Shortlist announced for North West Coast Research and Innovation Showcase 2026

The shortlist has been announced for the inaugural North West Coast Research and Innovation Showcase 2026, celebrating the people, partnerships and projects driving meaningful improvements in health and care across Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Building on more than a decade of the North West Coast Research and Innovation Awards, the expanded showcase combines interactive exhibits, networking and discussion with an awards programme recognising outstanding achievements in research, innovation, collaboration and public involvement.

Delivered in partnership by Health Innovation North West Coast and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast (ARC NWC), the showcase brings together researchers, healthcare professionals, industry partners, students, academics and public contributors to share ideas, celebrate success and showcase work making a difference across the region.

Shortlisted entries demonstrate innovation and impact, with a strong emphasis on collaboration, inclusivity and addressing local, regional and national health and care priorities.

Dr Phil Jennings, Chief Executive of Health Innovation North West Coast, said: "The quality and breadth of this year's submissions reflect the creativity, commitment and collaborative spirit of our region's research and innoavation community. We are delighted to recognise the shortlisted teams and individuals and look forward to sharing their work through the new showcase format."

Professor Mark Gabbay, Director of ARC NWC, said: “The showcase is an important opportunity to celebrate research-informed impact and the partnerships that help turn evidence into better outcomes. The shortlisted entries demonstrate how inclusive, collaborative approaches can strengthen services, reduce health inequalities and make a lasting difference for patients and communities.”

The North West Coast Research and Innovation Showcase 2026 will take place from 3pm to 8pm on 25 November 2026 at The Spine in Liverpool.

Find out more about the event and the award categories on the North West Coast Research and Innovation Showcase 2026 website.

The shortlisted entries are:

Industry Collaboration

• Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – Alerts to action: Scaling heart failure innovation across Cheshire and Merseyside
• Liverpool Women’s Health Innovation (WIN) Studio – WIN Studio: Accelerating women’s health innovation through industry collaboration
• NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and Decently – From two wards to three hospitals: Scaling Melo through partnership

Innovation in workforce culture

• Liverpool Orthopaedic and Trauma Service – Creating a shared identity and culture of innovation within the Liverpool Orthopaedic and Trauma Service
• Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust – Making research part of everyone’s business
• Wirral Academic Surgical Programme, Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – WASP: Growing our own innovators from rota gaps and overlooked talent

Patient Safety and Care Improvement

• Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – Sapphire Ward: Integrated eating disorder services improving young people’s care
• The Liverpool Limb Reconstruction Service – part of The Liverpool Orthopaedics and Trauma Service: NHS university Hospitals of Liverpool Group – External fixator removal in the outpatient clinic using regional anaesthesia: A positive patient experience
• The Tropical and Infectious Diseases Unit, NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group – Improving diagnosis and management of haemophagocyctic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)

Research Capacity Building

• ReproNorth. A trauma-informed approach to research capacity building for reproductive justice
• University of Lancashire, Development a Sustainable Stroke Research Workforce through COMMITS
• Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Wirral Academic Surgical Programme: turning rota gaps into research capacity

Research Student of the Year

• Dr Sindhu Sekar
• Mohamed Abosheisha
• Rio Foster

Sustainability

• APRIN Network supported by Edge Hill University – APRIN: Connecting evidence, nature and collaboration for health and sustainability
• GroundsWell, The Mersey Forest, NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast – Forest bathing: the natural health service
• The Wellcome Trust – Powering the sustainable workspace with PoE

Tackling Health Inequalities

• Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance working in partnership with (One Knowsley, Warrington CVS, Cheshire West Voluntary Action, Community & Voluntary Services Cheshire East, Halton & St Helens Voluntary and Community Action, Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services, Sefton Council for Voluntary Services and Wirral CVS) – Community ownership of cancer Awareness to reduce inequalities
• Community CVS – Call for a kit: Reducing bowel screening inequalities
• Liverpool Women’s University Hospital – Digital for the many, not the few: Inclusion by design

The Ruth Young Award for Public Involvement in Research Implementation

• Liverpool John Moores University, That Girl: Lived Experience Transforming Research into Practice
• University of Liverpool, Alcohol Care Team Involvement and Engagement (ACTIVE) group
• University of Liverpool, DynAIRx: Co-produced AI Transforming Medicines Optimisation for Complex Patients