Zone, the Health Innovation Leeds Incubator will provide regional businesses – of any size – with the support they need to scale successfully. This includes helping to identify and address specific challenges companies may be facing, and build bespoke support to unlock businesses growth,

Led by a collective of some of the city’s leading organisations – the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, working together with Leeds City Council and regional organisations.

Following the successful launch of Health Innovation Leeds in 2024, this year sees city partners redouble their commitment to raising the city’s profile in partnership by developing a shared, evidence-based and audience-led offer for the city’s health innovation sector. This emerging narrative will strengthen the city’s collective influence as it raises its profile nationally and internationally as a city setting the pace and shaping the future. A city where breakthroughs are born, ideas are tested at speed, and where bold partnerships turn research into reality.

Find out more about Health Innovation Leeds Return to the Annual Showcase 2025