Our partners

Leading healthcare innovation together

Our national collective of 15 health innovation networks is commissioned by NHS England and the Government’s Office for Life Sciences. We’re also a partner in the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative, which brings together key organisations to streamline the adoption of new innovations in healthcare.

Partnering nationally and locally

Together, health innovation networks work across the entire spectrum of organisations that operate within health and care innovation.

Each health innovation network works with a number of partners in their local system, and we work with many more on a national level. Although there are too many to mention here, we run many collaborative programmes with the following organisations:

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)

NICE provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care through independent assessments of complex evidence, developing recommendations and encouraging the uptake of best practice.

National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

NIHR funds, enables and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people’s health and wellbeing, and promotes economic growth.

Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI)

The ABHI supports the healthtech community to save and enhance lives, representing the industry to stakeholders such as the Government, NHS and regulators.

Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)

The ABPI works with its members, the Government and the NHS to enable patients to get new treatments faster and make the UK the best place in the world to research, develop and use new medicines and vaccines.

NHS Innovation Service

The NHS Innovation Service has been developed to accelerate the uptake of promising and impactful innovations into the NHS. Innovators can use the service to access bespoke support from all 15 heath innovation networks or support from national organisations.

SBRI Healthcare

SBRI Healthcare provides funding and support for innovators and entrepreneurs tackling identified healthcare problems in the NHS and wider health and social care system.

NHS Innovation Accelerator

An initiative set up by NHS England and supported by Heath Innovation Networks, the NIA accelerates uptake and spread of high impact innovations across the NHS to create better outcomes for patients, the public and NHS staff.

NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme

The NHS CEP, is an initiative set up to help healthcare staff to develop the commercial skills, knowledge and experience needed to successfully spread innovation, for the sake of patients, the public, and the wider NHS.

How heath innovation networks work with ICSs

Find out more about how heath innovation networks are supporting their local integrated care systems (ICSs) by reading our case studies that have been published by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC).

Commercial agreements

While our overarching funding comes from NHS England and the Government’s Office for Life Sciences, for some programmes of work, we develop joint working agreements with commercial organisations. In some instances, this includes additional funding which enables the health innovation networks and NHS to reach more patients, while ensuring the health and care system benefits from the very best innovations in health and care.