A celebration of collaboration and discovery
What a fantastic day it was at Scotland’s Health Research and Innovation Conference 2025, held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. The event, hosted by NHS Research Scotland and the Chief Scientist Office, brought together over 600 delegates from healthcare, academia, and industry.
The conference theme, Research Enabled Health Innovation, captured the shared ambition to translate cutting-edge research into tangible benefits for patients across Scotland. Opening remarks recorded from Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, set the tone for a day focused on action, not just discussion — a true showcase of health innovation in practice.
Showcasing Scotland’s research strengths
The programme featured leading voices in science and innovation, including Professor Lucy Chappell, Professor Patrick Chinnery, and Professor Melanie Davies. Each highlighted how collaboration, data sharing, and a strong innovation ecosystem can drive transformative healthcare advances.
Driving collaboration through the CRDC UK Network
A highlight of the event was the session on the Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) UK Network. The initiative aims to turbocharge commercial trial delivery across the NHS by uniting regional CRDCs into a collaborative national framework.
This data-driven network is designed to accelerate study setup, promote shared learning, and enhance strategic engagement with industry.
Such collaboration not only strengthens the NHS’s ability to compete globally but also supports a sustainable culture of health innovation across the UK.
Research powering economic and social value
The conference also showcased the economic impact of UK health and life sciences research. The sector generates an estimated £108.1 billion turnover, with more than £10 billion invested in health R&D annually.
Research has delivered measurable benefits for NHS efficiency and patient outcomes. These figures highlight how investment in research creates both economic strength and societal benefit.
Moving from insight to impact
Events like this demonstrate the importance of partnership. At Microbira, we share the belief that health innovation starts with collaboration — connecting researchers, clinicians, and data-driven technologies to create measurable patient impact.
We left #ScotHIRC25 energised and inspired to continue our mission of turning our research driven product, MAAP-IR, into a practical solution that improve lives through health innovation across Scotland and beyond.
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