14/01/2026
Babraham Research Campus and Health Innovation East partnership brings NHS insight to early-stage innovators
Babraham Research Campus has announced a new partnership with Health Innovation East, designed to help early-stage life-science and medtech companies translate breakthrough science into solutions that can be adopted by the NHS and deliver real patient impact.
The collaboration strengthens the pathway between discovery and implementation by giving Babraham-based ventures early access to NHS expertise, health-economic insight and real-world testing environments. The partnership aims to reduce the risk faced by innovators and accelerate progress from laboratory research to patient benefit.
Turning early discovery into NHS-ready innovation
Babraham Research Campus is internationally recognised for its academic excellence and vibrant community of early-stage companies. Through this partnership, campus companies will be able to engage early on with the realities of the healthcare system, including care pathways, commissioning decisions and evidence requirements, helping founders shape their innovation strategies with greater confidence.
Health Innovation East, part of the national Health Innovation Network, acts as the NHS-mandated innovation arm for the East of England. Its role is to identify high-potential innovations, prepare them for real-world adoption and support scale across the health system.
Case study: Myonerv — shaping a medtech roadmap with NHS insight
The value of the partnership is already evident through companies such as Myonerv, founded by Sam Kamali and based at Babraham Research Campus through the Cambridge Neuroworks Fellowship programme.
Myonerv is developing a wearable medical device aimed at improving recovery for people living with stroke-related paralysis. As an early-stage venture, understanding how the technology might fit into NHS care pathways, and what evidence would be needed to support adoption, was critical.
Through Health Innovation East, the Myonerv team was connected with NHS specialists familiar with stroke care, as well as health economists, medical directors and patient groups. This support helped the company identify gaps in its development roadmap, refine its value proposition and strengthen its approach to health-economic evidence and patient involvement.
Crucially, Health Innovation East has worked alongside Myonerv as a delivery partner and co-applicant on grant funding, lending additional credibility to funding applications and helping ensure the innovation is aligned with real NHS needs.
Sam describes Health Innovation East as an “external member of our team”, providing hands-on, practical support that goes far beyond signposting, from structured NHS engagement to generating evidence that can be used in funding and investment discussions.
Building confidence for investors, funders and the NHS
By combining Babraham Research Campus’s early-stage innovation environment with Health Innovation East’s deep understanding of NHS implementation, the partnership helps companies:
For the NHS, the collaboration supports earlier engagement with promising innovations that address genuine unmet needs and improve outcomes for patients.
Supporting sustainable UK bioscience
Louise Jopling, Chief Scientific and Innovation Officer at Babraham Research Campus, said:
“Babraham Research Campus supports UK bioscience through academic research but also with facilities and capabilities for early-stage and growing commercial organisations. Our collaboration with Health Innovation East enables these cutting-edge companies the insights, economic evidence and implementation expertise they need to secure support from investors and the health and care system.”
This partnership reinforces Babraham Research Campus’s role as a test-bed for innovation, where bold ideas can be developed, challenged and refined in partnership with the healthcare system, ensuring that great science translates into meaningful impact for patients and society.
To find out more and how your organisation could be involved, contact louise.jopling@babraham.co.uk