Health Innovation South East Scotland (HISES) is delighted to welcome Joanna Nixon as our new Business Development Manager, strengthening our ability to connect the NHS, academia and industry to accelerate the development, evaluation and adoption of innovations that improve health and care outcomes across Scotland.

Joining HISES from the University of Glasgow’s HealthTech Innovation and Translation Lab, Joanna brings extensive experience in health innovation, business development, project management and partnership working across academic, NHS and commercial environments. In her most recent role as Business Development Manager, she supported healthcare innovation projects involving academics, SMEs, start-ups and commercial partners, helping organisations navigate the complex journey from early-stage concept development through to evidence generation, funding and potential NHS adoption.

Over the past several years, Joanna has built a strong track record of developing and managing collaborative projects, identifying funding opportunities, supporting grant applications and bringing together diverse stakeholders to address healthcare challenges. Her work has focused on creating productive partnerships between academia, industry, clinicians, patients and NHS organisations, ensuring innovative ideas are translated into solutions capable of delivering real-world impact.

At the University of Glasgow, Joanna led engagement with health technology companies and innovators seeking access to academic and NHS expertise. She supported the assessment and development of new opportunities, coordinated multi-partner collaborations, managed innovation project portfolios and introduced improvements to governance, reporting and project management processes. Her experience also includes managing innovation pipelines, supporting funding development activities and overseeing project performance across a complex innovation environment,

Prior to moving into academic health innovation, Joanna developed extensive NHS experience through a range of roles within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, supporting strategic recovery programmes, planning, governance and quality improvement initiatives, including work linked to COVID-19 recovery and the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry. This experience provided valuable insight into the operational realities of healthcare delivery, stakeholder management and system-wide transformation.

In her new role, Joanna will play a key part in delivering the HISES ambition to strengthen Scotland’s health innovation ecosystem by creating new opportunities for collaboration between the NHS, academia and industry. She will help identify and develop innovation and commercial opportunities, support Scottish SMEs seeking to work with the NHS, facilitate access to clinical expertise and infrastructure, and contribute to securing external funding to support innovation projects across South East Scotland.

The role will also see Joanna working closely with partners across NHS Lothian, NHS Fife, NHS Borders, universities, industry and national innovation networks to foster “triple helix” collaborations that bring together healthcare, academia and business expertise. A key focus will be identifying opportunities that not only improve patient care and service delivery but also contribute to Scotland’s wider life sciences and economic growth ambitions.

Speaking about her appointment, Joanna said:

Joanna’s appointment reflects HISES’ continued commitment to building a strong regional innovation ecosystem that supports innovators, attracts investment and accelerates the adoption of evidence-based solutions across health and care. Her experience spanning academia, the NHS and industry will be a valuable asset as HISES continues to connect partners, develop new opportunities and bring innovative solutions closer to patients and communities across South East Scotland.

We are delighted to welcome Joanna to the HISES team.