Hosted by the Health Innovation and Research Alliance NI (HIRANI), Health Tech Spring is a two-day conference taking place in Belfast on 29 & 30 April 2024.
Following on from a sold-out summit last year, HIRANI have expanded the event into a two-day conference which will include a “Life Sciences, Life Support” event for businesses who provide support services to the life science industry. With Innovation zones and pitching events, global keynotes and local thought leaders, Health Tech Spring promises to be an iconic conference hosted in the Titanic Building.
Keynote speakers include Minister for the Economy, Conor Murphy along with Professor Tony Young, Hakim Yadi OBE, Victoria Manax, Rahul Kapoor as well as other members of US Life Sciences Advisory Panel
Themes will include:
Cultural and Operational shifts in Clinical Trials.
Fueled by adaptations to clinical trial implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic, decentralised clinical trials are burgeoning.
Regulators worldwide have issued guidance on how to implement such adaptations, however, there has been little focus on the distinct ethical challenges these trials pose.
Precision medicine – is it all just about the data?
Various technologies and approaches will be integral to the success of personalised medicine: but the integration and analysis of health information and data will be crucial.
Save the health service, save the planet.
If the global healthcare sector were a country, it would be the fifth largest contributor to climate change. Supporting sustainable healthcare can benefit both patients and the wider system.
Professor Stuart Elborn, Provost and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Queen’s University Belfast, the main conference sponsors, said:
“Queen’s University has been a major influence and contributed significantly to economic growth and health science research for most of its 180-year history.
“We are determined to continue to play our part in creating jobs and attracting and retaining talented staff, while bringing health benefits to individuals and communities for many generations to come.
“Our research into cancer prevention and treatment, precision medicine, and health data, along with many other health challenges, has resulted in scientific breakthroughs to improve patient outcomes by understanding the nature of diseases and uncovering innovative therapeutics and preventive interventions.
“With forward-thinking people and proven excellence in research capability we are well-placed to drive progress for generations to come through our data-driven innovation centres iREACH Health and Momentum One Zero.
“At these centres our academics will build on successes in partnership with industry and government to maximise data-driven innovations in clinical research and secure connected technologies to improve healthcare.”
HIRANI CEO, Joann Rhodes said “The pace of convergence of technologies for healthcare is astonishing, but we are still only in the foothills of what is possible. Northern Ireland’s distinctive capabilities in diagnostics, precision medicine and digital health, our goldilocks’ size and positioning between EU, UK with strong links to our US friends makes us the perfect place to explore and drive forward health-academic-industry partnerships for health and prosperity; and scale globally.
“We are excited to have expanded our conference this year over two-days which reflects the significant growth of the sector and the strides that have been made in integration of medical technology into the healthcare landscape.”
Dr Simon Grattan, Funding & Government Affairs Manager at Almac Group said: “Almac is delighted to be sponsoring HIRANI’s ‘Health Tech Spring Conference’. As a global leader in providing a range of expert services and support across the drug development lifecycle, we are committed to supporting and fostering the health and life sciences sector in NI and so I look forward to Prof Richard Kennedy (Global VP and Medical Director – Almac Diagnostic Services) sharing current insights and future opportunities with attendees, as well as the chance to network with current and potential partners.”
Notes to Editors
The Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland (HIRANI) is an alliance of universities, health organisations and other industry bodies, established to drive and support ambitious growth in Northern Ireland’s Life & Health Sciences sector. HIRANI is supported by partners including Invest NI, Public Health Agency, HSC Research & Development Office, the Department of Health (DOH) and Department for the Economy (DOE) find out more at www.hira-ni.com
Picture caption:
Simon Grattan Funding & Government Affairs Manager – Almac Group, Professor Judy Bradley Director of iREACH Health and NICRF, Joann Rhodes CEO Health Innovation Research Alliance NI, Dr Stephen McCabe QUB Project Lead for Momentum 1.0, David Ribeiro Chief Operating Officer, ARC Regulatory
For more information contact:
Caroline McEvoy
HIRANI Chief Communication Officer
Caroline.mcevoy@hira-ni.com
t: 07802866221
