Our Head of Inward Investment for Life Sciences and Healthcare, Andrea Winders, recently visited Hyderabad, India, and Singapore with a team from Health Innovation Manchester in a joint mission.

India

The mission began with a visit to India, meeting with large manufacturing organisations, innovators, biotechnology companies, and hospital groups all keen to learn more about the strengths of Greater Manchester's own Life Sciences sector across the city-region. 

In Hyderabad MIDAS met the team at Apollo Hospitals (a large hospital chain in India) with Ishita Shively, Rahul Khandewal and Vice President Dr Sujay Kar. The hospital group has already partnered with the University of Buckingham to create a centre of excellence for healthcare and research in Crewe, and the visit was the perfect opportunity to share how they could extend their reach to include Greater Manchester.  

The host and organiser in Hyderabad, T-Hub, arranged a programme highlighting the exciting plans for future Manchester-Hyderabad collaborations. 

On the second day in Hyderabad, MIDAS and Health Innovation Manchester visited IKP Knowledge Park to meet with businesses and colleagues: Bindu Nishal, Mayank Bhanti, and Ramadan Rau, to meet entrepreneurs and innovators in biotech. The day concluded with a DBT reception at the Ambassador’s Residence where the British Deputy High Commissioner to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Gareth Wynn Owen, and Richard McCallum of UK India Business Council presented and discussed the business links between the two regions. 

On day three MIDAS met a variety of exciting start-ups and businesses alongside Health Innovation Manchester at T-Hub, with some including Onward Assist, Cliniv Health Tech, Multiplier AI, and Sta Twig. A meeting with the CRAMSN Research Park team followed, at their stunning new facility in Hyderabad where it was great to see Dr.Vijayavitthal T. Mathad and Kiron Michael again to discuss plans for Manchester. Andrea rounded off the day back at T-hub to meet with SMEs and stakeholders and be part of a “fireside” chat. 

On the itinerary for the final day in India, Andrea visited Dr Reddy’s Institute of Life Sciences to learn about their fascinating, innovative work in drug discovery and process flow, using Zebrafish embryos as an alternative to mammals in research.

Singapore

The next leg of the mission was Singapore. In a meeting at the ALICE Lee Innovation Centre of SingHealth, MIDAS learned how innovations are integrated into healthcare pathways at pace, and how automation, such as patient/visitor registration and service robots reduce demand on staff time to improve care while realising cost savings.  

The final day of the mission, courtesy of Enterprise Singapore, involved meeting with businesses, including Ando Medcare, Credo Diagnostics, and Moon Technologies. The trip was neatly wrapped up with Clavyst Bio in conjunction with Health Innovation Manchester’s Chief Commercial Officer, Sameer Kothari, where fruitful discussions around building innovation eco systems, investment, and collaboration were had. 

These new connections reinforce Greater Manchester’s reputation as a hub for healthcare innovation and set the stage for meaningful future collaborations. 

Special thanks: Preethi Madda and T-Hub for putting together a well-orchestrated programme during our time in Hyderabad.