Health Accelerator

Propel Healthtech is Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber’s accelerator programme that provides innovative organisations developing  health solutions with access to a six-month structured course of support and advice aimed at enabling accelerated company growth and increased market presence.

The pioneering programme is open to all SMEs that can demonstrate innovative health and patient solutions and have either an existing presence in the region or are willing to establish one.

It provides a unique and tailored set of advisory, guidance and support services to enable global organisations to bring innovative health and patient solutions to the region’s population and the wider health economy.

Propel Healthtech is delivered in collaboration with our 24 partner organisations.  These organisations work with us to help guide the innovators to meet the specific demands of the NHS.

We also work with various ecosystems across West Yorkshire to support collaboration and the innovators growth into our region.

The programmes are aimed at both start-up and scale-up companies.

Start-up programme:

Designed for early-stage innovators, this programme offers a powerful blend of: 

  • 10 immersive days of masterclasses led by industry experts 
  • Tailored 1-to-1 mentoring to address each Innovator’s unique challenges
  • Collaborative opportunities through in-person meetups and a vibrant online community 

Our start-up programme is based on our five pillars that are critical to innovators’ success through their journey into the NHS. These are:

  1. The NHS
    Understanding the NHS landscape, organisational structure, national and local programmes, stakeholder management and engagement.
  2. Legal
    Key legal considerations for innovators – including company structure, formation and employment, data protection and patient confidentiality, intellectual property rights and medical device requirements.
  3. Finance and funding
    Covering key areas including how finances flow through the NHS, purchasing and procurement, funding options and grants, investor networks, funding partners and pitching for funding.
  4. Networking
    Linking in with the local health tech ecosystem, co-location and business support, the start-up network, mentoring support and collaboration with partners.
  5. Growth and spread
    Governance and assurance requirements, clinical safety, navigating the innovation pathway, grant funding and funding flows, accessibility and sustainability, valuation and evidence, from pilot to adoption & beyond.

Our goal is to guide start-ups along the innovation pathway and set them up for long-term success. 

Scale-Up Programme

This programme is tailored for innovators who already have traction within the NHS and are ready to scale further. Participants will benefit from: 

  • High-impact workshops and events 
  • Dedicated 1-to-1 support 
  • Strategic guidance to expand their reach within the NHS and internationally 

Topics covered include:

  1. Funding and investment for growth
  2. Scaling your organisation
  3. Expansion further into the NHS
  4. Expansion internationally

The programmes will be delivered in conjunction within the West Yorkshire region, which includes the NHS system, Universities, incubator & innovation centres and the 24 Propel partners to support the innovators. 

Find out more about our successes in our Impact Reports below:

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