Six life science companies from the West Midlands and six from the East Midlands were selected as winners at the Medilink Midlands Business Awards.
The Awards saw over 130 businesspeople from life science companies across the region and beyond come together online to celebrate and reflect on the past year.
The awards recognise organisations in the life science sector who in the past year have excelled in different areas, including One to Watch, Start-up, Export Achievement, Delivering Innovation into Health and Care, Innovation and Outstanding Achievement.
The first winning companies to be announced were Coventry-based Skyfarer and Nottingham-based Vitcheck from Total Health & Wellbeing, who received the One to Watch Award, sponsored by HORIBA UK. This award is for businesses that show a great deal of potential.
Skyfarer’s mission is to improve the world by harnessing the positive power of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Vitcheck from Total Health and Wellbeing is an on-line, evidence-based, analytical tool, which assesses cumulative effects of lifestyle, life stage, diet and medications and makes personalised dietary and supplement recommendations.
The next award to be announced was the Start-up award, sponsored by Nottingham Trent University’s Medical Technologies and Advanced Materials Research Theme and the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility. This award was given for newly established companies in the healthcare sector that show a promising future. This award was won by Dudley-based Airguard Medical and Northampton-based TCC Casemix.
Airguard Medical rose to the challenge and adapted to produce single use surgical gowns, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Going forward they have created a new industry in the manufacturing of healthcare garments as well as future resilience, job creation and adding value to the economy. TCC-CASEMIX create innovative digital health technologies, with a mission to transform surgical services delivery in acute care facilities. In doing so it is planning to become globally recognised as leading a new era of productivity, and patient safety, in surgery.
The Export Achievement Award, which was sponsored by Midlands Engine, looked at companies which have experienced substantial growth in overseas earnings and commercial success. Birmingham-based Binding Site and Nottingham-based Albumedix won this award.
Founded in 1986 by researchers at the University of Birmingham, Binding Site is as a specialist in the R&D, manufacture and distribution of products for the detection of cancers and immune disorders. Albumedix is a science-driven company empowering excellence to enable the development of otherwise unstable therapies to reach patients worldwide using their world-leading recombinant human albumin products and services.
The Award for Delivering Innovation into Health and Care, sponsored by the East and West Midlands Academic Health Science Networks, looked at innovations that are being adopted by the NHS and which demonstrate an impact on efficacy, patient outcomes and NHS system costs.
This award was won by Birmingham-based Dignio and Nottingham-based Source BioScience. Source Bioscience is an international provider of integrated Laboratory Services, providing Healthcare Diagnostics, Genomics, Stability Storage and Infectious Disease Testing. Headquartered in the UK, with additional facilities in Ireland and the US.
Dignio’s Integrated Care Platform is a flexible and generic, person-centred toolkit, supporting the care journey in a cost-effective way, across all complexities of needs. Established in 2010, Dignio has been helping individuals and healthcare systems optimise care for the benefit of all.
Burton-based Feet etc Consultancy and Grantham-based Selentus Science picked up the award for Innovation, sponsored by Potter Clarkson. This award was given for the development of innovative technology, that has produced a major improvement in business performance and impacted the market.
Feet Etc is a design consultancy offering specialised services for the foot orthotics industry with a focus on Research and Development activity in both design and manufacturing. Selentus develops haemostats for treating bleeding during surgery. Selentus’ lead product, TenaTac, is approved in Europe and is protected by a patent granted in UK, USA, Japan, and pending worldwide.
The final award, Outstanding Achievement award, was sponsored by Mills & Reeve LLP, and recognises an achievement which has had a significant or vital impact on the company and market. The Outstanding Achievement Award was won by both the West Midlands PPE Collective and Derby-based Surescreen Diagnostics.
The West Midlands PPE Collective came together during the COVID-19 pandemic and co-ordinated the Midlands’ response to national PPE requirements and shortages. Companies involved in this included Airguard Filters, Arrow Medical, Contechs Medical, Wearwell, Hospital Direct (HDI Group) in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB)/Birmingham Hospitals Alliance (BHA).
SureScreen Diagnostics believes that early, accurate diagnosis is better than waiting for problems to arise. It specialises in the manufacture of IVD medical devices, to help people around the world.
The winners of the Start-Up, Export Achievement, Delivering Innovation into Health and Care, Innovation and Outstanding Achievement awards will go on to be shortlisted for a Medilink UK Healthcare Business Awards on 1 October, with the chance to be crowned national winners.
