£80m boost for West Yorkshire’s digital and health technology firms
Businesses, universities and hospitals will benefit from a multi-million pound investment zone to drive the development of life changing technologies, it can be announced.
The £80m plan will be brought forward by West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin on March 14, when regional leaders meet for the final Combined Authority meeting of her mayoral term.
The first half of the 10-year, £160m West Yorkshire Healthtech and Digital Tech Investment Zone – which received the green light from Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove last week – is expected to leverage over £220m of public and private sector investment over the next five years, creating over 2,500 skilled jobs.
Our University will offer businesses in the digital and health technology sectors access to many ways to make a difference, through innovation, workforce development and access to high end facilities
The unprecedented package of support will bring together universities, businesses and hospitals to deliver cutting-edge research and develop innovative new technologies for patients, to be used in the UK and world-wide.
As the home of NHS England, West Yorkshire is a global leader in health and digital technology, with universities in Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds partnering with NHS Trusts and local firms to share their expertise, develop exciting new products, and transform patient care for millions of people.
Above: the DHEZ
Professor Shirley Congdon, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Bradford, said: "We welcome the opportunities for Bradford and West Yorkshire businesses afforded by the Investment Zone. Our University will offer businesses in the digital and health technology sectors access to many ways to make a difference, through innovation, workforce development and access to high end facilities, an example of which is our recent £4.8m award from Research England to develop and evaluate innovative health technology.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said: “For the UK economy to prosper it needs West Yorkshire to succeed, and devolution is helping us empower our health-tech and digital sectors, transforming the lives of patients world-wide.
“This multi-million pound investment will help us build world-leading centres of innovation in Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds, bringing together our universities, businesses and hospitals to drive the development of life changing technologies and deliver thousands of skilled jobs.
“Through our investment zone, we’re changing our region for the long-term, working with partners and the government to build a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire that works for all.”
The investment zone will centre around three, nationally significant clusters of economic activity, powered by investment in infrastructure, skills training and businesses support.
They are:
- The Digital Health Enterprise Zone (DHEZ) at the University of Bradford, which supports business growth, knowledge and skills development by connecting with academics, researchers and health & social care partners. It also contributes to the training of future healthcare professionals, advancing research and commercial opportunities through its dedicated simulation space, The Technology House. Its aim is to work with other universities, local government and partners to make West Yorkshire the place for health tech innovation.
- A National Health Innovation Campus at the University of Huddersfield, where the university is investing over £250 million to develop a state-of-the-art campus, focused on specialist clinical teaching and research to tackle health inequalities.
- A Leeds Innovation Village, with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust constructing a new, world-leading digital hospital, bringing together businesses, clinicians and academics at Leeds General Infirmary to drive innovation.