Unlocking Potential
HIRANI and Roche Diagnostics mentoring programme launched.
Following a successful pilot scheme in 2024 and an official launch in 2025, the HIRANI Mentoring Programme sponsored by Roche Diagnostics will launch in June 2026, offering innovators and Health and Life Science leaders an opportunity to engage in structured, high-impact mentorship.
Mentoring Programme
Empowering the Life and Health Sciences Sector
The HIRANI Mentoring Programme is designed to support the rapid growth of the life and health sciences sector by fostering professional development, knowledge exchange, and strategic networking. Through structured mentorship, mentees are guided in areas such as business model development, commercialisation strategies, and regulatory navigation.
Roche Diagnostics Partners with HIRANI to Fuel Healthcare Innovation
Accelerating Real-World Impact and Collaboration
Cluster Innovation Lead at HIRANI, Dr Sean O’Connor, welcoming the new sponsorship from Roche Diagnostics said:
“Mentoring is an effective way to accelerate capability and real-world impact in life and health sciences, and we have already seen strong outcomes emerging from the mentor programme, which has supported development of new spin-outs, strengthened successful funding applications, and enabled collaborations between innovators, clinicians and industry partners that might not otherwise have happened.
The partnership with Roche Diagnostics allows us to deepen support and scale what works. Our aim is to develop the programme into a sector-specific community of practice, where experience, insight and networks are shared in a structured and sustainable way, helping innovators navigate complexity and move faster from idea to implementation.”
A Proven Track Record of Success
The mentoring programme was funded in 2024 and 2025 by Innovate UK’s Launchpad programme for Life and Health Science in Northern Ireland, reinforcing its role as a key initiative in strengthening innovation in the region.
- 300+ mentoring hours recorded over two years.
- 91% of participants expressed interest in participating again.
The programme is more than just a mentorship initiative—it is a community of practice, fostering long-term professional relationships and collaborative learning.
Join the Programme: Become a Mentor or Mentee
If you are a life sciences innovator seeking guidance or an industry leader eager to mentor others, this is your opportunity to engage with an impactful, structured mentoring programme.
How to Get Involved: Register now by emailing mentor@hira-ni.com to express your interest as a mentee or mentor and receive further information.
Mentors
David Branagh
CEO of Raidmed
Chris Sawyer
Innovation Lead, Digital Health at Innovate UK
Graham Lewis
European and UK patent attorney
Ryan Colhoun
Co-Owner and Product Director, TruCorp Ltd| MD & Co-Founder, Tritos Medical Ltd
Brendan Crossey
Founder of the Data Innovation Hub
David Boal
MD and owner, Diligent Business Consulting
David Ribeiro
CEO of ARC Regulatory
Alistair Fee
Experienced Industrial Professor and Trade Strategist in Higher Education and Industry
Oonagh Lynch
IP Licensing Manager, Ulster University
Steve Bagshaw
Grand Challenge Lead, CPI
Richard Kennedy
Global Vice President and Medical Director | Almac Diagnostic Services
Roisin Molloy
CEO of Trimedika
Dr Roisin McAllister
Life and Health Science Sector Lead, Department for Business and Trade
Professor Justin Magee
Research Director for Belfast School of Art
Adrian Condon
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer at B-Secur
Ciaran Fulton
Independent consultant, Abbott
Joseph Burt
Head of IVD and General Medical Devices with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Rahul Kapoor
Managing Director, HealthTech, CPI
Dr Sally-Ann Emmas
Director and Founder, Emmas Consulting Limited
Sinéad Lavery
Senior Communications Manager, Morrow Communications
Stuart Jackson
CEO of Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca
Debbie McGrory
Communications Lead, HSC R&D
Paul Beaney
Head of project delivery within the School of Engineering at Ulster University
Colum Lowe
Innovation Lead – Healthy Lives, Innovate UK (UKRI)
Marc Daigneault
Venture Builder, Innovation Funding Specialist, Strategic Partnerships & Bids, Business Advisor
Ryan Fenton
Managing Director at i4 Product Design
Peter Simpson
Drug Discovery Consultant at Peter Simpson Consulting Ltd, and Chair at Dia Beta Labs
Sammi Jeffries
Business Development Manager for CPI
Karen Keating
Principal, Scientific and Advisory Sciences at Diaceutics PLC
Lisa Wu Holmes
Transformation & Change Consultant at PUTTY
Rozanna Hardie
Healthcare Systems Partner at Roche
Martin McGinn
Product & Service Designer, Lecturer at Ulster University
Michael Gilkes
Head of Business Development Frontier Science Scotland
Lauren Miller
Investment Director at Apposite Capital
Stephen Liggett
Future Medicines Institute Director at Queen’s University Belfast
Dr Bianca Ogbo
Lecturer in Computer Science at Teeside University
How Effective Mentorship Works
The programme is underpinned by established mentorship principles including:
Transformational leadership
Mentors inspire mentees to set goals, think strategically, and navigate industry challenges.
Structured goal setting
Mentees who established clear objectives early in the programme reported greater satisfaction and professional growth.
Mutual benefit and social exchange
Effective mentorship works best when both parties gain insights, networking opportunities, and a deeper understanding of industry trends.
Self-determination and skill-building
Mentorship supports autonomy, competence, and career clarity, particularly for those actively engaged in the process.
To enhance the programme, several strategies will be implemented:
Structured goal-setting frameworks
Introducing mentoring roadmaps and clearer milestones to help mentees track progress effectively.
Mid-programme check-ins
Implementing regular feedback loops to support ongoing engagement and address potential challenges early.
Pre-programme assessments
Ensuring participants are prepared for active engagement and understand their role in driving the mentorship process.
Extended programme duration
Offering flexibility for mentorship relationships to continue beyond six months if both parties find it beneficial.
Additional resources and support
Providing commercialisation support, regulatory guidance, and industry-specific skills to complement the mentoring experience.
Join the HIRANI Community of Practice
The programme is more than just a mentorship initiative, it is a community of practice, fostering long-term professional relationships and collaborative learning.
If you are a life sciences innovator seeking guidance or an industry leader eager to mentor other, this is your opportunity to engage with an impactful, structured mentoring programme.
To register please email us.
