Region needs strong shared narrative
The West Midlands must tell its story more boldly to fulfil its destiny as a world-class “health innovation zone,” an NHS executive said today.
Judith Stewart, director of commercial business and economic development at Health Innovation West Midlands, said “a common narrative” was key to enabling the region to fulfil its potential not just for the UK but for the wider world.
Her views were echoed by Al Carns, Armed Forces Minister and MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, who said “we’ve got to put our elbows out” and claim the investment the region deserves.
11,000 medical graduates a year
“In terms of life sciences, the West Midlands has it all – universities, 11,000 graduates every single year in medical disciplines, which means we’ve got the talent,” said Judith.
“We’ve got the ecosystem in terms of the support structure, the [WM] Growth Company, health tech cluster, the [WM] Combined Authority is absolutely championing health tech, med tech, life sciences.
‘Common narrative needed’
“What we haven’t yet got is that common narrative. And we need to talk about our successes. We need to talk about the international companies, the local companies, who are already selling into the NHS and internationally into health markets.
“The key thing is for us talk about us. We need to manage that message, ensure that people really listen to the really big opportunities that we’ve got in this patch and make the most of it.
Judith was speaking as part of a panel chaired by Carns at Birmingham City FC as part of the inaugural Life Sciences Week.
‘Be less humble’
Fellow panellist Dr Adam McGuiness, of Plug & Play, echoed her sentiments, calling for Birmingham and the Brummies within it to must be “less humble” and promote the med tech and bio tech endeavours they are involved with.
“These companies are really and truly world-class – and we need to shout about that,” he said.
‘We’ve got to put our elbows out, push other people out the way’
Carns said: “Birmingham has so much to offer. We’ve got the most stable, youngest population, we’ve got the most diverse population. We’ve got some of the best universities, some of the best medical schools, we’ve got the best hospitals, we’ve got the centre of defence medicine.
“Combine all that together with a huge amount of entrepreneurs and startups and just the humble but really proactive spirit of the Birmingham population, we’ve got something that is way above and beyond any other city in the UK.
“We’ve got to tell that narrative. We’ve got to put our elbows out, push other people out the way and make sure we get inward investment, but also improve the life, and quality chances for the rest of the Birmingham population.”
