On Wednesday 27^th May, Scotland’s Regional Innovation Hubs attended, exhibited and contributed to this year’s Medical Device Manufacturing Centre (MDMC) Conference. This brought together innovators, clinicians, researchers, industry partners and NHS representatives from across Scotland’s thriving medtech ecosystem.

The conference highlighted the strength of collaboration between academia, industry and the NHS in accelerating the development and adoption of healthcare innovation.

The day opened with a welcome from Steve McLaughlin, Vice-Principal and Provost of Heriot-Watt University and Duncan Hand, Director of MDMC, followed by an insightful overview of The Scottish MedTech Ecosystem in Figures presented by Jolanta Beinarovica, Senior Business Strategy Consultant at Optimat, and Marc Desmulliez, Manager of MDMC, showcasing the scale, growth and impact of Scotland’s medtech sector.

The morning session focused on SME experiences working with the MDMC. Chaired by Michael McDonald from the University of Dundee, the panel featured representatives from GlucoRx, The Betti Pod and Tily Blooms, who shared valuable insights into the journey from concept development through to manufacture. Discussions explored regulatory challenges, technical development and the importance of collaborative support structures for innovators navigating the medtech landscape.

The conference also featured a keynote presentation from Jason White, Head of Innovation at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD), on the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) Pathway, providing delegates with an update on efforts to create a more streamlined and consistent route for the adoption and spread of innovation across NHS Scotland. The session highlighted the importance of reducing barriers to implementation and ensuring that proven innovations can reach patients more quickly.

This was followed by an update from Elaine Gemmell, Head of Regulatory Affairs at InnoScot Health, on the evolving Medical Device Regulations (MDR) landscape. Elaine provided valuable insight into the latest regulatory developments and considerations for innovators, manufacturers and healthcare organisations, emphasising the importance of navigating regulatory requirements effectively to support safe and successful adoption of new technologies.

The NHS Regional Innovation Hubs were delighted to participate in the afternoon panel session on Interacting with NHS Hubs, chaired by Ruth McLaughlin, Programme Director for the Living Laboratory. The discussion brought together Amirah Aslam, Senior Innovation Project Manager, North of Scotland Innovation Hub, Katriona Brooksbank, Regional Head of Innovation, West of Scotland Innovation Hub and Samantha Smith-Garrett, Senior Innovation Programme Manager, Health Innovation South East Scotland Hub.

The panel explored how the Innovation Hubs support industry partners, clinicians and innovators in navigating NHS systems, accessing expertise, understanding clinical needs and progressing innovative technologies towards adoption and real-world impact.

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The NHS Regional Innovation Hubs are an essential enabling infrastructure for industry, academia and third sector partners to collaborate with the NHS, translating research into innovative products and services which can directly benefit patients and improve the NHS. We are embedded within the NHS, across the three Hubs we cover all 14 Territorial Health Boards and we offer life science companies the opportunity to evidence the potential impact of their technology through access to expertise, governance and technical capabilities such as trusted research environments, helping them grow by co-developing within NHS Scotland.

Samantha Smith-Garrett

Throughout the event, the NHS Regional Innovation Hub exhibition stand provided an opportunity to engage directly with delegates, discuss current projects and partnerships and showcase the support available to innovators across Scotland. Conversations throughout the day reinforced the importance of collaboration, early engagement and shared learning in driving sustainable healthcare innovation.

Additional sessions throughout the afternoon covered international growth opportunities, sustainable surgery design and circular solutions in medtech, reflecting the sector’s growing focus on sustainability, scalability and long-term healthcare impact.

The MDMC Conference 2026 demonstrated the strength of Scotland’s connected innovation ecosystem and the collective commitment to improving patient care through collaboration, research and technological advancement.

By working closely together, the Hubs provide innovators with coordinated access to expertise, clinical networks, testing environments and adoption pathways, ensuring that companies and clinicians can benefit from a connected system rather than navigating regional structures independently. The conference provided an excellent platform to showcase this joined-up approach and the shared ambition to accelerate the development and adoption of innovations that improve patient care and health outcomes.