Turning innovation into impact: why collaboration matters for emerging healthcare technologies 

In this blog, Shilpi Shobowale, Senior Project Manager; Dr Antonio Rafael Ruiz-Gonzalez, Project Manager; and You Tae Jeon, Project Support Officer for Digital Transformation and Technology at the Health Innovation Network South London (HIN), explore the importance of cross-sector collaboration and learning. Drawing on examples from the TeleRehaB DSS, Mindset-XR Innovator Support and DigitalHealth.London Healthcare Challenges programmes, they consider how involving clinical, academic, industry and patient perspectives can shape early-stage innovation and identify the conditions needed for future adoption.  

Emerging technology has the potential to transform healthcare, but its lasting impact can only be realised through the partnerships that bring it to life. While innovators continue to push the boundaries of what is possible, cross-sector collaboration is essential to ensure digital health products are clinically relevant, accessible and capable of delivering tangible benefits for patients and healthcare systems alike.

The Health Innovation Network South London (HIN) is helping to unlock the potential of emerging technologies, bringing together the NHS, academia, industry, innovators and patients to tackle some of healthcare’s most pressing challenges. Here are three ways we are enabling cross-sector collaboration to improve health outcomes and increase productivity

Multi-sector collaboration: TeleRehaB DSS

TeleRehaB Decision Support System (DSS) is an international collaborative programme bringing together clinical, academic and technological expertise from across Europe and Asia. Through the multi-year programme, the HIN has worked with partners to explore the potential of digitally enabled rehabilitation services.

The Patient and Carer event, for example, brought together academics and innovators with patients and carers to test a collection of new augmented reality (AR) solutions that could assist the rehabilitation of people with balance issues. The group shared feedback on the user design, engagement with the gamified rehabilitation exercises, and practical considerations, such as wearing glasses whilst wearing AR headsets. These insights directly steered the development of the patient-facing telerehabilitation system, ahead of a multi-site clinical trial.

During the programme, the HIN has also explored the potential role of immersive technologies across pulmonary, cardiac and musculoskeletal (MSK) rehabilitation. The recently published whitepaper brings together perspectives from three roundtables, providing clear considerations for innovators developing tools and the healthcare systems procuring technology. Sharing ideas and real-world examples in this way fosters collaborative problem-solving, helping healthcare systems realise the benefits of digital products sooner for patients, staff and the wider system.

Innovation informed by academia: Mindset-XR

The Innovate UK-funded Mindset-XR Innovator Support Programme, which is delivered by the HIN, is supporting the growth of immersive digital mental health solutions, including immersive therapy, virtual environments and simulation tools. Many of these innovations originate from academic research or have been strengthened by multi-sector collaboration.

XR Therapeutics, for example, is a spin-out from Newcastle University. Research by co-founders Dr Morag Maskey and Professor Jeremy Parr into how technology could enhance mental health treatment led to the development of Boundless. Designed to support talking therapies, the medical device provides immersive simulations of real-world environments co-designed with NHS therapists.

Another company supported through Mindset-XR, Cineon, collaborates with academic and healthcare partners to co-design virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy tools. Its iSAVE solution is intended to support patients experiencing anxiety about healthcare procedures, with a particular focus on MRI scanning. By working with the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, Torbay and South Devon NHS Trust and the University of Exeter, Cineon has gathered feedback to inform the realism, accessibility and usability of the product.

Knowledge exchange: Healthcare Challenges

Wearable technologies offer another promising area of development. From monitoring activity levels and vital signs to supporting self-management, these products can help clinicians gain a better understanding of a patient’s health between appointments.

Held in March 2026, the DigitalHealth.London Wearables in Emergency Departments (ED) Healthcare Challenge demonstrated the value of bringing frontline teams together with innovators and academics to connect emerging technologies with genuine clinical needs. Nine companies presented their wearable technologies to clinicians, industry experts and digital leaders, creating an opportunity for direct engagement and constructive feedback.

The feedback provided valuable insights into real-world use cases, such as continuous vital signs monitoring, enabling effective patient flow and support self-management in community settings. It also helped companies to identify practical considerations in their solutions, such as operational scalability, integration across patient pathways and governance.

Conclusion

As innovation continues to advance, its lasting value will be determined by the strength of the partnerships that underpin it. Tackling both local healthcare challenges and wider national priorities requires collaboration across healthcare, academia, industry and patient communities from the earliest stages of development.

The examples from TeleRehaB DSS, Mindset-XR and the DigitalHealth.London Wearables Healthcare Challenge demonstrate how structured collaboration can shape product development, test assumptions against pathway reality and identify the conditions needed for future adoption. This does not remove the complex questions surrounding evidence, workforce, infrastructure, governance and funding, but it allows these questions to be considered earlier and with input from the right perspectives around the table.

The HIN plays a vital role in enabling this collaboration, helping partners identify challenges, evaluate emerging solutions and accelerate adoption. By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives, emerging technology can be set up to deliver sustainable improvements across the healthcare system.