Cardiff and Vale Health Board: experts in clinical innovation
A Clinical Innovation Partnership for better patient healthcare and wealth creation in Wales.
The Cardiff University School of Medicine plays host to the Clinical Innovation Accelerator (CIA). The CIA sits within the Clinical Innovation Hub and is supported by the Clinical Innovation Partnership between Cardiff University and Cardiff and Vale Health Board, and is a partner to the healthcare support programme, Accelerate.
Accelerate is a ground-breaking support programme aligned with the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act and A Healthier Wales. Part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government, it focuses on the delivery of innovative healthcare solutions across Wales.
Accelerate was established to facilitate the translational pipeline from the identification of ‘real’ healthcare needs, through to the delivery of evidence-based innovation. This is being enabled by collaborations between clinicians, industry, academia and the third sector, and is led by the Life Sciences Hub Wales and three partner universities across Wales.
“The close partnership will help develop innovative ways of driving forward aspects of clinical care that benefit patients throughout Wales.”
Professor Keith Harding, Dean for Clinical Innovation and Clinical Lead for Wound Healing Cardiff and Vale UHB.
A pathway to impact
The CIA provides expertise in accelerating the delivery of clinically focused innovation through an experienced team of professionals with capabilities derived from academia, project management, research, health economics, engagement, industry, innovation and clinical practice. Close working relationships with academic experts, NHS Health Boards, and industrial partners, enables new ideas to be focused on real-world clinical and healthcare practices and procedures, aided through a user-centric delivery model. Adopting a user-needs approach to building projects underpins the likelihood of future sustainability and enhances the pathways to impact.
Outputs generated from CIA-led collaborations are being realised through a range of platform and pilot-based projects, ranging from changes in clinical and sustainable healthcare practices to the development of artificial intelligence applications, evaluations, and new product development. An array of data is being generated, which may inform research-driven innovation beyond the initial projects. This includes an abundance of increasingly important real-world data, including patient-reported outcome and experience measures.
Real-world response
During the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the CIA demonstrated its situational relevance and responsiveness by contributing to the essential work being delivered through Cardiff University’s category-3 laboratory. This was supported by research associates who were able to undertake this time-sensitive work within Cardiff’s dedicated facilities.
CIA supported around 15 different COVID-focused projects, including those outside of the lab environment. This included technology-based applications such as the use of medical devices and virtual reality systems.
Together, we can co-create a better future
CIA’s contribution to the Accelerate Programme is enabling distinct opportunities to realise and accelerate novel, innovative solutions, through effective research, development and innovation-focused collaborations.
This work is underpinning a legacy of evidence-based healthcare innovation, delivering on Welsh government priorities, and supporting lasting impact across life sciences and health and care services in Wales. Through these effective collaborations, the sharing of expert knowledge, resources and processes is bolstering the translation of innovative ideas into sustainable solutions, bringing value to Wales.
Collaborative projects
Use our expertise
We work with businesses and organisations of all sizes and sectors to make a better future for Wales and the world.
Contact us
If you have queries or questions about the partnership, please contact:
Clinical Innovation Accelerator
@AccelerateCIA
