Innovation Cardiff

11 November 2014

It all started by picking out a ping pong ball from a fish bowl. ‘Innovation Cardiff’had its second event meeting on Thursday 6th November. A clash of fresh enthusiasm for innovation, and a wealth of experience on the subject saw a huge range of people come together to explore innovation in healthcare: clinicians, researchers, entrepreneurs, students and local businesses.

Its primary ethos is to provide a forum to bring together those with ideas for clinical improvement with those who have the resources to make the innovations happen. A vibrant mix of people, fresh ideas, pizza and wine created a tangible buzz of excitement in anticipation of the months ahead.

Innovation Cardiff aims to showcase fantastic clinical innovations that are on their way to fruition whilst running rolling innovative projects to address real clinical problems and tackle these as a multidisciplinary team.

Thursday’s event benefited hugely by hearing from two true innovators in the field of healthcare innovation. From a research perspective, Prof Tony Campbell described how his curiosity for glowing jellyfish off the Welsh coast led him to develop a system to replace dangerous radioactive isotopes with nature-inspired ‘chemiluminescence’. Prof Judith Hall closed the evening with a talk about her inspiration and drive to improve drug delivery in healthcare, both here in the UK and in sub-Saharan Africa, and the necessity of clinician-led innovation.

One attendee remarked, “It’s such a rare thing to have such a mix of people in one room, with sixth form students talking to lawyers and local business holders talking to senior clinicians. What inspired me most was that even with such a diverse group, there was a real feeling of inclusiveness and a real sense that things will be achieved within this growing team.”

www.innovationcardiff.com