Liverpool John Moores University kicked-off the Staff Exchange in Liverpool and this took place from January, 29th till the 31st. They welcomed the project partners and its stakeholders on the first day at one of its locations. The delegation visited the Aintree hospital and the Walton Centre. This day gave insights of the Innovation Scouts programme. Different innovation scouts emphasized the importance of the human aspect for innovation. Innovation needs support. ‘Innovation is a cultural challenge’, Marc Lucky, Consultant Urologist and Andrological Surgeon, said. In the afternoon Juliette Kumar (Associate Director Improvement & Education at Innovation Agency - AHSN for the North West Coast) and Michael Gibney (Director of Workforce of NHS) gave the delegation the opportunity to participate in an active session of the hackathon which took place at the Walton Centre.
On January the 30th Alder Hey invited the HELIUM project to visit their Childrens Hospital and Innovation Hub. Various speakers inspired the partners and stakeholders of the HELIUM project with their interesting and surprising innovations. Savvas Neophytou presented the Good Practice Acorn. He showed how they work to give digital health start-ups the best possible chance of success towards getting their products or services to the market. In the afternoon, the HELIUM project partners and stakeholders were given a tour around the hospital. They were also informed about the innovation process of the hospital by Development Director David Powel. Mark Turner, Director of Research and Development and Honorary Consultant Neonatologist ended the day at Alder Hey with an interactive discussion about research & innovation.
The last day saw inspiring presentations by different innovation scouts at The New Royal Liverpool Hospital. Prof. Vallabhaneni shared his experience and expertise on acceleration in the Life Sciences Industry by presenting the health innovation cycle. Mark Jackson, R&I director at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, showed concrete results of 3D printed innovations. Director Carole Spencer and Juliette Kumar of The Innovation Agency AHSN for the North West Coast explained the role of their organization in innovation. Alex McCrudden shared her enthusiasm about being a scout and the useful experience of a hackathon.
After this Staff Exchange project partners and stakeholders are able to bring lots of new information on these Good Practices back home in order to inspire partners in their regions, and brainstorm on the opportunities for implementation of these Good Practices in their own regions.
Read more on the website of Liverpool John Moores University
