Thirty-one of the best and brightest life sciences and medtech companies and industry collaborations from across the Midlands have been revealed as finalists in this year’s Medilink Midlands Business Awards.

Sponsored by the University of Birmingham and the Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA), the annual awards event will celebrate the achievements, innovations, and breakthroughs of life sciences and medtech companies across the whole of the Midlands.

Richard Fox, strategic business engagement partner for life sciences, University of Birmingham, said: “The University of Birmingham and the Precision Health Technologies Accelerator are proud to be sponsoring the Medilink Midlands Business Awards 2023. These awards shine a light on the businesses at the forefront of healthcare innovation and the thriving life sciences community in the region.

“The Precision Heath Technologies Accelerator, based at the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus, will further accelerate the adoption of healthcare innovations in the region and beyond, creating opportunities for transformative collaborations between businesses, the University and NHS partners. And, who knows, some of the winners of the Medilink Midlands Business Awards may become PHTA residents and collaborators of the future!”

Applications for the 2023 awards have been reviewed by an independent and expert panel of judges. Winners and highly commended companies from both the East and West Midlands will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony and black-tie dinner to be held at the Great Hall, University of Birmingham, on 16 March 2023.

Winning organisations from seven of the categories will be automatically entered in to the Medilink UK National Awards, part of the Med-Tech Innovation Conference & Expo (MTI), taking place on 7 and 8 June 2023.

Medilink Midlands’ chief operating officer, Melanie Davidson, said: “Each of this year’s submissions demonstrate the exceptional pedigree of the innovative life sciences and medtech businesses based across the Midlands region, and we are proud to be able to recognise and showcase the excellence these companies are achieving in our annual Business Awards.

“We’d like to thank our independent judging panel for kindly giving their time and expertise to review the entries. The event will be a brilliant opportunity for the Midlands life science community to come together, and we look forward to celebrating the success and continued growth being enjoyed across the region.”

Taking part in the judging process were representatives from each of the sponsors.

Dr Chris McConville of the Sir Robert Aitken Institute for Clinical Research, University of Birmingham, said: “I really enjoyed being part of the Medilink Midlands Business Awards judging panel. There were a number of difficult decisions to make given the high calibre of entrants. I was looking for businesses that had the potential to really innovate their market and bring something fresh and new to it. I found that my decisions were made easier by businesses that had a clear plan to impact.”

Lucy Trueman, partner and head of Medical Sector at Barker Brettell, added: “I was delighted to be invited to be part of the Medilink Midlands Business Awards judging panel, and continue to be amazed at the innovation companies are achieving, and the level of care and detail in the applications. There were a number of stand-out entries – making it very hard to choose a winner, but I was looking for a unique product with the potential for big impact.” 

The full line-up of finalists in the eight categories for 2023 is:

Start-Up (sponsored by The Medical Technologies Innovation Facility at Nottingham Trent University)

• Enrich My Care
• iethico
• Joint Approach Rehab
• The Essential Baby Company
• VUIT Online

Delivering Innovation in Health and Care (sponsored by Shakespeare Martineau)

• HSL
• Joint Approach Rehab
• NuVision Biotherapies
• PRIMIS (University of Nottingham)

Innovation (sponsored by Barker Brettell)

• Agility Life Sciences
• Apnea Tech and Bluefrog Design
• BlueSkeye AI
• BPR Medical
• Eureka Inventions
• JointMedica

Outstanding Achievement (sponsored by Mills & Reeve LLP)

• BPR Medical
• Redditch Medical
• Spirit Health

Advances in Digital Healthcare (sponsored by WM5G)

• Blum Health
• DDM Health
• Digistain
• iethico 
• Spirit Health
• The Tribe Project (by Bronze Software Labs)

Export Achievement (sponsored by City of Mentor, Ohio, USA)

• Cellomatics Biosciences Limited
• Digistain Ltd
• Upperton Pharma Solutions

Partnership between Academia and Business (sponsored by ARISE at Anglia Ruskin University)

• Kimal PLC and University of Birmingham, Mechanical Engineering
• NuVision Biotherapies and College of Health and Life Sciences, Optometry & Vision Science Research Group (OVSRG), Aston University
• University of Derby and HistologiX
• West Midlands Regional Genetics Laboratory and JS O'Brien Business Solutions, Representative for Inagene Diagnostics

One to Watch (selected by Medilink Midlands’ independent judging panel)

• Bioxhale
• ChangeXtra
• Hedkayse
• i3 Simulations
• InoCardia

The awards will be hosted by TV personality, Michelle Livings. A familiar face to television audiences having hosted numerous broadcasts from motorsports to commercials, Michelle will combine her professional calling with her personal passion for health, wellness, and technology to compere the awards.

She said: “I’m thrilled to be involved in an event that celebrates the amazing achievements and advances being made in the field of life sciences with the help of technology. It’s an incredibly exciting time and I’m so pleased I get to play a small part in it.”