HiVE Places, the innovation platform launched by Scarborough Group International to create and operate next-generation innovation environments across the UK, has signed three landmark Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT), Nexus at the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University, marking one of the most significant collaborations for health innovation ever established in Yorkshire.
The agreements formalise a shared commitment to transform the Grade II* listed Old Medical School at Leeds General Infirmary into a world-class healthtech innovation hub. Bringing together the NHS, academia and industry, the partnership reflects the internationally recognised Triple Helix approach to innovation, creating a collaborative environment designed to accelerate research, investment and real-world impact across healthcare.
The Old Medical School is one of HiVE Places' founding projects and will serve as a flagship example of how the platform brings together places, partnerships and innovation ecosystems to accelerate healthtech innovation and economic growth. The aim is to create an active, open community where clinicians, researchers, entrepreneurs and businesses can work side-by-side to develop, test and scale new health technologies.
Each organisation will play a key role in delivering that vision. LTHT will anchor the project from the clinical side, embedding its Innovation Pop Up and providing companies with direct access to NHS expertise, patient insight and live testing environments. Nexus, part of the University of Leeds, will connect occupiers with the University's research base, specialist facilities and entrepreneurial programmes, helping innovators move from early-stage ideas to market-ready solutions. Leeds Beckett University will bring its strengths in applied research, health, wellbeing and digital innovation, helping create a pipeline of talent and collaboration opportunities. HiVE Places will lead the redevelopment and long-term stewardship of the building, curating an ecosystem that connects occupiers with the networks, mentorship and investment required to scale.
The result will be a connected environment where clinicians, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors can develop, test and commercialise new technologies that improve patient care while driving economic growth. The recently launched Health Innovation Leeds Incubator will provide businesses with access to integrated support, research expertise, clinical validation and real-world testing opportunities within one of the UK's most dynamic health innovation communities.
Located at the heart of Leeds city centre, the development benefits from a uniquely connected innovation infrastructure where world-class universities, one of the UK's largest teaching hospitals and cutting-edge research facilities sit side by side. The healthtech innovation hub will form the centrepiece of the Leeds Innovation Village, one of four neighbourhoods within the £2 billion Leeds Innovation Arc. Backed by the £160 million West Yorkshire Investment Zone, the Arc is the city's most ambitious regeneration and innovation programme in a generation, linking universities, hospitals and businesses through new infrastructure and shared purpose.
The Old Medical School is the first major project within the Village to move forward, marking a tangible step from vision to delivery and setting the pace for the wider Arc.
Deb Hetherington, COO at HiVE Places, said:
“Our vision for the Old Medical School has always been about more than restoring a historic building, it's about creating a genuine engine for innovation. These partnerships turn that ambition into something tangible, connecting academia, the NHS and industry in a way that gives real structure and momentum to the region's health innovation ecosystem.
“I'm incredibly grateful to our partners at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, Nexus at the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University for their openness, energy and shared belief in what we're building together. Following completion of the acquisition of the Old Medical School, we're now focused on working closely with our partners and stakeholders to keep things moving at pace as we progress through the next stages of planning, funding and delivery.”
The redevelopment of the Old Medical School will not only safeguard an important heritage building but also create the physical and cultural heart of a fast-growing regional ecosystem. West Yorkshire's healthtech sector already contributes more than £3 billion a year to the regional economy and supports over 16,000 jobs. With the healthtech innovation hub as its focal point, Leeds is set to strengthen its position as the UK's most connected health innovation ecosystem, drawing national and international investment and building on its reputation as a location where start-ups, scale-ups and global firms thrive side by side.
The signing of the MoUs marks a decisive step towards delivery. With these partnerships now formalised, HiVE Places and its partners are focused on maintaining momentum and progressing the project through planning and funding milestones later this year, ensuring progress continues at pace as Leeds' Innovation Village takes shape.
Dr Chris Herbert, Director of Operations – Research andInnovation, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, commented:
“This is an exciting step forwards and further demonstrates thepowerful partnerships we have here in Leeds. This MOU builds on the recentlylaunched Health Innovation Leeds Incubator which is aimed at acceleratinggrowth of businesses across West Yorkshire so that our patients and populationcan benefit from world-class health innovations developed in the region. Italso builds upon HiVE Places' acquisition of the Old Medical School as theTrust's Innovation Pop Up will become the first anchor tenant. This will enablethe Trust to extend the Innovation Pop Up and create additional capacity at itsspace at Leeds General Infirmary.”
Professor Silke Machold, Pro-Vice Chancellor Research andInnovation at Leeds Beckett University, said:
“We pride ourselves on being a trusted partner within our city andregion. As an Anchor institution, our research and innovation are deliveredthrough co-creation driving impact for the people, communities, andorganisations we serve. This collaboration highlights this in action. We lookforward to working together to drive innovation, grow our regional economy,develop our workforce of today and tomorrow and importantly try to make apositive difference to people's lives.”
Gareth Scargill, Director of Nexus at the University of Leeds,added:
“We're incredibly excited to be partnering on this landmarkproject. By bringing our communities together under one shared vision, evenmore businesses will be able to access the world-class health innovationexpertise at Nexus and across the University of Leeds. This collaborationstrengthens the support available to innovators at every stage of theirjourney, helping them scale faster, make real-world impact, and contribute to athriving healthtech ecosystem for the region.”
Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council said:
“Leeds is one of the top three global locations for healthtech companies, so bringing together these core Leeds anchor institutions with HiVE Places is a fantastic step forward. This partnership further reinforces our leading role in national and global health innovation. We're proud to besetting the pace and shaping the future as a city where breakthroughs are born, ideas are tested at speed, and where bold partnerships turn research into reality.”
Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, said:
“West Yorkshire is a global leader in health technology, and thispartnership is a shining example of how we're driving innovation throughcollaboration.
“By uniting world-leading clinicians with our outstandinguniversities and pioneering businesses, we're creating a powerhouse of newideas that will transform patient care.
“This collaboration will be a catalyst in our mission to combathealth inequalities and improve lives, as we work to create a brighter,healthier future for everyone across our region.”
Image caption (L-R): Dr Chris Herbert, Director of Operations - Research and Innovation, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Mark Jackson, CEO HiVE Places; Deb Hetherington, COO HiVE Places; Natalie Allen, Head of Business Partnerships, Leeds Beckett University; Gareth Scargill, Director of Nexus at the University of Leeds.
