An agreement has been signed between organisations in Canada and the UK which pledges to work in partnership to improve the health and wellbeing of older people.

As part of the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA’s) Healthy Ageing programme, along with Canadian organisations AGE-WELL and the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI) the first stage of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed in recognition of their joint commitment to accelerate healthy ageing technology for the benefit of older people in both the UK and Canada.

The MoU was signed in Manchester during a Canadian delegation visit to the UK as part of the joint UK-Canada AgeTech Innovation Exchange. The Exchange includes UK and Canadian businesses with products that have the potential to improve the health and well-being of older people.

The MoU builds on a five year collaboration between Canada and the NHSA and renews a pledge to work together to tackle major challenges in elderly care and bring innovation to the forefront of the industry.

Representatives from CABHI and AGE-WELL formed part of the delegation of Canadian innovators to the UK as part of the exchange programme, which coincided with NHS Confed Expo. The UK delegation will visit Canada later this month to coincide with the COLLISION event in Toronto.

Signatories signed the MoU in the UK and additional signatories will sign it when the UK delegation visits Canada.

Dr Mandy Dixon, Executive Lead for Corporate Engagement and Cluster Development, who leads the Healthy Ageing Programme at the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), said: “This MoU builds on, and consolidates, the NHSA’s longstanding relationship with our Canadian partners via our Northern Healthy Ageing Network. The NHSA has convened a unique consortium to deliver this inaugural UK Canada AgeTech Innovation Exchange and the MoU confirms our commitment to working with the partners involved to repeat and expand this programme over the coming years.”

Exchange partners are:

• Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network
• Academic Health Science Network for the North East and North Cumbria (AHSN NENC)
• Health Innovation Manchester Innovation Agency – part of the AHSN Network
• Department for Business and Trade
• Invest Newcastle

Five highly innovative healthcare companies from Canadian also attended NHS Confed Expo, taking part in an intensive bespoke support programme put together by the four Northern AHSN’s and co-funded by Innovate UK and Department for Business and Trade, to prepare them for market entry into the UK healthcare market. The support included connecting with key people in the NHS, visiting key industry and research locations in Manchester, including Manchester Science Parks & Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and in Newcastle at the National Innovation Centre Ageing.

Representatives from UKRI – UK Research and Innovation, Department for Business and Trade, Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA), Yorkshire and Humber AHSN and Health Innovation Manchester will accompany eight innovative UK healthcare companies to Toronto at the end of June 2023.

Sig Mikladal, Senior Programme Development Lead, Health Innovation Manchester, said: “We work to improve the lives of the citizens in Greater Manchester, addressing not only the health challenges associated with ageing but also levering the economic opportunities that this presents. It was a great pleasure to host the Canadian companies and showcase some of the fantastic healthy ageing related activities in Manchester. The Innovation Exchange allowed us to explore novel approaches with different perspectives for the UK healthcare market and demonstrate how a local neighbourhood approach combined with regional, national and international collaboration can come together to solve some of the greatest economic and healthcare related issues we face. I have no doubt that we will see some of the companies again in the UK soon and I look forward to accompanying our UK innovators to Canada.”