A year on since the merger of Medilink East Midlands and Medilink West Midlands, the work undertaken by the merged entity Medilink Midlands shows a bright and vibrant future for life science companies in the region.

Medilink Midlands is a Midlands life science industry association working to help companies in the sector to establish themselves, develop and achieve long-term growth. With a network of over 5,700 contacts in over 2,300 organisations and a membership base of over 210 companies, Medilink Midlands is positioned at the centre of the Midlands life science sector, connecting industry, universities and the NHS.

In November 2019, work began to combine the previous regional organisations, Medilink East Midlands and Medilink West Midlands, into an organisation which could better serve and aid the entirety of the Midlands region, standing alongside organisations such as the Midlands Engine, to present a more cohesive and unified approach to Government. In October 2020, Medilink East and West Midlands had fully combined their operations and have helped the Midlands life science community in a number of ways since then.

Medilink Midlands’ event programme saw over 90 virtual events delivered in the past year, with combined delegate numbers of over 3,000. Medilink Midlands also collaborated with the Office for Life Sciences to deliver a series of post-Brexit webinars. These were designed to help the Government gain invaluable industry insight in the Midlands life science sector, contributing in a very real way to future Government policy. Medilink Midlands’ event management service also saw the company deliver the Midlands Innovation Health Life Science Symposium in November 2021, which saw over 200 people from across the region come together in person to hear about the Midlands’ future prospects and plans.

Medilink Midlands has supported the Midlands Engine’s flagship industry roundtable event, which gave delegates the opportunity to share industry perspectives on the challenges, barriers and opportunities for the Life Sciences sector in the Midlands. Medilink Midlands utilised its extensive network to ensure that a substantial number of life science businesses, of various specialisms and sizes, were able to attend. This gave the event an industry focus which helped to inform Midlands Engine’s future operations and efforts. As a key bridge between Government and Industry, Medilink Midlands assistance in this event was crucial to its success.

Medilink Midlands has also partnered with the Midlands Engine Economic Observatory (MEEO), who were creating a study which looked at the strength and resilience of life science manufacturing in the Midlands. Medilink Midlands identified key companies from across the sector, interviews and appointments were arranged, and the MEEO team received crucial industry insight into its research, which could not have happened without Medilink Midlands assistance.

Make UK – the representative body for UK manufacturing – and Medilink Midlands identified a mutually beneficial opportunity to work together in June 2021. The two organisations wanted to ensure that members of both parties have access to the best possible information, services and support, to deliver the best possible environment for UK manufacturing.

Thanks to the newly founded partnership, Medilink Midlands Members can now enjoy access to Make UK information and resources, including market intelligence and practical solutions to market needs, access to Make UK member events and complimentary Affiliate Membership of Make UK.

Medilink Midlands is committed to working alongside Make UK to improve the image of manufacturing, and to create a favourable environment for manufacturing, at a local, regional, national and EU level.

Looking to the future, Medilink Midlands hopes to extend its influence further, and will look at working alongside other regional support organisations to ensure that the region receives Government investment and that the voices of the Midlands life science industry and Medilink Midlands Members are heard loud and clear in Westminster.

Medilink Midlands will also look at establishing a greater industry voice in the East of England. This is an area which has an existing life science business base and exciting prospects for business, academia and the NHS. Given Medilink Midlands’ growing relationship with companies in the region, including Anglia Ruskin University, who have been a Medilink Midlands Patron since March 2021 and who have partnered with Medilink Midlands to deliver the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, the opportunities for growth and development of the sector, region, and Medilink Midlands itself, are very promising indeed.

Professor Martin Levermore MBE DL, Chairman of Medilink Midlands, said: “As I look back over our first year as a combined Medilink Midlands, it is amazing to see how much we have accomplished in such a short space of time. Going forward, we will build on these firm foundations which we have established in this past year and continue to advance further. As a membership organisation and an industry authority, we are very well placed for the future and will continue to help not only our Members and Patrons, but also the region as a whole, to develop and grow.”

Dr Faz Chowdhury, CEO of Nemaura Pharma and Medilink Midlands Board Director, added: “Since coming together as one Medilink Midlands, the company has seen enormous changes, both in terms of internal operations and the wider external environment. I am glad to say that Medilink Midlands is placed in a very strong position for the future, both in terms of its business support activities and offering, and as a key player in the Midlands life science sector. As a life science business owner myself, I can fully appreciate the value of Medilink Midlands and its network, and as a member of the Medilink Midlands Board, I have been fortunate enough to contribute towards guiding Medilink Midlands to where it is today. Looking to the future, I believe that there is a lot of potential for further growth and development.”