Knowledge exchange opportunity for Early Career Researchers

When and where?

Date and location needed, 2017

Aim & content:

A unique and inspirational opportunity to discover the wider world of Research & Development!

Attendees were invited to spend a day learning about innovation and the product development process in small businesses to discover how working together could make a difference to patient care. They found out how clinical experience, and/or research could impact and influence the commercial world of research and development in small to medium enterprises (SME). They could then understand how their ideas could contribute to product development and how the commercial sector could innovatively help them and their patients.

The NHS Research & Development team are interested in better connected research by consistently enabling researchers to get the knowledge and skills required to develop their research career.

We believe this pilot exchange programme provided a rare insight into a world of health research beyond the NHS and created a range of new opportunities.

The event was offered to early career health and social care researchers from non-medical professions interested taking part in this pilot knowledge exchange project to connect, learn, and share with a product developer in the North West.

They could spend the day with:

• Blanken Care – a UK designer / manufacturer of high absorbency reusable nappies and continence wear for all ages and sizes.
• Ayni Vitality – the creator of allergy free chocolates and gluten free products.
• Howz designers – of digital monitoring equipment around the person’s real needs; an interlinking series of monitors around the home, checking unobtrusively for changes in a person’s normal routine.