Health Hub 2020 re-launches to support the NHS in post COVID-19 environment

This month, we made a renewed call for applications to our Health Hub Accelerator in partnership with Wayra UK, which is part of the Novartis UK Biome. Health Hub 2020 will provide funding support for start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to accelerate digital solutions to help address the medium to long term challenges for the NHS created by COVID-19, in areas such as improving care pathways and continuity of care in community settings.

Successful companies will gain access to a wealth of support, including investment, mentoring, networking, residency and access to a range of commercial and healthcare masterclasses. At the end of the programme, the start-ups will be supported to establish ongoing relationships with the wider health-tech ecosystem, the NHS and Novartis.

COVID-19 has created a unique set of circumstances for the NHS; forcing it to adapt its operating model at a pace and scale never seen before. It has meant the health service is increasingly reliant on digital health solutions to ensure wherever clinically and practically possible, patients can access, and should access, healthcare through digital means.

In a post-COVID-19 era, the delivery of healthcare in the NHS will have been transformed. Through Health Hub 2020 and the Novartis Biome, we will support the NHS by harnessing the latest science and technology to develop and realise the healthcare solutions of tomorrow.

The Novartis Biome is a digital innovation hub that empowers health tech companies and people passionate about disrupting healthcare using data and digital technologies. The Biome is being built for entrepreneurs with a shared passion to innovate healthcare by solving real-world problems.

“At the moment, we are rightly focussing on addressing the immediate challenges presented by COVID-19. However, as part of Health Hub 2020 and the Novartis Biome, we are looking to work with start-ups and SMEs to support the NHS in preparing for medium and longer term challenges created by COVID-19. Society is already adapting and we want to help the health service to be prepared. At Novartis, we are passionate about working with partners to build a healthier tomorrow, so we look forward to continuing this journey with participants in the Novartis UK Biome,” commented Haseeb Ahmad, Managing Director, UK, Ireland and Nordics, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and Country President, Novartis UK.

This renewed call is part of a series of several steps being undertaken by Novartis UK to help support the NHS and broader society in addressing some of the challenges presented by COVID-19.  For more information on any of these activities, please visit the Novartis COVID-19 UK Information Centre here.

April 2020 | COR20-E047