Following a successful visit to Greater Manchester by digital health companies, organised by the Embassy of Estonia and MIDAS, a return visit took place in Tallinn last month to strengthen ties between the city-region and country.  

To further strengthen ties and meet more entrepreneurs Anastassia Bolotkova, Business Development Manager for MIDAS, arranged several meetings, culminating in a networking event. 

The event was organised with the British Embassy in Tallinn and held at the UK Ambassador’s Residence on the 18th of July, hosted by Ross Allen, His Majesty’s Ambassador to Estonia.  

MIDAS attended to speak more about the region of Greater Manchester as an important life science and health hub in the UK, and somewhere that welcomes and helps businesses to expand, discussing the potential for collaboration, connections, and relocation.  

Greater Manchester, one of the UK’s fastest-growing economies, is home to thriving life science clusters, such as in digital health, diagnostics, therapeutics, healthy ageing, and female health, connected to five leading universities and 37 hospitals, with a population of around three million, which gives opportunities for Estonian businesses to collaborate and grow internationally.  

The connection between Greater Manchester and Estonia lies in their shared focus on harnessing technology and innovation to advance life sciences.  

One of the entrepreneurs who attended both parts of the UK-Estonian visits was Katrina Laks, CEO of Migrevention, and a fitting example of how digital innovation can be applied to help long-standing medical issues. 

Through MIDAS, Katrina has been able to delve into the NHS ecosystem and build a strong network of connections with support organisations across the North of England. 

Katrina said: “MIDAS have shown a sincere commitment to supporting our efforts in Manchester and across the UK.

“They have helped to open up new possibilities for Migrevention, beyond what we initially knew was possible, which is invaluable for a startup on a mission to conquer the UK healthcare market.” 

Andrea Winters, Head of Inward Investment for Life Sciences and Healthcare at MIDAS, said: “Greater Manchester has a rich industrial heritage in life sciences innovation, and an exciting future, including AI, neurodegenerative diseases, and advanced manufacturing. 

“The city-region boasts world-class universities, research institutions, and a growing number of startups and large companies, making it the perfect location for any business to expand, and we welcome the strong ties with Estonia. 

“MIDAS is proud to be working alongside Estonia to showcase what Greater Manchester has to offer in the life sciences sector, with plenty of support and opportunities to relocate to the city-region.” 

Any businesses considering a move to the UK should contact MIDAS to discuss Manchester as the perfect location by emailing info@midas.org.uk