Scottish Cross-Sector Hub Event: A Day of Collaboration and Innovation in Precision Health
On 4th June 2025, the HISES team had the opportunity to attend the second Scottish Cross-Sector Hub event, hosted by NHS Research Scotland and organised by the Academy of Medical Sciences. Held at the COSLA Conference Centre in Edinburgh, the event brought together professionals from across the NHS, academia and industry, all aligned in a shared mission to advance research and innovation in Precision Medicine and Precision Population Health.
Following the success of the Hub’s inaugural event in March, this second gathering reaffirmed Scotland’s leading role on the international stage in harnessing cross-sector collaboration to deliver meaningful impact in health and life sciences. The day offered a unique platform for learning, networking and exploring collaborative opportunities.
Highlights from the Programme
The day began with a warm welcome from Professor Tim Aitman, who set the tone by emphasising the importance of Scotland’s “triple helix” approach, a dynamic collaboration between the NHS, academia, and industry, which has been vital in driving progress in precision medicine.
A series of engaging presentations followed, featuring cutting-edge research projects that showcased the depth and breadth of innovation happening across Scotland:
- Professor Manu Shankar-Hari presented the TRAITS Program, an adaptive trial exploring time-critical precision medicine in acute illness
- Professor John Dillon shared exciting developments from the iDiabetes Platform, which is redefining diagnosis and treatment of diabetes through enhanced phenotyping
- Professor David Hunt introduced Precision-MS, an initiative focused on early, brain-health-informed treatment for multiple sclerosis
- Professor Jonathan Fallowfield offered insight into the new Centre for Precision Cell Therapy for the Liver, a landmark development in translational liver research.
- Throughout the day, the programme continued with sessions on The Living Laboratory for Precision Medicine, Liquid Biopsy innovations in academic and industry contexts, AI and data science in life sciences and health, a forward-looking discussion on clinical adoption of AI by Professor
- David Lowe and a keynote from Professor Raghib Ali on the ambitious Our Future Health programme, the UK’s largest health research initiative.
The structured networking sessions and an interactive table task offered an invaluable chance to meet colleagues from diverse disciplines, exchange ideas and spark potential partnerships.
A Collaborative Environment for the Future
The day overall provided a shared space to explore how Scotland’s strengths in data, infrastructure, and integrated care can be leveraged for the benefit of precision health.
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, in her closing remarks, reminded attendees of Scotland’s pivotal moment in health innovation, with momentum building around not only what we can do with our data and research capabilities, but how we do it.
We look forward to staying connected with the Academy of Medical Sciences and the wider Cross-Sector Hub community as we collectively shape the future of precision medicine and population health in Scotland and beyond.
To find out more about the Scottish Cross-Sector Hub and future events, visit the Academy of Medical Sciences website.
