MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
allow SMEs to reach crucial milestones. support MedTech SMEs with relevant products to access the NHS.
Removing barriers for spin-outs The report, Turning Innovation into Impact: Removing Barriers for MedTech Spinouts in the UK, explores the key barriers through the lens of 10 University Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) from across the UK, offering a first-hand view of the challenges that slow or prevent spin-outs from scaling and achieving real- world impact. Drawing on interviews with TTO leaders
from 10 universities – Swansea University, Imperial College London, University of Strathclyde, University College London (UCL), University of Bristol, Northumbria University, University of Liverpool, University of Ulster, Newcastle University, and the University of Cambridge – this report identifies five critical areas of concern: Regulatory and adoption botlenecks: Complex, costly, and fragmented regulatory processes, alongside slow and opaque NHS procurement systems, make it difficult for new technologies to gain approval and reach patients. Funding gaps and investment challenges: A lack of translational funding, regional inequality in access to capital, and limited investor appetite for MedTech and diagnostics restrict the growth of early-stage ventures. Talent shortages and leadership gaps: Many spinouts struggle to atract experienced commercial talent and rely too heavily on academic founders, leading to capability gaps in business development and strategy. Misalignment between academic and commercial priorities: Pressure on spin-outs to file patents prematurely, combined with the drive to spin out from universities before achieving market readiness, often undermines the long-term success of these ventures. Infrastructure and ecosystem constraints: Limited access to affordable laboratory space and fragmented regional support ecosystems drive promising companies to relocate (sometimes outside of the UK) or to stagnate.
Despite these challenges, there is cause for optimism. Interviewees highlighted several promising initiatives and called for a more joined-up national approach, one that combines early regulatory support, flexible funding mechanisms, place-based infrastructure investment, and more strategic alignment between academic research and commercialisation pathways.
SMEs need more support to navigate NHS procurement processes and ensure that product-market fit is aligned with the needs of the NHS to ensure the maximum chance of success.
To address the barriers, the
report makes the following key recommendations: Build commercial and regulatory skills: Universities should invest in training, mentoring, and secondment schemes that bring regulatory, market access and industrial expertise into spin-out teams.
Align IP strategy with real-world impact: Universities should prioritise commercial impact over publication timelines, with stronger incentives embedded in frameworks such as the Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Commenting on the reports, Dr Alex Cole, Director of Market Strategy at CPI, said: “The NHS is a real shining star of the UK, but for innovators to benefit from it, they really need to know what the unmet needs are and who within the organisation is willing to engage. Success or failure is often dependent on the correct NHS and clinical engagements. Our proposed clinical register should be the paradigm shift we need.” Dr Cole urges a joined-up response:
“These reports show that the UK has the talent and ideas, but without joined-up support, we risk losing the economic and clinical benefits to other countries. “We call on policymakers, NHS leaders,
investors and universities to act on the recommendations and collaborate to unlock the full potential of UK MedTech innovation.”
PPi
Acknowledgement This article first appeared in the January 2026 issue of The Clinical Services Journal, and is reproduced here by kind permission.
About CPI
CPI acts as a catalyst bringing together academia, businesses, government and investors to translate bright ideas and research into the marketplace. It works to give its customers access to the right experts, equipment, networks, funding and more – connecting the dots for effective innovation. CPI provides cuting-edge expertise and facilities to accelerate MedTech product development and scale manufacturing processes, accelerating the development of cuting-edge medical devices, IVDs, and more, to get them to market quicker. These reports were developed as part of the
MedTech Accelerator: Rapid Regulatory Support (MARRS) Fund, a programme funded by the UK’s Office for Life Sciences to provide grants for regulatory guidance and to enable growth in the UK MedTech industry. The SMEs who took part in the surveys, interviews and roundtables that informed the reports had received funding from the MARRS programme. The reports are available for download:
Challenges and opportunities for the UK MedTech SME ecosystem 2025
bit.ly/CPI1-Challenges
Understanding investment barriers in the UK MedTech ecosystem
bit.ly/CPI2-Barriers
Turning innovation into impact: Removing barriers for MedTech spinouts in the UK
bit.ly/CPI3-Innovation
February 2026
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