Health Innovation North West Coast welcomed its 2026 cohort of its Momentum Accelerator programme this week, bringing together a diverse group of innovators developing solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing health and care services.
The programme supports early and growth-stage companies to better understand the NHS landscape, strengthen their value proposition and explore routes to adoption, spread and scale across health and care systems.
This year's cohort includes companies working across a wide range of areas, including rare disease diagnostics, digital musculoskeletal care, paediatric rehabilitation, patient experience, mental health, inherited cancer risk, pharmacy innovation and AI-enabled healthcare solutions.
The event included presentations from programme mentors and partners, alongside introductions from the participating companies, which shared challenges they are addressing and their growth ambitions within the NHS and beyond.
Attendees heard from Mike Kenny, Interim Director of Business Development at Health Innovation North West Coast, who outlined the rapidly evolving NHS landscape and highlighted the role innovation can play in supporting productivity, prevention and economic growth. Participants were encouraged to focus on clearly articulating the problems they solve, demonstrating real-world impact and understanding how innovations fit within healthcare pathways.
The cohort also benefited from expert insight from commercial and innovation specialists including mentors Mark Duman and Kirsty McIntosh, who shared practical advice on market access, business development, funding and commercialisation.
A key part of the programme is the support available beyond the workshop sessions. Participants will have access to one-to-one mentoring, peer networking opportunities and specialist advice from programme partners, helping them refine their offering and accelerate adoption.
This year's programme sponsored by law firm Hill Dickinson, who are offering tailored support to help the cohort navigate areas such as regulation, intellectual property, investment readiness and commercial agreements.
Inderjit Singh, commercial programme manager at Health Innovation North West Coast and lead of the Momentum programme, said:
"Momentum is about helping innovative companies understand how to navigate a complex health and care system while connecting them with people who can help them succeed. We are delighted to welcome this year's cohort and look forward to working closely with them over the coming months to support their growth, development and adoption journey."
Read more about our Momentum programme.
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