Mayor kickstarts delivery of £160 million Investment Zone with new support for hundreds of healthtech firms

08 April 2025

• West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin has unveiled a new support scheme to fuel the growth of hundreds of healthtech companies in the region
• The £4.5 million support kicks off the delivery of the region’s flagship Investment Zone, which could unlock £220 million of investment and support the creation of 2,500 jobs over the next five years
• This follows the launch of the region’s £7 billion Local Growth Plan, which details proposals to boost the region’s fastest growing business sectors such as health technology

Hundreds of healthtech firms in West Yorkshire will benefit from new support to accelerate their growth, create jobs and develop lifechanging new technologies for patients.

£4.5 million of new funding will see up to 240 businesses receive intensive support and masterclasses over the next four years, helping them to navigate regulations, break into new markets, and overcome barriers to growth.

Funded by the West Yorkshire Mayor, the support will be targeted at small and medium-sized businesses working in the health technology sector, to help them navigate the funding, expertise and markets that are needed to innovate and grow. Companies with a commitment to growing in the region, creating good local jobs and benefitting local patients, will be chief among those eligible.

The support will be delivered in partnership with Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, opening up a peer-to-peer network of hundreds of companies which can offer guidance, mentorship and knowledge-sharing. This builds on the model pioneered by the successful Propel programme, which has been running in Leeds since 2019.

The flagship support scheme was announced by Mayor Tracy Brabin to an audience of businesses and scientists at the Yorkshire Bio-Partnering 2025 conference today (Tuesday 8 April), co-hosted by the University of Bradford and the North’s leading life sciences non-profit membership organisation, Bionow.

Following her speech, Mayor Brabin visited the Leeds-based designer and manufacturer of operating lights, Brandon Medical, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing healthtech businesses like theirs. Brandon Medical is a multi-award winning innovator employing 75 local workers and pioneering the use of SMART technologies in operating theatres.

Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:

“The first priority of our Local Growth Plan is to boost our region’s fastest growing business sectors, because we know that’s how we’re going to drive investment, create jobs and put more money in people’s pockets.

“Today, we’re launching £4.5 million of new support for our world-leading health technology firms, which already generate £3 billion for our economy but could go even further with the right backing.

“This will help with access to finance, skills and workspace to bolster collaboration with hospitals and universities, boosting growth and helping us build a stronger, brighter West Yorkshire.”

Richard Stubbs, Chief Executive of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, said:

"This landmark investment recognises the incredible potential of West Yorkshire’s healthtech sector to drive innovation, improve patient care, and stimulate our regional economy. We are excited to collaborate with the West Yorkshire Mayor to foster a thriving health innovation ecosystem that supports businesses and delivers long-term impact across the region.

“We understand that there is a clear and vital link between good health and economic productivity, and this investment recognises that connection. It will support businesses developing innovations that address health and care system needs and enable people to stay healthier for longer, aligning perfectly with our mission to drive the spread of innovations that benefit patients and support inclusive economic growth.

“Our Propel@YH accelerator has a proven track record in scaling healthtech start-ups and scale-ups, and it is the ideal platform to deliver the Healthtech Accelerator scheme. By offering tailored business support, we will help innovators scale their solutions into the NHS, attract investment, and contribute to inclusive economic growth throughout the region.”

Adrian Hall, Chief Executive Officer of Brandon Medical, said:

“We’re really pleased to see this kind of backing for healthtech in West Yorkshire. It shows real commitment to the type of innovation that makes a difference — not just to businesses like ours, but to the NHS and the patients it serves.

“We’ve always believed in building things that solve real problems. That’s what drives our work — designing SMART systems that make operating theatres safer, more efficient, and ready for the future. We want the best of the best for tomorrow. We understand our part in transforming global healthcare, forging the train tracks to lead towards that future.

“This Investment Zone, and the Healthtech Accelerator in particular, is a huge step forward. It brings together the support, skills, and partnerships that businesses like ours need to grow — and to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare.”

The new support for the healthtech sector has been funded through the first half of the £160 million, ten-year Investment Zone devolved to the region, for which £80 million has been secured from the government.

By leveraging up to £220 million of investment and supporting the creation of 2,500 jobs, the first five years of the Investment Zone will deliver on the region’s Local Growth Plan as well as the government’s Plan for Change, by boosting economic growth and unlocking new technologies that enable the NHS to improve patient care and cut waiting lists.

West Yorkshire is a global magnet for health innovation and home to over 300 healthtech companies, which have pioneered new products to support cancer patients during chemotherapy [Paxman Scalp Cooling], new software to speed up response times for paramedics [Dedalus], and a new blood test that uses AI to predict the likelihood of a patient having cancer as a percentage [Pinpoint Data Science].

The Investment Zone will support businesses such as these to grow while constructing the right underpinning infrastructure for them to thrive, through new capital investment in Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds.

Anchored around three flagship innovation sites, where businesses work in close proximity to universities and hospitals, the sites that will be supported to construct new and improved workspaces are:

• The Digital Health Enterprise Zone at the University of Bradford, which is the business arm of a £4.8 million Research England investment into the University’s Centre for Digital Innovations in Health & Social Care.

The University of Bradford supports business growth, knowledge sharing and skills development by bringing together academics, health practitioners and businesses. It has supported more than 40 businesses over the last 18 months to access its high-end instrumentation. Through free taster projects, these companies have developed new products and solved tough quality issues, experiencing the positive impact of working with universities.

Now, with initial investment of £900,000 from the Investment Zone, the Digitisation Hub will acquire new equipment and grow its services to the healthtech sector in the region.

• The 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.

The Emily Siddon Building will host new purpose-built diagnostic facilities – including MRI and CT scanners – for the benefit of local patients. Initial investment of £3.6 million from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority is supporting the construction of the fourth floor of this cutting-edge building, which will provide collaboration space for health academics, hospital practitioners and businesses to test, launch and commercialise new ideas from December 2025.

Additional investment of £2 million will support the University to deliver a new business incubator scheme, designed to help early-stage start-ups to access finance, skills and workspace. The support will include training and workshops, mentorship, and access to specialist equipment and co-working space at both the Emily Siddon Building and The Glass Box business centre.

• The 1 million square foot Leeds Innovation Village at the site of Leeds General Infirmary, which will include the redevelopment of the Old Medical School into a cutting-edge innovation hub co-locating clinicians, entrepreneurs and academics.

The Innovation Village will play a pivotal role in the £2 billion Leeds Innovation Arc, and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust will help create a go-to destination for science, research, technology and innovation, delivering 4,000 jobs and £13 billion of economic benefit. It will also foster strong collaboration with the state-of-the-art business hub Nexus, based at the University of Leeds.

Initial investment of £730,000 from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority will support the transformation of Fairfax Hall at Leeds Beckett University into a vibrant co-working space for firms developing health and sports technology. The physical Sport Healthtech Incubator will provide these firms with invaluable access to specialist expertise and equipment, while stimulating collaborations between industry and academia to fuel growth.

The Leeds Innovation Arc will be further supported by an envisaged route of Mayor Brabin’s proposed Mass Transit system, which would see trams run along the spine of the Innovation Arc, linking Leeds station and the South Bank to Harehills. This would bring modern, sustainable transport modes to the heart of the Innovation Arc, reducing north-south travel times, creating potential hubs around stops, and providing connections to the wider area.