Welcome to Connect: Health Tech

Joining the dots to turn ideas at the interface between medicine and technology into reality

Our Mission About Us

Creating a future greater Cambridge Cluster with natural cross-fertilisation of scientists, companies, entrepreneurs, research exchange, acceleration and incubation activities between innovation hubs. Joining the dots so you can navigate Cambridge. 


Connect: Health Tech is a new University Enterprise Zone (UEZ). Catalysed by funding from Research England, it has been created to build a highly effective interdisciplinary bridge between two Cambridge research hubs — the West science and technology hub anchored at the Maxwell Centre and South biomedical hub anchored at the Milner Therapeutics Institute.

The bridge will bring together and integrate a community from across the University, research institutes, NHS, industry, investors, local and national Government, with a focus on med tech, digital health and therapeutics, to create opportunities that will transform the interface between medicine and technology.

To create a thriving business and enterprise community that connects our stakeholders the UEZ has developed a digital platform where users will be able to find new contacts and networks to discuss areas of common interest and catalyse interdisciplinary interactions across the physical and life sciences. Engaging with this online community will enable businesses to share the challenges they face so the community can help solve real world problems.

Connect: Health Tech UEZ will shortly publish a roadmap report detailing the interventions developed over the past 12 months, with potential to be adopted by other hubs to catalyse connections and collaborations across disciplines. The digital report, Creating a University Enterprise Zone for Cambridge across the life and physical sciences will be available to read or download through the microsite Connect: Health Tech.

Help join the dots across the research ecosystem by joining our growing interdisciplinary online community. Join us at connect.cam.ac.uk/health-tech

#joiningthedots

A Big Thanks

Thank you to Research England for funding this initiative.

University of Cambridge

  • Milner Therapeutics Institute*  (Therapeutics hub for Connect: Health Tech)
  • Maxwell Centre* (Med Tech hub for Connect: Health Tech)
  • Office for Translational Research*
  • Cambridge Academy of Therapeutic Sciences*
  • Cambridge University Health Partners*
  • Cambridge Enterprise
  • Judge Business School
  • Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
  • IdeaSpace

*jointly tasked with leading the delivery of the UEZ


External Partners in the bid:

  • Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry
  • Association of the British Healthcare Industries
  • Astra Zeneca
  • Babraham Research Campus
  • Bradfield Centre
  • Cambridge Innovation Capital
  • Cambridge Network
  • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority
  • Cambridge University Health Partners
  • Cartezia
  • Eastern Academic Health Science Network
  • Cytiva
  • One Nucleus
  • Start Codon

Governance

UEZ Lead: Prof Andy Neely, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations

Our Facilities

South Cambridge

Biomedical Campus

The Cambridge Biomedical Campus (CBC) is located at the heart of the UK’s and Europe’s leading life sciences cluster. We are a vibrant, international healthcare community and a global leader in medical science, research, education and patient care.

By locating world-leading academic and industry scientists on the same site as the teaching hospitals of the University of Cambridge, we are creating the optimum environment for the rapid and effective translation of research into routine clinical practice.

We succeed because of the strength of our ecosystem which allows ideas to develop and flourish. We have the physical space to accommodate new and expanding companies and the international connections to be the global hub for content and research.

The principles underpinning the campus are collaboration and sharing. We foster an environment where individual organisations both contribute to, as well as gain from the success of others on site and where like-minded people work in partnership, committed to realising a shared ambition of improving patient care and outcomes – through the discovery, commercialisation and adoption of innovative new products and services into healthcare practice.

Organisations at CBC can gain access to new ideas and breakthrough discoveries through regular contact with world-leading academics, business and clinicians. The opinion leaders of today and the breakthroughs of tomorrow are here on Campus. All in one location, CBC Campus occupiers include:

  • Milner Therapeutics Institute
  • Healthcare and the NHS
  • Addenbrooke’s Hospital
  • Rosie Maternity Hospital
  • Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
  • Education
  • The Deakin Centre
  • Cambridge Academy for Science and Technology
  • University & Research Institutes
  • University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine – housed in multiple buildings across the CBC and comprising twelve Academic Departments, four Research Institutes and five Medical Research Council (MRC) units
  • The Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB)
  • Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute
  • Heart and Lung Research Institute
  • Addenbrooke’s Centre for Clinical Investigation
  • Industry & Expansion
  • AstraZeneca and MedImmune’s Strategic R&D Centre
  • GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) Experimental Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology Unit
  • Abcam PLC Headquarters
  • ideaSpace – a co-working community of start-ups
  • IOTA Pharmaceuticals


West Cambridge

The University’s vision for West Cambridge is for:

  • A world-class, well connected research and development environment that benefits Cambridge, the region and the UK – one that provides facilities that help the University to retain its globally competitive position by continuing to attract and retain the world's best academics and researchers, as well as one that supports entrepreneurship and collaboration with industry.
  • A high quality working environment that inspires pride and achievement as a world-renown research and development site.
  • High standards in environmental sustainability across the site and sustainable travel methods to and from the site.

There are five objectives:

  1. To optimise the amount of development on the site, to help enhance the position of the City and Region as a world leader in Research and Development
  2. To support the commercialisation of knowledge through entrepreneurship and collaborations with industry
  3. To create and sustain a high quality place by transforming the physical and social environment for site users and neighbours.
  4. To create flexible and efficient space to support viability and long-term value creation
  5. To deliver sustainable development by proactively investing in the quality of the estate and its integration within the City.